Language: Español
Broadcast Thursday, April 13, 2023
In this broadcast:
- Opening
- Announcements
- Member events
- Circle Reports
- Training opportunities
- Help wanted
- About SoMBu
Big news: Mission Circle selected Rhonda Baird as operational leader of the General Circle, and General Circle confirmed the selection so it’s official! The new roles will go into effect on March 31.
(And I will still be working full time in SoFA but focus on other things.)
I’m very happy about this new development; may SoFA thrive and bring many people the gift of shared governance!
The Annual Global Sociocracy Conference is approaching!
The Annual Global Sociocracy Conference, which we host, is coming up soon: it is scheduled for May 4 and 5, and we hold it over Zoom. The theme of the conference is “May Your Power Be With You”, and you can learn about scheduled sessions on the conference web page. Please register if you want to attend, and please share this information with others!
German sociocracy conference
Save the date!
November 9, 2023, 1300–2000 (German time zone). The online conference will include a variety of presentations and discussions about sociocracy implementation and related topics in the German language. We are looking forward to seeing many of you there! A call for speakers and details will follow soon.
New members
- Kenric Nelson (USA) supporting members
- Jane Losare-Lusby (USA) Free & Open Source Content Circle
- Mary Tauras (USA) Nonprofit circle
welcome
Member events
- April 19 @ 15:00 – 16:30 UTC Nonviolent Communication Community of Practice
- April 27 @ 12:00 – 13:30 EDT Sociocracy Implementation Peer Support (SIPS) Community of Practice
- May 8 @ 11:15 – 12:45 EST Community of Practice: Sociocratic Intentional Communities
- May 8 @ 13:00 – 14:30 EDT @Work Community of Practice
- May 8 @ 14:00 – 15:30 UTC Community of Practice: facilitators of sociocratic circles
Department circle reports
Mission Circle
Mission Circle is in the process of planning a retreat to sort out some backlog items and work on their strategy.General Circle
The members of General Circle decided on a new delegate from General Circle to Mission Circle: Pame Carmona! Pame won’t be able to start in that role until June, though, so Ted will fill in as delegate until then. The circle members also approved the International Circle budget and had a number of additional conversations. They heard a report from Organization Support Circle, who want all SoFA members to be aware of new Organizational Learner plans as we connect with people who may want to introduce their organizations to sociocracy. Finally, the circle members had a rich conversation about our culture of onboarding new people into roles and the tension between having volunteers and compensated members filling roles.Ecosystem Circle
The members of this circle discussed common problems and obstacles that they encounter when connecting with people and organizations in their sectors. They affirmed Toby Leugger as the new leader (and sole member) of the Youth and Education Development Circle. They consented to restructured OKRs and the updated text of the key “So you want to be a sector circle” policy.SoFA Support Services Circle
This circle had an engaging conversation that started with reviewing the domain of Financial Wellbeing Circle and the relationship between the work of that circle and General Circle (particularly with respect to preparing the budget). The members of this circle also started discussing a strategy for SoFA members to be aware of existing Help Desk agreements and for members to grow in confidence of using Help Desk services to share work more broadly across SoFA.New articles
- The 5 Minute First Aid Kit for a meeting by Dem Steve
- Six Tips to Facilitate a Meeting Like a Pro by Hope Wilder
Forum highlight
There’s an interesting thread of discussion on the forum about understanding the way that people show up for their circles and encouraging them to contribute to circle work. This seems to connect with some similar conversations about role engagement and selection that have recently come to the attention of both General Circle and SoFA Support Services Circle; perhaps you want to contribute to the conversation there?
Training opportunities
Spread the word!
APRIL
- 10 – Free intro: Deciding together
- 24 – Full class: Facilitating Group Decision Making
- 25 – Nonviolent Communication Introduction (3-sessions)
- 27 – Free event: Horizontal accountability
MAY
- 3 – ProPS Latino
- 11 – Full class: Performance, leadership and accountability in horizontal orgs
- 30 – Free class: Building horizontal organizations
JUNE
- 06 – Free intro: Inclusive meetings
- 08 – Free intro: Deciding together
- 12 – Free class: Building horizontal organizations
- 13 – Full class: Decentralizing decision-making with circles and roles
- 20 – Full Class: Patterns and processes for inclusive meetings
- 22 – Full class: Facilitating Group Decision Making
Many sessions are free; all are sliding scale.
SoMBu broadcaster role
Help wanted
We are looking for a person to take the role of SoMBu broadcaster. The SoFA Member Bulletin (SoMBu) is our bi-weekly internal newsletter with important information for members.
Responsibilities:
- Collect information to draft the newsletter
- Think of creative approaches to the newsletter
- Send this broadcast to all SoFA members and publish it on the SoFA website
- Connect with international circle leaders to localize the bulletin
This is a volunteer role that requires around 4-8 hours per month and knowledge of HTML. Training will be provided as needed. You would be part of SoFA’s support services circle that meets once a month, but as the SoMBu broadcaster, you will only need to attend the report section of the meeting. (You could also become a full member if you prefer!)
About SoMBu
SoMBu is the bi-weekly SoFA member bulletin (although we are currently operating a monthly schedule until we select a new SoMBu broadcaster). Circle leaders and secretaries, let us hear from you! Submissions are due on the day General Circle meets the first time each month: 5-09, 06-06, 07-04…
Submissions, questions, or feedback: [email protected].
John Clark and Pame Carmona, interim SoMBu broadcasters
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