The Manjushri Dharma Center is operated by volunteers at many levels. One group of volunteers is the Board of Directors, who meet monthly to further the mission of providing an open and supportive spiritual environment for the practice of Buddhist meditation and study. We seek 3-4 new Board Members in 2018, and offer a description of the current members’ duties and thoughts for the future. We hope you will consider volunteering as a Manjushri Dharma Center Board Member!

Board Member Volunteer Positions 2018

President/Co-Secretary
Currently filled by:  Rachel Christopherson
Term began:  2016 as Vice President, two-years committed
OPEN POSITION

Duties, Tasks, & Time Commitment: 

  • Set agenda and host monthly Board meetings.  Agenda coordination takes roughly 1 hour per month, and the meetings are typically 2 hours per month.
  • Event Coordination and Participation:  maintain calendar of holy dates, help to plan curriculum and activities, and volunteer at events to set up/break down/coordinate volunteers/etc (2-4 hours per month)
  • Newsletter and Website Maintenance
    • Write content and choose images for weekly newsletter and MDC website (2 hours weekly)
    • Upload content to MDC website and newsletter platform, and maintain newsletter sign up list (2 hours weekly)
  • Document Maintenance
    • Maintain and update print handouts like flyers, weekly schedule, and brochure as well as printed prayers needed for events (2 hours per month)
    • Maintain documents for future board members such as MDC Membership List, Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, etc (2-6 hours per year)
  • Special Communication & Coordination
    • Represent MDC as needed, communicate and coordinate with Board Members and Sangha via email beyond the weekly newsletter as to ongoing developments, prayer requests, etc.  (1 hour per month)
  • Jump in as needed with other duties as assigned (helping with property taxes, coordination of travel, visiting guests, etc)  (2-4 hours per month)

Future Volunteers:

I see my duties as being split by additional Co-Secretaries (one to create weekly newsletter and web content, one to upload the content, for example) and a Vice-President who could maintain events and curriculum planning.   As per the Bylaws, the President would continue to set the agenda and host meetings of the Board of Directors monthly, but would then be free to also help with other duties as needed.  I am happy to serve again on the Board every other two to three years, as needed.

Treasurer
Currently filled by:  Pam Krone
Term began:  2016 as Treasurer, initially for one-year, but extended to two-year term
OPEN POSITION

Duties & Tasks

  • To take care of the payments, income and accounting for the Dharma Center so that we can maintain a balanced budget and help sustain the financial stability of MDC and help with the expansion of dharma activities.
  • Twice a month, collect donations from MDC and deposit to the Bank.
  • Pay MDC bills for utilities, Rinpoche’s wages, and other expenses.
  • Coordinate with Tax person re MDC 1099 and W2 forms for MDC and re Rinpoche’s taxes.
  • Track the accounting and keep monthly balance sheet.
  • Attend Board meetings.
  • Help with any mail for Rinpoche and respond appropriately with his input.

Time Commitment:

  • Approximately 8 hours per month.

Future Volunteers:

  • Track upgrades to the property.
  • Participate in fund raising activities.

Membership Director
Currently filled by:  Jim Hamilton
Term began:  2017 for one-year term
OPEN POSITION

Duties & Tasks (draft, to be confirmed by Jim):

  • Attends monthly board meetings
  • Generate ideas to increase membership and better serve members
  • Welcomes new members
  • Jump in as needed with other duties as needed

Time Commitment (draft, to be confirmed by Jim):

  • 2-4 hours per month

Future Volunteers (draft, to be confirmed by Jim):

Create new events to foster members getting to know each other, membership drives, and possibly seek grant funding for MDC.

 

Secretary
Currently filled by:  Deirdre Means
Term began:  2017 for one-year term, possible extension to two if needed
OPEN POSITION

Duties & Tasks (draft, to be confirmed by Deirdre):

  • Attends and takes minutes for monthly Board meetings, publishes minutes by email each month for adoption by Board of Directors
  • Keeps record of all minutes annually
  • Promotion of all events that are open to the public by posting to community calendars (KAZU, MC Weekly), writing to local papers (PG Cedar Street Times, Herald, MC Weekly), and circulating by various announcement boards (Craigslist, EventBrite)
  • Jump in as needed with other duties as needed

Time Commitment (draft, to be confirmed by Deidre):

  • 2-6 hours per month

Future Volunteers (draft, to be confirmed by Deirdre):

Continue all duties as above, perhaps split between additional Co-Secretaries.

Facilities Director
Currently filled by:  Diana Slattery
Term began:  2016 for two-year term, serving indefinitely
POSITION FILLED

Duties, Tasks, Time Commitment & Future Roles:

My role in general consists of keeping the Dharma Center clean and inviting for KKR (Khenpo Karten Rinpoche) and all sangha members. This is done by ad hoc cleaning parties, with ad hoc volunteers, not on a regular basis. KKR keeps things very well, so it is never a huge job. A couple times a year a “deeper cleaning” happens, getting back into cabinets, refrigerator, etc. We do not enter KKR’s room except with permission. The garden has been beautifully cared for by several volunteers, especially Cate Anderson and Cindy, as well as an untold number of anonymous volunteers who keep adding to our flowers and plants in a randomly beautiful way.

Repairs, large and small (mostly small) are also done by the facility manager, getting volunteers when possible. We have had NO calls for plumbing or electrical this year, which is terrific and speaks highly to the quality of the plumbing and electrical upgrades that were done when the building was acquired.

Over the last year we had a major rehab project of the house for which I raised money, bid out the subcontractors, and supervised the construction. We raised enough money to replace all the windows with either double or triple paned glass which has made the Center very quiet for meditation and teaching. We also put insulation in the walls, and a beautiful paint job and new signage outside. We fell short of having the roof done, as part of that budget needed to be used when we uncovered extensive termite damage when replacing the patio door. We have a $3500. pledge toward the roof, but recent fundraising appeals have not moved us further.

For 2018, there will be much less construction, at least until we raise some roof money. Rinpoche really would like to develop the backyard as a meditation and teaching yurt in a garden, fenced in. This will take another big fundraising effort.

Respectfully submitted,

Diana Slattery

Mission of the Manjushri Dharma Center:

The Manjushri Dharma Center is organized for the purpose of providing an open and supportive spiritual environment for the practice of Buddhist meditation and study of dharma.

Its purpose is to cultivate a path that leads to a deeper understanding of the Buddha’s path of liberation and one’s spirituality through:

  • Uniting a community of practitioners to study Buddhist teachings and through regular meetings, offering an approach to deepen one’s spiritual practice.
  • Inspiring people to practice and increase love and compassion through our local communities and to think globally.
  • Providing services to our community through public teachings, providing opportunities for teachings and retreats.
  • Facilitating regular meditation and Amitabha Buddhist practice that is open to anybody.

The practice and teachings are based on the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma Buddhist traditions of our founder, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche.

Background:

As part of our formation as an official California Not-for-Profit Religious Corporation, it was established that the day-to-day operations of the Manjushri Dharma Center are operated by a minimum of three, maximum of seven volunteer Directors, known as the Board of Directors (See Manjushri Dharma Center Bylaws).   Volunteers Board Members are voted in at a meeting of the Sangha held each year in January, and they serve one or two year terms, and may serve consecutively.

Bylaws of the Manjushri Dharma Center

Download Document:  Bylaws of the Manjushri Dharma Center, Approved January 2017