Board

Organizing Collective Board

• Overview

  The Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism Organizing Collective Board serves as the Board of Directors for the BLUU organization. This is a working Board whose collective work is to breathe life into the vision and mission of BLUU and be in relationships with various constituencies to build and grow a Unitarian Universalism that centers Blackness. Many members are also on BLUU’s staff. Members of the OC Board have various areas of expertise where they take primary responsibility for related work.

  These areas include (but are not limited to): organizing, communications, infrastructure, fundraising, youth and young adult ministry, content development, organizational relationship-building, worship-leading, pastoral care, and event and gathering planning.

• Reasons for a board of directors

  • To provide oversight and long-term visioning and planning to the organization.

  • It is legally required.

• Structure

  • The BLUU OC was a self-established group, that received funding from the UUA to build out our mission and vision in the world. Here is a link to our original vision and mission, which has grown and shifted slightly since our inception. As part of our work in creating a platform focused on self-determination for Black UUs, we created a more collaborative model of organizational leadership. This model is what we called the ‘organizing collective’. It is centralized power, instead of hierarchical power. This is a subtle but important difference. It is a power that works through shared principles, values and a covenant (which we call working agreements), being transparent and by being grounded in community. Because we exist in a litigious and capitalist society, in order to legally continue our work with the generous financial investment from the UUA, we had to transition the Organizing Collective into a Board of Directors (OCB). However, we are not abandoning our aspirations of collective governance  and nonconventional power sharing. We are now working to build a hybrid model to adjust to our legal requirements, while not eschewing our original commitment to collective leadership. Part of how we are doing that was by creating three other co-governing entities, in addition to the OCB, one is called the Financial Transparency Group, The Advisory Team and the BLUU Elders 360 Vision Council. Please refer to our bylaws for more information about these various groups and their relationship to the OCB and their areas of work.

  • A member of the OCB can serve up to three, two-year terms.

  • OC Board Members, according to our bylaws, are the decision-makers for the organization. However, the OCB is required to consult with all advisory groups in making major decisions for the BLUU.

• Expectations

  • Attend weekly OCB meetings.

  • Attend all working retreats. Usually 2 per year.

  • Attend all in-person gatherings (in the past this has been a Convening, Revival and a Symposium).

  • Agree and adhere to the OCB working agreements.

  • Engage actively in the work and help the organization grow, succeed, and develop.

  • Be Willing (or Willing to Learn) To:

  • Keep up with the fast-paced nature of project management and communications.

  • Be honest about capacity and ability to follow through with current projects.

  • Build project management skills interpersonally and in online platforms.

Advisory Team

• Overview

  The Advisory Team serves in a guidance capacity to the Black Lives Unitarian Universalism Organizing Collective Board. Members of the Advisory Team share their gifts in service to the Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) mission by providing our organization with their professional expertise; their diverse knowledge of constituent perspectives; their connections to local, national and international resources including but not limited to financial and fundraising networks, colleagues or peers; their philanthropic support or other forms of needed assistance.

  The Advisory Team has two main roles within the organization, the first is to provide guidance to the BLUU Organizing Collective Board. The second is to serve as a fundraising entity for BLUU. The BLUU Organizing Collective Board is the ultimate decision-making body of BLUU. However, the BLUU OC Board is required to consult with the Advisory Team in helping to lead, grow, and develop our growing spiritual community.

• Role of the BLUU Advisory Team

  • Provides important skills and gifts to the organization.

  • Provides the central fundraising entity in the organization.

  • Provides critical guidance and advice to the BLUU Organizing Collective Board.

  • Provides a means for involving people who are willing to give critical assistance but may have limited time.

  • Creates a direct link to important professional and technical expertise.

  • Act as ambassadors for the organization in UU communities and in their own communities.

  • Assists in efforts to increase organizational support.

  • Enlisting help from others.

• Structure

  • Appointed by the BLUU OC Board of Directors

  • Appointed to a two-year term

  • Can serve up to three consecutive terms

  • A minimum of 7 to a maximum of 12 slots

• Expectations

  • Attend at least one yearly retreat in person for the Advisory Team, BLUU will cover all housing, food, and travel costs for attending the yearly retreat.

  • Attend special events such as the annual meeting and special gatherings as schedules allow

  • Significantly support the organization’s mission (e.g. expert advice, fundraising, promoting and publicizing, presenting at gatherings, other ways you want to contribute!)

  • Allow the organization to publicize their name and participation on the Board list name organizational communications

  • Keep informed about and evaluate plans, activities, and needs of the organization as requested

  • Commit to the BLUU working Agreements

  • Grow organizational culture and capacity of the organization

Financial Transparency Group

• Overview

  As Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) transitions from being a project group of volunteers to an organization with staff, formed a Financial Transparency Group! The Organizing Collective (OC) of BLUU has decided to forego some of the typical and conventional structures of nonprofits including the traditional formation of a nonprofit Board of Directors.

  As such, we had the opportunity to create a modified structure that offers transparency, support, and community accountability as the Executive Director takes on the responsibility of forming an operational budget.

• Goals

  The goals of this group are:

  1. To support transparency around financial expenditures and plans.

  2. To help build trust within the BLUU community and the wider UU community.

  3. To evaluate how the BLUU budget expenditures are matching up with the working goals of BLUU.

  Financial decision-making responsibility regarding BLUU’s finances will remain with the OC. This Group provides thoughts, feedback and insights to the Executive Director, who will relay them to the OC and whose feedback and insights will be taken into account in decisions regarding funding allocation.

  It will be our collectively held responsibility as BLUU OC, staff, and this Financial Transparency Group to be reporting on a regular basis back to our broader Black UU community and the wider UU community, as well, presenting our outcomes and giving a road map for what’s coming up next.

360 Council

• Overview

  The BLUU 360 Council provides advice and guidance to the OC. They offer direct support to BLUU leadership through historical insight, experience and wisdom. They serve as ambassadors of BLUU’s goals and vision and endeavor to protect the integrity for the organization.

• 360 Council Working Agreements

  Trust & Flexibility
  When plans and life shifts we must trust each other to find another space and time to catch up, recalibrate. Communicate honestly, lovingly and with trust, and create time and space for flexibility.

  Centering Health and Healing
  We aspire to build intentional time each day for exercising, spiritual, mental work and support, art + creativity, breathing and nourishing our bodies and eating together (when applicable).

  Presence
  In working together, we create space and time for listening and being fully present for each other, understanding we all move in different ways and at different speeds.

  Working through Mistakes
  Approach ourselves and each other with grace and compassion and honor. We can press pause, give space to breathe, cry, sleep, get frustrated, hold each other’s feels, as needed. And reflect before responding. Know that there is a way back and that no-one is disposable. Know that we are committed to moving the work forward in a principled way.

  Building Community
  Connect with others within community, especially across other faiths and spiritual paths. We must practice building intersectional awareness and expanding our perceptions, beliefs, and truths.

  Grace & Love
  Support each other with grace and love in all that we do. We aspire to extend grace to ourselves and our community, and always come back to love, even when it’s the hardest thing to do.

  Kindness and Authenticity

  We strive to infuse our interactions and our work with integrity, honesty and a commitment to kindness.

OCB Pastoral Care Team