Standing Executive Committees

The Executive Director receives his essential authority and direction from the GBC; he must also have facility to present his vision for his service to the GBC. This ongoing exchange between GBC and Executive Director is crucial for ensuring a dynamic execution function that stays within the will of the GBC body.

Nonetheless, taking operative direction from—by present standards—a group of some 35 people only meeting officially once or twice a year, would render the executive process cumbersome, largely impractical and hardly productive.

Therefore we propose that some GBC committees be delegated that executive function and raised to “Executive Committee” status to interact with and provide guidance to the Executive Director. These Executive Committees would be standing committees.

The Executive Director would become an ex officio member of these Executive Committees, participating in their meetings at least in the sessions related to his duties. This arrangement would ensure a more flexible and ongoing working relation between the GBC (through its standing Executive Committees) and the Executive Director.

In many instances, the Executive Director will have a designated Divisional Director related to these standing committees, who will have as his primary charter the execution of the initiatives and directives developed by these standing committees.

We are considering the following committees for this function of offering direction to the Executive Director (their mandate might need to be refined or redefined, their membership reconfigured, and even their name might be changed):

Devotee Care & Preaching Committees

The rationale for turning these two into Executive Committees is this: When we contemplate the Seven Purposes of ISKCON, we see that caring for the members of ISKCON combined with spreading Krishna consciousness is core to all we do to serve Srila Prabhupada.  We have often stated that a simplified expression of ISKCON’s core strategy is “Happier Devotees & More Devotees.”

Organizational Development

 We formed this Committee because any restructuring must have a broad base of GBC support. This requirement remains; however, as the proposed GBC organizational model becomes understood, accepted and functional, the mandate of this Committee will evolve and its primary agenda will become refining the priorities and initiatives of the Executive Director position. Its membership will correspondingly change, adapting to the new functions.

Succession

 We have faith that the GBC members understand—with little or no explanation—the need for this Committee to become an Executive Committee.

Strategic Planning

One of the core elements of strategic planning is: The GBC members must have an active and growing function in the development of the future of the society.  This is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the GBC.  This effort is not time-bound; it is rather an on-going duty of the GBC body.

Global Development (Fund Development)

Substantial strategic changes must take place within our Society to raise money on an international level (as opposed to local fund raising).  These changes may not occur without concern.  We need an Executive Committee to flesh out the related issues, to gain widespread support within the federation of temples and communities, and to provide the overall assurance that the plans and activities are virtuous and needed for the overall development of ISKCON.