The Hindu Society of North Carolina the Policy and Procedures
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The Hindu Society of North Carolina 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560 The Policy and Procedures Manual (Approved, December 6, 2019) Om ye bhutam, ch bhavyam, ch sarvam, yaschadhishtathi, sarvasye ch kaevlam, tasmaye jyeshtaye Brahmne namae. (Atharva Ved, 10.8.1) (Our homage to that Supreme Being who has ordained all that existed in the past, all that exists now, and all that which will exist in the future; Who’s essence is bliss alone; we bow to That mighty power and seek His blessings in all we do.) May we all be blessed with benevolent and keen intellect Aum Bhur bhuvah svaha; tat savitur varenyam; bhargo devasya dhimahi; dhiyo yo nah prachodayat (RV.III.62.10; YV. XXXVI.3) Om is our creator, protector and dissolver; He (the Almighty) is the giver of happiness and love, and also the destroyer of evil, hypocrisy and unrighteous activities. God (Prabhu) is kind, charitable and all knowing. We pray to the Supreme Being to inspire our thinking, actions and speech towards positive and righteous direction so that we may be successful in achieving the mission most worthy of human life. The Hindu Society of North Carolina 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560 The Policy and Procedures Manual (Approved version, December 6, 2019) Board of Directors Board of Trustees Prepared By Banu Krishnamurthy Anu Sud (Trustees Bhupender Gupta (President) Chair) (Chairperson) Richa Kapoor (V.P.) Harsha Shah (co-chair) Dhruva Kumar Rajesh Patel G.D. & Mrs. Sharma Subhash Chandra Aman Gupta Sunil Jain Prakash Devalapalli Upmanyu Shukla Bipin Mistry Vikram Oza Ganesh Subramaniam Kishor Trivedi Suvas Shah Shiva Raghunanan Suvas Shah Sunil Jain Nila Acharya Parag Dighe Parag Dighe Om ye bhutam, ch bhavyam, ch sarvam, yaschadhishtathi, sarvasye ch kaevlam, tasmaye jyeshtaye Brahmne namae. (Atharva Ved, 10.8.1) (Our homage to that Supreme Being who has ordained all that existed in the past, all that exists now, and all that which will exist in the future; Who’s essence is bliss alone; we bow to That mighty power and seek His blessings in all we do.) May we all be free from fear in life! Aum abhayama, mitradabhyam, amitradabhayam, jnatad abhayam, paroksat abhayam, naktamabhayam, diva nah sarva asamam mitram bhavantu (AV.X.15.9) O Lord, may we be not afraid of our friends or foes, of matters known or unknown; may we be free from fear during day and during night, and may all that crosses us in life be friendly to us. The Hindu Society of North Carolina 309 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC 27560 The Policy and Procedures Manual (December 6, 2019) Contents, Introduction and Scope of the Manual Om ye bhutam, ch bhavyam, ch sarvam, yaschadhishtathi, sarvasye ch kaevlam, tasmaye jyeshtaye Brahmne namae. (Atharva Ved, 10.8.1) (Our homage to that Supreme Being who has ordained all that existed in the past, all that exists now, and all that which will exist in the future; Who’s essence is bliss alone; we bow to That mighty power and seek His blessings in all we do.) CONTENTS Introduction to and Scope of the Manual a. Purposes of constitution, policy and procedure b. Committees and roles c. Organization of this manual Part I. Governance at HSNC 1. Introduction 2. Administrative calendar 3. Officers and committee chairs 4. Orientation meeting of the boards and officers 5. Committees 6. Board meetings, minutes, and decisions 7. Advisors to the boards 8. Work environment at HSNC 9. Safety, medical emergency, and security 10. Assets of the society 11. Conflict of interest 12. Complaints 13. Disciplinary action 14. Legal assistance 15. Final comment Part II. Committees Appointed by the Board of Directors (BOD) 1. Accounting and Finance 2. Communications 3. Facility Maintenance 4. Facility Usage 5. Hospitality 6. Human Resources 7. Operational Fund Raising 8. Programs 9. Religious 10. Senior 11. Youth Part III. Committees Appointed by the Board of Trustees (BOT) 12. Capital Fund Raising 13. Long Range Planning Part IV. Committees Appointed Jointly by the Two Boards (BOD/BOT) 14. Constitution 15. Construction Projects 16. Election 17. Finance Audit 18. Grievance 19. Membership 20. Policy and Procedures Manual Part V. Miscellaneous Matters (Additional Files and Documents) Part VI. Constitution of the Hindu Society of North Carolina Part VII. Appendix (Forms) Part VIII. Cross Index of the Manual Introduction to and Scope of the Manual a. Purposes of constitution, policy and procedure For optimum functioning of an institution that are non-profit and run by voluntary boards, three guiding tools, considered as important aids, are required: (1) the by-laws or constitution, which includes the overall mission and structure of the body and which meets the legal requirements of the state; (2) the policies and objectives of each of the component units, headed by an officer or a committee, through the works of which the stated mission is fulfilled; and (3) the operational procedure pertaining to the works of each of the units or subunits. By-laws (constitution). All nonprofit organizations are required to have rules and regulations that meet the state’s laws for their operation, and which form the doctrine to be observed by one and all. These articulate important objectives, principles and values to be observed and pursued, the organizational structure, the roles, responsibilities and the authorities of the administrative body, and the rights of members and limitations thereof. Any change in the by-laws requires approval of the membership Changes in By-laws. With changing times and the addition of new members to the society pool, the needs and priorities of a society can be expected to undergo some change constantly. As any amendment to the By-laws requires majority approval by voting, making it a tedious and expensive process, these evolving needs can be addressed in the ‘Policy and Procedure Manual’ (see Article 11.6 of the Constitution). This provision allows the two boards to add or change existing clauses, without the need for a full-scale constitutional amendment. Policies. Most organizations are large and must have several functioning departments or bodies (Boards and Committees in the case of HSNC) that help them meet their stated goals. These units have different but specific functions to perform, and, therefore, have sub-goals. Each usually also has formed policies and/or roles that support its stated goal and help it operate effectively. These may address: mission, election of members/officers, responsibilities, roles, budget, frequency and duration of meetings, agenda, communication, etc. Procedures. This is perhaps the most important part of the manual as it is intended to give the employees and volunteers a systematic and best thought out directions for conducting a specific task. It involves the practices that evolved with experience and helps meet optimally the desired expectations. It also helps serve as an effective training material and ensures consistency, i.e. helps reduce variation when a given task is performed repeatedly and by different individuals. b. Committees and roles The administration of the work of HSNC is entrusted to two Boards, which are the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees, who are responsible for fulfilling the overall objectives of the Society. These boards carry out their tasks through a number of committees, which they appoint and supervise the work of. There are three groups of committees: (1) those appointed and supervised by the BOD, (2) those appointed and supervised by the BOT, and (3) those appointed and supervised jointly by the two boards (BOD/BOT). While the roles and responsibilities of the administrative boards are well specified and detailed in the constitution, those of the committees appointed by them are generally only alluded to broadly and, therefore, need to be separately elaborated. Accordingly, each committee operating on behalf of the Society needs to articulate its mission (objectives), any general policy notes by which it governs its functions, its roles, and the procedure by which it fulfills its tasks. If a committee has multiple tasks or a task that falls in different groups, each need to be clearly specified and the procedure given for it. An example will be the “Program Committee,” which has not only different types of programs it organizes during the year but also programs sponsored and held differently: some sponsored and held internally, some sponsored externally but held on the premises, and yet some others sponsored externally and also held at outside locations. All of these may involve different policies as well as also different procedures. All these need to be specified and included in this manual. An organization improves its operation and service with the experience gained over time and using it in updating its manner of management. Accordingly, it is expected and hoped that each unit (boards and committees) will submit a report that could be used to upgrade the Society’s operation for the future. c. Organization of this manual This manual is organized into eight major (8) parts, which follow the preface, i.e. the “Contents, Introduction, and Scope of the Manual.” Part I includes notes that relate to the governance. These apply to the functioning of a society in general and are visualized to assist in better planning, improving moral and goodwill, and enhancing performance. Following this are Parts II, III, and IV, which contain, respectively, the materials pertaining to the committees appointed by the Directors, the Trustees, and jointly by the Directors and the Trustees. Part V is dubbed “Miscellaneous,” and includes policy and operation matters that do not conveniently fit into the other parts. Part VI contains the current constitution, which will come handy for referencing purposes. Part VII is Appendix and contains the standard forms that are currently used in handling various aspects of the society’s operation.