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The following is an outline of the roles and responsibilities for members of the SFA Steering Committee (affectionately known as "the SC"). This set of guidelines and expectations is a work in progress, as responsibilities will evolve over time with changing campaign and organizational exigencies.
In addition to basic roles and responsibilities (and the commitments and expectations that make those roles/responsibilities real), we also have a new, exciting page dedicated to creative examples of "SC'ers in Action" bringing to life the work that is guided and informed by the following:
General Roles & Responsibilities
The SC...
- Educates, organizes and mobilizes support around the Campaign for Fair Food in their respective communities, regions, and networks;
- Facilitates communication within the SFA network and between SFA and other networks, movements, and allies;
- Helps SFA function effectively, democratically, and in accordance with its principles;
- Actively fundraises to support local work and SFA as an organization;
- Together with SFA, CIW, Interfaith Action and Just Harvest staff and leadership, helps to make decisions around SFA structure, campaigns and programs.
- A term on the SC lasts for one year. To promote continuity, SC members may maintain their position for a maximum of three consecutive terms.
- The SC is comprised of at least 50% people of color and 50% women, with an additional focus on diversity in terms of class, sexual orientation, age, geography, campaign experience, and student/non-student status.
- All SC members are expected to participate actively throughout their term, as outlined in the commitments below. In the event of a long-term absence or departure, the SC may convene to select a replacement to fill the position of the absent member. (Absence defined as an unexplained period of at least one month in which the SC member is unresponsive to emails, calls, etc. Participating members of the SC have final say in determining "absence" and selection of replacement, if necessary.)
Commitments and Expectations
Communication and Responsiveness:
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Given the geographically dispersed nature of the SC, communication — largely via email and phone — is extremely important and serves as the conduit that keeps the SC functioning effectively and openly. To that end, SC members are expected to be responsive and take initiative by:
- Reading & responding to messages in your SFA email account at least two times per week/as necessary and/or keeping up with current projects, working groups and/or deadlines;
- Keeping up-to-date with rapidly-changing campaign developments by visiting and reading the SFA, CIW, Just Harvest USA, and Interfaith Action sites regularly as well as other relevant sites/articles;
- Communicating with staff and other SC members through regular attendance on bi-weekly SC conference calls and through individual phone calls, emails, etc.
SC'ers commit to...
- Building leadership in their local communities and regions by sharing skills and campaign information and/or by participating in the creation or nurturing of "Local Fair Food Committees;"
- Organizing local actions and events around the Campaign for Fair Food & documenting such actions to share with the rest of the SFA network (by taking pictures/video, sending reportbacks to the "sfa-organize" list, contacting press and sending out press releases, etc.);
- Being proactive & taking the initiative to provide on-site leadership, logistical support, and advance planning support to staff and other SFA'ers at SFA events and actions, including but not limited to the yearly SC face-to-face meeting and yearly SFA Encuentro in Immokalee;
- Seeking opportunities to build alliances by representing SFA at local and national conferences, events and mobilizations;
- Being open to forming connections with other SFA'ers with more and less experience in the movement in order to gain and share unique insights into the work of SFA;
- Being creative! :)
As an SC member, you will be part of a supportive team of highly-committed SFA members.
Meeting the above commitments enables us to shape the movement that we are all seeking to create, one accountable to the CIW's farmworker-led struggle.
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