Purpose

The Delegates Committee coordinates the work of delegates appointed to represent IMYM at meetings of the Friends organizations listed below. Contact and correspondence between our delegates may help the yearly meeting better understand Quaker work, and the delegates may improve the ways concerns are brought by the organizations to the Yearly Meeting. The Delegates Committee prepares the organizations’ reports for the Documents in Advance. The Committee will sift and season concerns sent to it from the annual session or the Representatives Committee. It may take concerns that need to be raised to Representatives Committee.

Membership will include:

The Clerk of the Delegates Committee
Delegate/s to Corporation Board of Western Friend
Delegates to Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Delegates to American Friends’ Service Committee (AFSC)
Delegates to Friends General Conference (FGC)
Delegate/s to Friends Peace Teams
Delegates to Friends World Committee on Consultation (FWCC)
The Delegates to FCNL, AFSC, and FWCC are named by each regional meeting and are approved by IMYM. The Clerk of the Delegates Committee, delegates to Western Friend, delegates to the Friends General Conference Central Committee, and the delegate/s to Friends Peace Teams are named by IMYM Nominating Committee and approved at the annual session.

Committee Responsibilities

The Delegates Committee will:

Coordinate the presentation of reports and information from the Quaker organizations at the IMYM Annual Gathering.
Gather the annual reports from their organizations and send them to Delegates Committee Clerk.
Correspond with the Program Working Group of the Arrangements Committee in case the Delegates Committee wishes to sponsor interest groups or evening programs.
Sift and season any concerns referred to it by the yearly meeting.
Bring concerns to the Representatives Committee if needed.
Help get information from Quaker organizations to local and regional meetings.
Attend a face-to-face Delegates Committee meeting at the IMYM annual gathering if convened by the Clerk. Through the year the Committee would correspond primarily by phone and electronic means.
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

Incidental operating expenditures for clerical supplies, communications, etc., may be submitted to the Treasurer for reimbursement. The Treasurer should be consulted before incurring any expenses that exceed the committee’s line item budget or before incurring usual expenses.

Delegates Committee Clerk

Appointment

The Nominating Committee appoints the Clerk of the Delegates Committee for a three-year term beginning at the rise of an annual session.

Clerk Responsibilities

Among other useful guides, ageneral description of clerking duties and responsibilities, and over-all work and attitudes begins on page 57 of IMYM’s Faith and Practice. In addition, IMYM expect the Delegates Committee Clerk to:

Convene and preside at the Delegates Committee meetings as needed and maintain communication and follow-up work as requested by the Committee
Attend the winter Representatives Committee meeting in order to provide information to that committee as needed.
Receive the reports from our delegates and from Friends organizations and submit them to the IMYM Presiding Clerk for inclusion in the Documents in Advance.
Set the dates for delegates to submit their reports to the Delegates Committee Clerk.
Attend the annual gathering to further the work of the Delegates Committee and, as needed, coordinate any Delegates Committee presentations.
Serve a 3-year term beginning at the rise of the annual session.

Financial Arrangements

Upon request, the Yearly Meeting pays the travel expenses of the Clerk to the winter meeting of the Representatives Committee.

Note: A process needs to be identified to make sure there is money for all the delegates travel and other needs. This concern is being forwarded to the Clerks of Finance and Representatives Committees.