Revisions to Sierra Club Policy on Civil Disobedience

To: Sierra Club Leaders and Staff
From: David Scott, President

Following a 6-month review of the Club's civil disobedience policy, the Board of Directors decided on November 16 to make some changes to its standing rule on civil disobedience and to make it clear that future exemptions to the policy can be granted by the Board, as it did earlier this year.

The changes to the standing rule remove restrictions on reporting on civil disobedience in Club publications and allow for the Club to support rallies, protests and other events where a subset of participants may engage in civil disobedience.

What follows is a copy of the Board resolution and the Standing Rule amendment adopted 11/16/13. It is followed by a Frequently Asked Questions section. If you have any additional questions feel free to contact Bruce Hamilton at [email protected].

Chapter Funding 101 Training for New Chapter Staff

Chapter Funding has developed a new c3/c4 compliance phone 
training which is specifically tailored to new staff.

Who this call is for:

Staff who work on c3 projects
Staff who work on c3 and c4 projects
Staff who code time to multiple projects

What is covered in the call:

The basic differences between c3 and c4 funds
Why it is important to know the difference
How to use c3 funds correctly
How to code your staff time correctly based on c3/c4 rules

Details about the training:

It is an approximately one hour phone training.  I can 
schedule these anytime it is convenient for you, 
but the next one is scheduled for 
October 23 at 2 pm Pacific time.
Please rsvp to attend and I will send out 
more information about the call. If you would 
like to attend this training, or 
schedule this training at a different time, 
please contact Catherine Butler, 
[email protected].

Don't Forget: State of the Chapters Surveys Due Aug. 31!

The summer has flown by, and we're nearing the end of August already. That can only mean one thing: the State of the Chapters Surveys are due soon! We need chapter leaders' help in completing the picture of our 63 chapters so that we can showcase what chapters contribute to the Sierra Club at the September Annual Meeting.

Go to http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/people/chapters/chapter-assessment/ to access the 2013 Chapter Worksheet and the link to submit your data.  All instructions and materials are available on this web page.  Members of the State of the Chapters Support Team will be checking in with each Chapter Chair.

Questions? Contact Greg Casini ([email protected]).

Recruiting Volunteers for New Facilitation Support Team

We are recruiting experienced volunteer facilitators, mediators and coaches for a new Facilitation Support Team. This team will support Sierra Club leaders and leadership teams with an emphasis on three key areas: facilitating or coaching others through large-scale or in-depth planning meetings and retreats; facilitating conflict resolution to help people find solutions and rebuild relationships that may have been damaged by the conflict; and coaching leaders through significant transitions of leadership to help leaders move through a process of change.  Express your interest or submit recommendations of others here. Questions? Greg Casini ([email protected]).

You can now Email your Reimbursement Requests!

Hi Everyone,

You can now submit your reimbursement requests via email to Chapter Funding!  In the past, we have only allowed requests to be submitted by regular mail.  This past fall we launched a test run with the assistance and feedback of a few chapters and groups and then streamlined a few procedures and are now ready to roll it out club-wide.  (Thank you, test group!)  This new procedure is optional and applies to all types of 501(c)(3) and Shared Project requests: reimbursements, direct payments, newsletters, events and fundraising.  We will continue to accept requests by mail if that is your preference.

Please review the following guidelines carefully and let us know if you have questions.

• You may scan and send your reimbursement and direct payment requests for 501(c)(3) and shared national project expenses to [email protected]. 
  
  
• In doing so, chapter and group staff and volunteers will still be required to complete the appropriate request form as may be found on the Chapter Funding Forms and Instructions page here:http://clubhouse.sierraclub.org/administration/chapter-funding/forms/ (username: clubhouse | password: explore).
  
  
• In addition, all relevant paperwork documenting the expenses incurred or amount due must be scanned and attached &/or provided as a link within the body of your email. When accessing C3 funds held at the Sierra Club Foundation, your back-up must also illustrate the charitable &/or educational nature of your expense. 
  
  
• A complete email request will contain your treasurer’s approval, the appropriate request form and relevant back-up. 

In an attempt to avoid the pitfalls that may slow our ability to process your electronic requests we ask that you also please observe these guidelines:

• Please do not submit your request by email if it will require Chapter Funding to wait for additional items to arrive by mail or fax.    We cannot accept partial or mixed requests, i.e., part by email and part by fax or regular mail.   

• Please attach all supporting documentation, including the treasurer’s permission and the completed Reimbursement & Direct Payment Request form (or other form as appropriate).  We’d rather get one email that has everything we need to process it, as opposed to having to wait for a separate email from the treasurer granting approval.

• Please submit requests as new correspondence to [email protected], and not as a reply to a previous thread or email.  ONE REQUEST PER EMAIL, PLEASE.

• If possible, it is helpful to consolidate multiple pages of a single request into a single file attachment.  Do this by creating a new folder with all the documents in it and then compressing it before emailing it.  More information on file compression here for Macs: http://www.macinstruct.com/node/159 and here for Windows: http://www.ehow.com/how_2093605_compress-files-before-sending-them.html.

• With the roll-out of this process we are expecting to experience a significant increase in the number of emails received. Note that we generally will not reply or confirm receipt of your request unless we have a question. If you want to be sure we received it, you can always ask. In turn, we appreciate your patience in awaiting our reply. 

We look forward to receiving your requests by email, if you choose to utilize this new option.  Please be sure to let us know any concerns or questions you have about this process.

thanks,

Chapter Funding Team

Feb. 4 Open House Call with Allison Chin on Obama Climate and Clean Energy Legacy Campaign

Dear Sierra Club Leaders:

I will be hosting an open house conference call to provide an overview of the Obama Climate and Clean Energy Legacy Campaign on Monday, February 4 at 8:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM CST / 6:00 PM MST / 5:00 PM PST. 

Phone-in number: 1-866-501-6174
Conference code: 455-0000-1892
 
Learn how YOU can be a part of this campaign. Please join us!

We will devote some time at the end of the call to the February 17 Forward on Climate Rally in Washington, D.C. New Club Deputy National Program Director Michael Bosse will give an update and answer questions.
 
Michael Brune has already hosted calls with many chapters east of the Mississippi, many of which are sending buses to D.C. for the rally, and more calls are coming up this week and next. Though the calls are targeted to specific chapters, all are welcome to join. See the schedule here.

-- Allison

P.S. This is the first in a revival of the first-Monday-of-the-month President's Open House Call!

Have you heard about new member benefits?

Explore and enjoy all the new perks which include members-only discounts on outdoor gear and apparel from Eastern Mountain Sports, energy efficient appliances from the Whirlpool outlet, even a discount when you pre-order a custom, Sierra Club bike by PUBLIC, and lots more. Please spread the word to your fellow members, or even when recruiting new folks. You’ll save some money and support the Club.

Log-in and view all your new benefits.

ACT: Apply Now to Attend Dismantling Racism Training October 5-7, 2012 in Bay Area

August 23, 2012

TO: Interested Parties

FR:  Dismantling Racism Training Project Team-Bob Bingaman, Jackie Carroll, Allison Chin, Becki Clayborn, Rita Harris, Liz Pallatto Bill Price, Julia Reitan

RE:  Dismantling Racism Training Training Application

The Dismantling Racism Project Team (see above) is pleased to be able to invite you to apply to attend a training this Fall.   

DETAILS OF THE TRAINING

DATE:             Friday, October 5 to Sunday, October 7.   

LOCATION:    Naturebridge Conference Center, Marin Headlands, Bay Area California                       http://www.naturebridge.org/conference-facilities-golden-gate

TRAVEL:        Plan to arrive at San Francisco airports by 2:30 PM on Friday and depart airports by 4:30 PM on Sunday (see other travel info below)

DEADLINE:   Please apply for this training by Wednesday, September 5, 2012.   

APPLY:      Click here to go to the application form.    

TRAINING OVERVIEW

The Sierra Club is making a comprehensive effort to address challenges related to our member, volunteer leader and staff diversity.   The Dismantling Racism training is one piece of this effort that focuses on giving participants the skills to analyze race in an individual, institutional and cultural context as well as build an understanding of power -- who has it, and how it gets used. The goal is to build a shared analysis of how racism is perpetuated by organizational structures, processes, norms and expectations (in addition to individual behavior and attitudes) and to identify ways to confront those problems within the Sierra Club, the larger environmental movement and in communities in which we work.   

Please review the attached goals and agenda to see if this training is a good fit for you.   

APPLICATION PROCESS

We would like to encourage individuals and groups of 1-5 people who work together to apply for this training.  We hope to have many applicants and yet have a limited number of spots for this training

Applications are due by Wednesday, September 5.  We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and get back to applicants by 9/7 or as soon as possible with instructions about how to book travel.   PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED until you receive a confirmation and this information. 

We hope to have many applicants AND have a limited number of spots for this training.    We will be reviewing the applications we receive and looking for people who fit the following criteria.   

PARTICIPANT SELECTION CRITERIA

(1)     Priority will be given to staff and volunteers who have not attended the previous two day Sierra Club Dismantling Racism training.

(2)    Priority will be given to staff and volunteers currently working, or planning to work, on a campaign involved with a racially diverse community.

(3)    Participants who have a leadership role, or potential leadership role, within the Sierra Club.

(4)    Demonstrated commitment to adjust their workplans and campaign efforts based on lessons learned at the training.

(5)    We will work to ensure a racially diverse participant pool to help foster a rich learning environment and experience.

(6)    Priority given to people who can identify as being part of a team of staff, volunteers, and community partners committed to incorporate learnings into their work.

(7)    Commitment to participate in activities following the training including 3 to 6 month check-ins.

(8)    Willingness to commit to being a change agent in networking within the Sierra Club and their community.

(9)    Demonstrated commitment to learning about dismantling racism over time through on-going training.

TRAVEL AND OTHER EXPENSES:            

IF ACCEPTED, volunteers and community partners expenses - travel, meals and lodging will be covered by this training.   

IF ACCEPTED, national staff should charge certain expenses to their program budgets (time and travel).   Meals and lodging will be provided.   Please speak to your managers about this before applying to get approval.   If you need assistance with travel expenses indicate that you will need assistance in the travel notes field in the application.

 IF ACCEPTED, chapter staff will be asked to pay for travel and time out of their chapter program budgets.   Please note that travel charges would then be handled on case by case basis as determined by chapter relationship with Beyond the Bay, our travel agent.   If any chapter staff find that cost is a barrier to their ability to attend, please indicate this in the notes field of your application and the team will consider travel assistance as an option.    .   

QUESTIONS?

If you have general questions regarding this training, please contact DR Project Team Co-Leads:

Bob Bingaman, [email protected], 202-675-7904

Allison Chin, [email protected], 650-575-4591

For logistics questions about filling in the application form and other questions, contact Erin Turmelle, [email protected], 202-675-2380

Dismantling Racism Training - Save the Date Announcement

July 9, 2012

TO: Interested Parties

FR:  Dismantling Racism Training Project Team-Bob Bingaman, Jackie Carroll, Allison Chin, Becki Clayborn, Rita Harris, Liz Pallatto Bill Price, Julia Reitan

RE:  Dismantling Racism Training - Save the Date Announcement - October 4-7^th, 2012

It’s our pleasure to inform you that the Dismantling Racism Project Team (see team members above) has been charged with designing, implementing and evaluating Sierra Club Dismantling Racism training.  Our Project Team has enthusiastically undertaken this charge for the last several months and we are excited to announce tentative training dates.  If you and/or your community partners are interested in attending, please save the dates of October 4-7, 2012.  These dates are tentative until we secure a training facility. Once we have finalized a training site, we will send out an announcement which outlines the application process.

Beyond Oil: Getting to Know the Campaign Webinar

Please join the Beyond Oil Campaign team on July 19th from 8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. PT) for the Beyond Oil: Getting to Know the Campaign Webinar! Some of you may be new to this campaign and issue; some of you may be long-time activists. We would like to share our team and plans with you, discuss opportunities to engage, and seek your input.

The Beyond Oil Campaign seeks a world where climate disruption is a fading threat, American soldiers are never again deployed to defend oil fields, and innovative green industries provide good jobs and supply 100% of our energy needs. Together, we'll fight in Washington and in local communities to create this world.

We will raise and defend strong fuel-efficiency and pollution standards, increase access to oil-free transportation choices, promote electric vehicles, move America's large fleets to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles, block tar sands and other dangerous oil projects, and revoke the oil industry's license to operate above the law and interfere with our transition to a clean energy future. Your involvement and leadership is critical. Please join this webinar to learn more and help plan this campaign's next steps.

Date: July 19, 2012

Time: 8pm ET / 5pm PT

RSVP here.

-- 

Webinar Agenda:

Beyond Oil Campaign Presentation: (20 min)

• Critical Reasons to move Beyond Oil
• Real Solutions
• Sierra Club’s Campaign

Discussion: (40 min)

• Opportunities to Engage with Beyond Oil
• Q&A
• Wrap up & Next Steps

Once you’ve emailed us with your information, we will provide an accompanying PowerPoint and call-in information. 

 

Best,

Michael Marx, Director, Beyond Oil Campaign

Darrell Clarke, Volunteer Co-Lead, Beyond Oil Campaign