Annual Session Planning Committee

POSITION: NPYM Annual Session Planning Committee (ASPC)

Position description approved by Coordinating Committee, April 2013, Updated November 2024 (just names)

NOMINATION AND APPROVAL: Some positions are filled by the Nominating Committee. The ASPC also appoints some members.

The NPYM Nominating Committee is responsible for filling the following positions: Presiding Clerk, Rising Clerk, AS Recording Clerk, AS Event Planner, AS Program Coordinator, AS Children's Program Coordinator, AS Volunteer Coordinator/Recruiter, AS Registrar, AS Hybrid Communications Coordinator. Usually nominations are approved at Annual Session; however, nominations call also be approved by Coordinating Committee or Executive Committee.

In addition, the ASPC finds people to serve in the following positions: Interest Group Coordinator, Worship Groups Coordinator, Daily Bulletin Editor, Bookstore Manager, Transportation Coordinator, Hospitality Coordinator, Food Coordinator, and any other positions deemed necessary for a given year.

TERM LENGTH: The terms of the members named by the Nominating Committee are for the duration of their terms in the given office, as listed in their Job Descriptions. Terms for members named by the ASPC are for one year, and may be renewed by the next ASPC.

TERM BEGINS: October 1

MEMBERS: Those positions named by Nominating Committee and those named by the ASPC, all listed above. The AS Event Planner and the Presiding Clerk are Co-Clerks of the ASPC.

REPORTS TO: Coordinating Committee and Executive Committee

WORKS PRIMARILY WITH: The ASPC is largely independent of other committees. It works closely with the Friend-in-Residence, Ministry and Counsel Clerk, and Treasurer. In addition, the Children's Program Coordinators work closely with the Youth Committee. The Coordinating Committee subcommittee on job descriptions may consult with the ASPC.

COMMITTEE CHARGE: The planning and implementation of each upcoming Annual Session

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Discern the individual leadership to fill roles that are needed for each Annual Session.

• Support each of the Committee members in carrying out his or her specific duties.

• Set the theme of the Annual Session in collaboration with the Friend-in-Residence.

• Prepare a budget for the Annual Session and set the fees for attenders to cover the expenses in the budget. The Annual Session is intended to be self-supporting through the fees charged to attenders. Therefore, the ASPC has the authority to determine how the costs are distributed among attenders, including deciding how many fee waivers, stipends, and sponsorships will be authorized.

• Fee waiver: If an individual's job for Annual Session prevents a person from participating in a majority part of the Annual Session (e.g., the teaching staff), he or she is not expected to pay to attend. Thus the amount of a fee waiver is whatever the person's expenses would otherwise be, including program fee, lodging, and meals.

• Stipend: Payment on an hourly basis for independent contract work.

• Survey the attenders of the Annual Session to evaluate their experience of it. The summary of their responses is incorporated in the report to Coordinating Committee which evaluates the experience of both the attenders of the Annual Session and of the Planning Committee itself.

TASKS AND TIMELINE:

October – January

The ASPC as a whole lies dormant, while the members appointed by NPYM do the preliminary work listed in their individual job descriptions. Specifically, the General Arrangements Clerk works with the host site on our contract with them, works with the Presiding Clerk to set the dates of the ASPC meetings, works with the Registrar to draft the preliminary budget and set the fees to cover the budget. The Presiding Clerk makes arrangements with the Friend-in-Residence, and the Coordinators begin recruiting the people to fill the positions that are their responsibilities.

January – March

Set the theme for the Annual Session and determine the overall structure for the Annual Session. Individual ASPC members write the descriptions of their part of the program to be included in the “Annual Session Information Booklet.” This booklet is compiled by the Registrar and edited and proofread by the entire committee. It needs to be prepared in time for the opening of Registration on or about April 1.

April – Annual Session

Registration for the Annual Session is open. Every part of the arrangements and program is fine-tuned as the numbers and needs of the attenders become more clear. The Evaluation Survey for attenders is prepared.

During Annual Session

Individual members carry out their given tasks as listed in their job descriptions.

After Annual Session

Each member wraps up whatever is needed to complete his or her job. This includes writing a report about how that job went, with suggestions for the next person to take the job. ASPC members submit these reports to the General Arrangements Clerk in time to be incorporated in the overall Committee Report to the CC.

EVALUATION: The General Arrangements Clerk prepares an annual report of the committee work and submits a copy to the CC Clerk by September 21. This report should include information that would be helpful to the next year's committee including what worked (or didn't), and any recommendations for changes to the job description.

The General Arrangements Clerk updates any files from past committee work and submits the committee file to the next General Arrangements Clerk by September 21. Each committee member updates any files from the past to pass on to his or her successor by September 21.

EXPENSES AND TRAVEL: Reimbursement is provided for office expenses (long distance phone calls, postage, copying, etc.) required for the ASPC to function. Travel expense for the committee's work is reimbursed according to the NPYM travel reimbursement policy. Requests for reimbursement (or reports for in-kind-donations) with receipts should be submitted to the NPYM treasurer as soon as possible after being incurred. The form for submitting requests for reimbursement is on the npym.org website.

The expenses of holding the Annual Session itself are not included in this section. They are paid by those attending the Annual Session.

OTHER INFORMATION: The Annual Session Planning Committee is one of the Standing Committees of NPYM. However, the nature of its task is such that it functions in many ways more nearly like an ongoing series of Ad Hoc Committees (one for each Annual Session). This makes it unique in the committee structure of NPYM, and could be thought of as a “Phoenix Committee.” In practice, it does burn itself out more or less thoroughly by the end of each Annual Session, then arises from its ashes the following January to plan and implement the next Annual Session.

Nominated By: 

Nominating Committee

Committee Type: 

Standing