This is the first SomBu of 2023!

Do you want to present at the annual SoFA conference? I’d love for SoFA members to showcase what they have to offer! You can also share the call with others in your organization. Even if you’re not presenting, save the date for May 4th and 5th, 2023!

Youth conference

Second Annual — Online 2/18 13:00 UTC

Check out the awesome line-up. We can’t wait to see you at the conference! Did you know SoFA members receive free admission to this event?

New circle docs

As we move into a new year, we generally create a new document for storing minutes for each of our circles, in part so that we can take advantage of updates to the meeting minutes template, see below.

IT Circle provides best practices for creating a new minutes document from a template, and you can watch a recent video that also talks about this process. Email the IT Circle or the Log Keeping team if you would like assistance with this process or (another) co-training session where we could work on it together.

Circle reports

General Circle

The members of General Circle used their first meeting of the new year to revisit SoFA’s theory of change and consider how we can establish OKRs that provide a story throughout SoFA that we can track. This led to a rich conversation and several ideas that the members will take to their departments for additional exploration.

Note, as mentioned above, the Sociocracy with Youth and Education Conference is happening in February, and we have opened up a call for presenters for this year’s annual conference. Also, Ted is prioritizing work on a book of stories!

Content Circle

This department is continuing to work on improving their internal communication. Within the department, Outreach Circle is working on improving the newsletter funnel and putting the finishing touches on the new landing page.

International Circle

The SoPra entity working group has had two meetings so far, leading to a proposal coming from Financial Wellbeing Circle for a cross-linked fiscal helping circle. This proposal will move soon to International Circle for evaluation there.

New members

• Anne Carbonnel (France) SoFra
• Cristina Cintrao (Brazil) SoTes
• Elsa Breit (Germany) German circle
• Frances Spector (US) support member
• Molly Grover (US) activism circle
• Rhonda David (US) support member

bienvenue • willkommen • bem-vindo • welcome!

Member events

• MON January 9 @ 11:15 – 12:45 EST
  Community of Practice: Sociocratic Intentional Communities
• MON January 9 @ 13:00 – 14:30 EDT
  @Work Community of Practice
• WED January 11 @ 15:00 – 17:00 UTC
  Co-working: accountability, fun, and getting things done
• WED January 18 @ 15:00 – 17:00 UTC
  Co-working: accountability, fun, and getting things done
• TUE January 24 @ 11:00 – 12:30 EDT
  Community of Practice: facilitators of sociocratic circles
• WED January 25 @ 15:00 – 17:00 UTC
  Co-working: accountability, fun, and getting things done
• THU January 26 @ 12:00 – 13:30 EDT
  Sociocracy Implementation Peer Support (SIPS) Community of Practice

Did you miss it?

Did you miss last year’s conversation about SoFA and the larger self-management movement? No worries, the event was recorded, and you can join the conversation in the member forum.

SoMBu feedback

We’d love to hear how SoMBu works for you and suggestions for improvement!

Notices from role-holders or circles are welcome. Submissions are due on the day General Circle meets: 1/17, 1/31, 2/14, 2/28…

Contact: [email protected].

Andrew Grant, SoMBu broadcaster