American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Delegates

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Last Updated on 2 years by IMYM Tech Lead

Revised (03/22/18)
Purpose 

AFSC Delegates are appointed to serve in the AFSC Corporation. These AFSC Delegates, one from each Region, support the relationship between AFSC and the constituent bodies of the Yearly Meeting through such activities as informing monthly and regional meetings about AFSC programs and their financial needs, representing AFSC to the Yearly Meeting, and the Yearly Meeting to the AFSC Corporation. Each Delegate is a member of the AFSC Corporation.  Representation normally involves one trip to Philadelphia per year in addition to participation in the annual IMYM gathering. 

Appointment

Each of the Regional Meetings nominates one AFSC Delegate to the Yearly Meeting for appointment.  These nominations are submitted to the clerk of the Nominating Committee. 

Terms

Three years beginning in February before the spring meeting of the AFSC Corporation in Philadelphia and ending in February three years later.

Delegates Committee

The AFSC Committee are members of the Delegates Committee and should work with its Clerk and other members of the Committee to best convey information from their organization to local and regional meetings.

Responsibilities of the AFSC Delegates include:

  1. Representing the Yearly Meeting at the Annual Meeting of the AFSC Corporation, normally held in Philadelphia each March or April.
  2. Interpreting to the Regional and Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups, the projects, needs and resources of the AFSC. This should involve creating personal contacts with individual Friends in the Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups of the Region to allow direct communication on AFSC matters and monthly meeting activities.  (See Notes and Concerns)
  3. Encouraging contributions to the AFSC from Monthly Meetings, Worship Groups, and individuals in the Yearly Meeting.
  4. Recommending to the IMYM Finance Committee the budget requirements for Delegate travel and for carrying out the duties they are assigned.
  5. Reporting annually to IMYM by sending their combined report to the Clerk of the Delegates Committee who will prepare them for posting on imym.org
  6. Receiving and carrying IMYM concerns and initiatives to the AFSC Corporation. 
  7. Forwarding any concerns to the Clerk of Delegates Committee who will take these to the Representatives Committee for consideration.
  8. Review your position description after you have finished your term and send any changes or additions you feel are needed to the Clerk of Procedures Committee.  If you find issues before that send them earlier.    

Financial Arrangements

IMYM pays the expenses of AFSC Delegates to attend the Annual Meeting of the AFSC Corporation, normally held in Philadelphia each spring.  Incidental operating expenditures for clerical supplies, communications, etc., may be submitted (normally by the committee clerk) to the Treasurer for reimbursement.  The Treasurer should be consulted before incurring unusual expenses. Costs incurred by representatives may also be donated to AFSC, if the delegate is not interested in being reimbursed for expenses.

Notes and Concerns:

1.  Much of the success of the AFSC Delegate rests upon the ability to communicate with Friends in the Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups.  It is anticipated that Delegates will identify individual Friends in each Monthly Meeting and Worship Group who are interested in AFSC matters and will work to inform Friends at the local level.  Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups may wish to appoint one or more liaison Friend(s), but it remains the Delegate’s responsibility to proactively seek out and maintain a relationship, either through the Monthly Meeting or Worship Group, or with an interested individual.  The annual gathering and regional gatherings may provide productive opportunities for creating such relationships.

2.  In an attempt to keep travel outlay within budget, the Yearly Meeting in 2003 approved a Finance Committee recommendation that:

“representatives (FCNL, AFSC, etc.) get together to decide how they will spend or allocate their budgeted (travel) monies… The treasurer is authorized to pay out only to the limit which has been budgeted.  At any point of financial need, it is suggested that Friends contact their monthly meetings, or have their monthly meeting contact other monthly meetings, for financial help.”

(IMYM 03-09)

This procedure appears not to be practiced at this time and is being submitted to the finance committee for review. 

In recent years, only a fraction of AFSC Delegate travel outlay has been reimbursed by the Yearly Meeting, apparently with much of the cost having been absorbed by the delegates themselves.  To what degree delegates have coordinated their travel and its reimbursement is unknown, and to what degree delegates have limited their travel because of unreimbursed cost is unknown.