Executive Summary

The Convenors’ proposals for community outreach at First arise out of our discussions of the Durall report in May, June, July (2 day retreat) and August. The Convenor Team was energized by the Durall report, especially the recommendations around encouraging generosity and outreach. Members who participated in the Durall discussions (during the time he was in Toronto and afterwards) indicated that they want to see the congregation involved much more in outreach. We are committed to implementing these recommendations. They are consistent with the mission and principles of First.

The Convenors are proposing the adoption of a major outreach project each year to inspire the congregation to participate as volunteers and to donate financially. This proposal arises from the Durall recommendation to become less anxious about money and to give away 10%. The project would be funded from the operating budget through pledges and special fundraising events.

This report reviews our history of social action, current social action programs (the Rankin projects), and the recommendations made by our consultant, Michael Durall, in April 2004. It defines goals for engaging in outreach, criteria for selecting an appropriate outreach project, and a process to select a project in future years.

For this first year, the Convenors have taken the liberty of choosing a project to recommend to the congregation, so that we go into the fall canvass season with a goal already in mind. For the coming year, the convenors are proposing to the congregation that we support Habitat for Humanity in building homes in Toronto.

Habitat meets all our criteria for an appropriate outreach project for the congregation to engage in:

Habitat for Humanity offers several ways to participate. The one that the Convenors are proposing is sponsoring a home. The pros and cons of selecting Habitat and home sponsorship are outlined.

This report was discussed in detail at the Board meeting on September 8. The Board passed two motions, both of them carried unanimously.

2. That the Board of Trustees

Since the September 8 Board meeting, the Board has decided to invite the congregation to two separate meetings.

On October 3, the Convenors will hold an information session, to give the congregation background on their outreach proposal and to provide information about Habitat for Humanity. Members will be invited to consider participation as a congregation.

On October 17, the Board will hold a congregational meeting to consider the budget implications of the Habitat proposal and other financial initiatives for 2005. This meeting will also launch the annual canvass.

Convenors are appointed for a three-year term. The team is made up of:

Nancy Krygsman Chief Convenor

Helen Iacovino Administrative and Property Services

Winnie Larsen Programs (including Religious Education)

Terry Lee Outreach and Denominational Activities

Nancy MacTavish Member Services and Marketing

Beth Ann McFadden Worship Services and Ministry

Dave Tiffin Finance

Full Report

Social action is specifically mentioned in our mission statement (1996). One purpose of our congregation is "responsible service to and social action in our city and beyond". The key strategies to achieve this goal are "support and encouragement for individual social action, processes for defining how and when collective action can be beneficial, and effective organization to implement collective action.".

Unitarians have a long history of social action and outreach. This congregation was very active 30 to 40 years ago in the peace movement, demonstrating for civil rights, and protesting the war in Vietnam. In the last decade, we have taken stands on inclusively for the gay/lesbian/transgendered community, same-sex marriage, and disaster relief (Hurricane Mitch and the Peterborough flood). As well, individual members are involved in a wide variety of action projects, living out their faith in many ways.

Our members tell us that they feel we did much more in the past, and they would like us to do more to demonstrate social responsibility; these views were expressed during the Durall study.

This congregation already supports selected Official Social Action Projects and some Affiliated Groups. The Offical Social Action Projects are voted on by the congregation at the AGM, through what we call the Rankin Process. The Affiliated Groups are approved by the Board. These projects are entitled to the support of the congregation through access to Sunday services and after-service activities, other publicity, use of facilities, and financial privileges (including special dedicated collections).

Several of these projects have had congregational support for many years in a row. The projects currently designated and supported are:

Additional special collection may be announced from time to time for denominational support (the CUC) or other special causes (such as the "Mind the Gap" youth initiative) to a maximum of six per year. Each one must be approved by the Board.

The convenors support these causes and we would like to continue them for the foreseeable future, subject to annual review by the congregation.

In April 2004, the congregation engaged a Unitarian consultant to advise on increasing congregational vitality, improving the commitment of members, and fostering generosity. He found that we are reasonably healthy but have the potential to do much more. He advised us to increase our expectations of members and to cultivate the image of being a very generous church. He suggested that one way to do this is to engage in more social action. People want to give to socially useful causes, not to the operating budget.

Of the six recommendations in his report, the convenor team has focused on three of his recommendations:

Recommendation 2: Lessen the uncertainty and anxiety around money. Give away loose cash in the collection plate. Give away 10% of the operating budget.

Recommendation 4: Start a New Opportunities Seed Fund for spending by empowered members, subject to the discretion of the Ministers and Board President.

Recommendation 5: Consider the concept of the "permission-granting" church. Say yes

to all new ideas if they fit within the mission, vision, and values of the congregation.

This report deals with Recommendation 2.

The convenor team is committed to implementing the report. We want to get started and demonstrate that we are moving to adopt the recommendations.

We have decided to start with the outreach recommendations because they have strongest support among the convenor team, and because we believe that they have the potential to inspire the congregation the most. We want to begin to build a structure to support community outreach in a larger way, and to make it easy for members to get involved.

At the Convenor Retreat (July 17-18) at the Morrison-Reed cottage, we devoted most of our time discussing community outreach.

The convenors have defined six goals for engaging in community outreach:

Members who participated in the Durall discussions (during the time he was in Toronto and afterwards) indicated that they want to see the congregation involved in a big way in social action. To do this, the convenors are proposing that the congregation identify at least one major outreach initiative per year to which we give our support.

A project is designed to address a short-term issue; it has a beginning and an end.

Examples of social action projects we have engaged in recently are the Hurricane Mitch relief effort and the fight for same-sex marriage rights. The results can be seen reasonably quickly.

A program on the other hand, addresses a long-term issue; there is no definable end in sight. Some social action programs we support would be the United Nations Office, Child Haven, and Out of the Cold. Change may be achieved, but it is slow.

The convenors favour putting our support behind a project, rather than a program. People will make a massive effort for a special project, with a defined goal and an achievable result. We feel this has more potential to inspire the congregation to action.

The convenors developed 5 criteria for an appropriate outreach project:

In the long term, we propose a committee (5 people) to solicit ideas and recommend a selection of projects to the convenors. The committee should include the Outreach Convenor, a representative from the Social Action Coordinating Team, and a Rankin project representative. The convenors would take recommendations to the Board (or directly to the congregation) for support.

For the first year, the Convenor Team has proposed a project to get us started. We want to have a major project approved and publicized before the annual canvass this fall.

We selected a project based on the five criteria listed above. Because time is short and there is no time to thoroughly vet a good cause, we added two more criteria: the project must be already up and running, and it must be managed by a responsible organization with high visibility in the community.

This congregation already has a process and a structure to support social action. We call it the Rankin Process and we collectively vote to designate a limited number of projects and programs around which to focus congregational support, financially and through our collective energies. The convenors do not question the value of our present social action projects. We support them, and we foresee that their potential may be tapped in order to increase the congregation’s commitment to them in the future.

We would like to see the congregation’s social action projects be more visible to the congregation. At the same time, we would like to create a culture for social action that would engage the congregation as a whole and provide many opportunities for direct participation.

The existing Rankin projects, worthy as they are, did not meet our criteria for an appropriate social action project to pursue this year, for the following reasons:

The convenors have chosen to support Toronto Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity meets all our criteria:

Habitat for Humanity is an international organization which builds affordable housing to help low-income families realize their dream of home ownership. They operate in many countries and will this year build their 500,000^th home. They have a strong project management system that relies on donations of money and of gifts in kind and on volunteer labour. Toronto Habitat for Humanity has been building homes here for the last few years. This year, they are building 51 homes in Toronto, including 40 in Scarborough that are now under construction. In 2005, they will be completing their 100^th home here.

Homes are a joint venture among potential homeowners, business, and volunteers. Homeowners are expected to invest 500 hours of volunteer work in Habitat towards their new home. Habitat holds the mortgage on their homes (at no interest) and the mortgage money is re-invested in building more homes.

Habitat for Humanity is a Christian-based organization, but their principles are entirely compatible with our UU beliefs. Their operating principles begin with:

The convenor team invited, Adrienne Finlay, the Faith Relations Coordinator of Toronto Habitat for Humanity, to attend a special convenor meeting in August. We held an informal discussion about ways congregations can contribute to Habitat.

There are three ways to show support – by volunteering, by financial contributions, and through sponsorship of a home.

Volunteering. Habitat projects lend themselves to participation by groups in a variety of capacities. While the main activity is obviously building, other activities can include providing lunches, documenting the activities through photography, running errands, etc.

There may also be opportunities to volunteer at the Habitat Re-Store, their used building materials shop, or by serving on Habitat committees.

Financial support. There are three ways to make a financial contribution as a congregation.

The convenors discussed the three options. There is enormous enthusiasm and excitement among the convenor team around option 3: sponsoring a Unitarian home.

The convenors voted unanimously to recommend the option to raise $60,000 to sponsor a house that will be completed in the winter of 2005, to involve the congregation in the build, and to seek participation from other UU congregations in the GTA.

This would involve signing a memorandum of understanding with Habitat. There would be a sponsorship briefing in advance of this to clarify expectations. This agreement would commit us to work towards raising $60,000 over the next year, but it is not binding.

We envisage working together as a group on a single home for a couple of days. There are opportunities in November/ December /January to work on houses that are nearing completion on indoor, low-skill jobs such as painting and finishing. These houses would be dedicated in February 2005, and the families would take possession in May 2005.

We have contacted our colleagues at Neighbourhood Congregation and Don Heights to see if there is interest in joining us. Habitat already has contacts with people from these congregations. Kalvin Drake has indicated that he is willing to help with contacts in other nearby congregations. We would welcome this opportunity to build ties with other congregations through a joint venture.

We will measure the success of this project through:

While one of the goals of our social action is to attract new members, there will be no immediate impact on membership. It takes time to build a culture of social action and generosity that will attract new people and engage the present membership. However, we hope to get some publicity from sponsoring a Unitarian house.

Good communications with the congregation are essential to the success of this project. The convenors have developed a draft communication plan. It includes communicating with the Board, CEO Team, congregation, other congregations, the CUC, and the public.

We are proposing a special service on October 3 to introduce the theme for the year "Building Community" and a congregational meeting after the service to. The purpose would be to:

In addition, we propose a congregational meeting two weeks later. Last year’s pre-budget meeting on November 30 was very helpful in the budget process and much appreciated by the congregation. We recommend that a congregational meeting be held each fall with a similar theme. The purpose of the second meting would be to:

1. Describe the dreams of the Convenors and Board for the coming year

2. Get an indication of congregational support for the proposed new programs

3. Launch the annual canvass

We see the outreach project as being closely tied to the annual canvass. The Rankin Projects are largely funded through a special collection (on top of the regular Sunday collection) one Sunday per year, and through their own fundraising initiatives. We propose that the major community outreach initiative(s) for the year be funded through the operating budget: primarily from pledges, but also from fundraising events.

We want to demonstrate that the leadership of the congregation is dedicated to implementing the Durall report, excited about community outreach, and committed to the Habitat for Humanity project.

This report was discussed in detail at the Board meeting on September 8. The Board passed two motions, both of them carried unanimously.

2. That the Board of Trustees

Since the September 8 Board meeting, the Board has decided to invite the congregation to two separate meetings.

On October 3, the Convenors will hold an information session, to give the congregation background on their outreach proposal and to provide information about Habitat for Humanity. Members will be invited to consider participation as a congregation.

On October 17, the Board will hold a congregational meeting to consider the budget implications of the Habitat proposal and other financial initiatives for 2005. This meeting will also launch the annual canvass.

Convenors are appointed for a three-year term. The team is made up of:

Nancy Krygsman Chief Convenor

Helen Iacovino Administrative and Property Services

Winnie Larsen Programs (including Religious Education)

Terry Lee Outreach and Denominational Activities

Nancy MacTavish Member Services and Marketing

Beth Ann McFadden Worship Services and Ministry

Dave Tiffin Finance

August 31, 2004

Rev. Sept 23, 2004