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10-14-2021 Questions and Answers

10-14-2021 Questions and Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: Where does the Council get its support?

A:  According to the Rule, Part III, Statute 24, “The authority to manage the Society’s assets remains exclusively with the Councils …” This statute goes on to say, “Councils may determine annually the percentage of the funds of each Council or Conference within their area that may be made available to them …”

Chapter 2 of the Manual, page 26, subheading ‘Funds of the Conference’ states, “Conference members should never adopt the attitude that the money is theirs …” In addition, under ‘Donation of Conferences’ it reads, “Surplus funds should be shared generously with needier Conferences or the special works of the District.”

Additionally, Councils are free to operate their own stores, raise funds from the public, and to generate their own funds through events and other revenue-generating activities.

Q:  The solidarity contribution assessment for stores is based on their total revenue (normally total sales), and not on their profits (sales minus expenses). Correct?

A:  Yes, on the Stores Report there is a line item titled “Total Revenue” (not “Total All Store Income”) that is used to determine the solidarity assessment for a store. Expenses do not come into play in the solidarity calculation.

Spanish Questions & Answers

P: ¿Dónde obtiene el apoyo el Consejo?

R:  De acuerdo con la Regla, Parte III, Estatuto 24, “La autoridad para administrar los bienes de la Sociedad es exclusiva de los Consejos…” Este estatuto continúa diciendo, “el Consejo…puede determinar anualmente el porcentaje de los fondos que pueden estar disponibles para ellos de cada Consejo o Conferencia dentro de su área.”

El capítulo 2 del Manual, página 26, subtítulo ‘Fondos de la Conferencia’ establece: “Los miembros de las conferencias nunca deben adoptar la actitud de que el dinero les pertenece a ellos …” Además, en “Donación a la Conferencias” se lee: “Los fondos extras deben ser compartidos generosamente con otras Conferencias con más necesidades o en los Trabajos Especiales del consejo o del distrito.”

Además, los Consejos son libres de operar sus propias tiendas, recaudar fondos del público y generar sus propios fondos a través de eventos y otras actividades generadoras de ingresos.

P: La evaluación de la contribución solidaria para las tiendas se basa en sus ingresos totales (normalmente ventas totales) y no en sus ganancias (ventas menos gastos). ¿Correcto?

R:  Sí, en el Informe de Tiendas hay una línea titulada “Ingresos Totales” (no “Ingresos totales de las tiendas”) que se utiliza para determinar la evaluación de solidaridad para una tienda. Los gastos no entran en el cálculo de la solidaridad.

How To Avoid Confusion With Clear Communication

How To Avoid Confusion With Clear Communication 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Under-communication is a consistent problem in nearly every business. You can solve that by taking ownership of the communication happening around you.

I’ve worked with more than my share of poor communicators over the years. One was a boss who rarely shared information and never in a timely way. My office happened to be in a different building than his, so getting to our weekly one-on-one meeting took a little effort. Each week, I prepared a status report on my major projects, developed a list of answers I needed to make progress, and drove to the office in time for the meeting.

I can’t tell you how many times I was greeted by his assistant with a pained expression. “I’m so sorry,” she’d say. “He had to step out.” Not only did he cancel most of our meetings, but he did so without notice.

When we did meet, he provided little or no clarity. And he dodged most of my questions with “I’ll have to get back to you on that.” It was maddening!

Most under-communication is inadvertent. People are simply unaware of the gap between what’s in their mind and what’s in yours, and you suffer from that same lack of awareness. In fact, a team of researchers writing in the Journal of Political Economy labeled this phenomenon “the curse of knowledge.” It means that when you know something, it’s very hard to remember that other people don’t.

Fortunately, the solution is remarkably simple. All you have to do is step up and take responsibility for all the communication that comes from you or to you. Here’s how:

Determine To Be The Solution
Most of us are not fully aware of our own part in the communication quagmire. We may expect others to do all the work of conveying information. The first step in communicating clearly is to determine to be the solution, not the problem. Are you ready to champion clear communication in your workplace?

Externalize Your Thinking
The curse of knowledge affects everyone, including you. As a result, we don’t communicate or don’t communicate enough. Be aware of the gap between your understanding and that of your team. Stop assuming that people know what’s important or what needs to be done. Get your thoughts out of your head where others can read or hear them.

Push For Clarity
Before you compose your message (or say it out loud), ask yourself, “How can I set the other person up for success?” Before you hit send, reread the communication to be sure it’s clear. Would you know exactly what you meant? Clarity is vital for communication. Sometimes that will mean pushing others for clarity. Remember, they also suffer from the curse of knowledge and may have a tendency to omit information or use ambiguous language. Gently ask them to make their meaning clear.

Confirm Understanding
Communication hasn’t really happened until the other person not only receives your words but also understands them. You can request a “read receipt” when you send a message, but you also need to get an “understand receipt.” You can do that with questions like “Is anything unclear about that?” or “What do you understand based on what I’ve said?”

Over-Communicate
Actually, you can’t over-communicate. Or at least it is pretty hard to do.  People are busy and distracted. They forget things they should remember – things they want to remember. Communication is not a one-and-done event. Communicate again. And again.

What would it be like to come to work in a place where you never had to go on a deep dive for the information you need to do your job? How would it change the culture of your office if everyone was clear, direct and intentional in their communication? Why not take responsibility for making that happen and find out?

10-07-2021 Questions and Answers

10-07-2021 Questions and Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q:  What are the consequences if a Conference refuses to make Home Visits?

A:  No consequences are imposed. However, as Council leaders we must continue to encourage and advocate the fact that Home Visits are what makes us unique and unlike other charitable organizations. The Rule, Part III, Statute 8 clearly states: “Visits to those in need should be made in their environment.” We recognize that personal safety, COVID and other local factors may make such visits at times difficult to achieve. There are also some Conferences organized as Special Works Conferences. Leaders are asked to do their best to help members grow in spirituality though the experience of our basic Home Visit, conducted as “close to the customer” as possible.

Q:  Is the Society okay with Conferences using their Archdiocese parishes revolving accounts (PRF) instead of savings accounts?

A:  PRF accounts are acceptable if they are not comingled with parish funds, SVdP has sole access to the funds, and the funds are accessible immediately. These sort of agreements are rare; often the Pastor has funds access. Therefore such accounts must be viewed with great scrutiny and backed up with strong documentation.

Spanish Questions & Answers

P: ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias si una Conferencia se niega a realizar visitas domiciliarias?

R:  No se imponen consecuencias. Sin embargo, como líderes del Consejo, debemos continuar alentando y defendiendo el hecho de que las visitas domiciliarias son lo que nos hace únicos y diferentes a otras organizaciones caritativas. La Regla, Parte III, Estatuto 8 establece claramente: “Las visitas a aquellos en necesidad deben hacerse en su ambiente.” Reconocemos que la seguridad personal, el COVID y otros factores locales pueden hacer que, en ocasiones, estas visitas sean difíciles de lograr. También hay algunas Conferencias organizadas como Conferencias de Trabajos Especiales. Se pide a los líderes que hagan todo lo posible para ayudar a los miembros a crecer en espiritualidad a través de la experiencia de nuestra visita domiciliaria básica, realizada lo más “cerca del cliente” como sea posible.

P: ¿Está la Sociedad de acuerdo con que las Conferencias utilicen las cuentas rotativas parroquiales de la Arquidiócesis (PRF) en lugar de cuentas de ahorro?

R: Las cuentas de PRF son aceptables si no están combinadas con fondos parroquiales, SVdP tiene acceso exclusivo a los fondos y los fondos son accesibles de inmediato. Este tipo de acuerdos son raros; a menudo, el pastor tiene acceso a fondos. Por lo tanto, estas cuentas deben ser examinadas con gran escrutinio y respaldadas con documentación sólida.

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