There is a file on the admin@trilliumawakening. org Google Drive within the Trillium Shared Folder on the shared drive called Dogs Issues. It has a listing of issues that may be sitting below the surface of the TATC group consciousness, but which some individuals have identified as needed to be addressed. I would be good to occasionally look through the list and bring some to a TATC monthly meeting to see if anyone still feels any tension around the issue. If so, lead a discussion or move ahead with trying to help people work with the tension.

If the issue feels complete, put a strike through the text, do not delete it. It may be interesting, that in the future, that issue will become relevant again. Also, if the file is updated, make sure to put the current date at the top of the file.

If possible, the role holder can find individuals who will champion a particular dog and see that some resolution comes about. This can be done by asking interested people or those who feel the tension to come forward and work with you to help with presenting the tension to the TATC.

The TATC Board of Directors also considers the Dogs to be important, so any concerns can be brought to them to work with also.

Scope of Action

• Design and run donation campaigns (annual, seasonal, or project-based)
• Create donation messaging for email, website, or events
• Coordinate fundraising efforts tied to programs, courses or community initiatives
• Explore new donation formats (e.g., recurring giving, one-time campaigns, scholarship funds)
• Collaborate with other roles (Mailing List, Website, Free or Paid Events, Education, Finance) to execute campaigns

Suggested Fundraising Approaches

• Annual Giving Campaigns
  A clear, once-a-year invitation to support the organization. Giving Tuesday which is the first Tuesday in December would be a good time for this.
• Program-Linked Donations
  Inviting contributions alongside offerings (e.g., AMS, webinars, retreats)
• Scholarship or Access Funds
  Framing giving as supporting inclusion and access
• Story-Based Appeals
  Share real impact stories from participants or teachers
• Recurring Donations
  Encourage smaller, ongoing contributions for stability

Operational Practices

• Track what campaigns are run and their outcomes (basic metrics are sufficient)
• Maintain a simple calendar of fundraising efforts to avoid overlap or fatigue
• Coordinate timing with other organizational communications
• Document what worked and what didn’t for future role holders

Providing a framework and assistance to individuals or groups within the TATC or community to develop educational programs

Partnering with external individuals or groups to bring joint novel educational opportunities to the whole TA community or to external communities

The form is due annually on May 15

We’ve been filing the 990-N “postcard” form for many years.  It is for tax-exempt organizations making under $50,000.00 per year.

IRS makes changes to their website frequently.  In 2025, Cielle used this link to find instructions for  filing 990-N.

Please note, this link might not work in subsequent years. 

https://www.irs.gov/site-index-search?search=990-N&field_pup_historical_1=1&field_pup_historical=1

If the above link does not work, then try

https://www.irs.gov

In the search field, input 990-N

You should find these are similar instructions

Submitting Form 990-N (e-Postcard)

To access the Form 990-N Electronic Filing system:

Sign in/create an account with Login.gov or ID.me: The IRS requires a Login.gov or an ID.me account to submit Form 900-N. Form 990-N filers should use the same email address associated with their IRS account.

Review the IRS Form 990-N Electronic Filing System (e-Postcard) User Guide PDF for step-by-step instructions on how to submit electronic Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Most common problems can be avoided by following the User Guide.

Sign in via  “Verify ID Me.” FYI: In 2025, Cielle could not get Login.gov to work.

https://api.id.me

If someone other than Cielle files the 990-N electronically, they will have to set up their own ID Me account.  FYI: There are many steps to set up a Verify Me account.

In Cielle’s case

Email address: cielle.cindy@gmail.com

Password: See LastPass for password

A security code will be sent by voice to 641 451 7622

Once that account has been set up, go to the IRS website and follow the prompts to find a section for filing tax forms for 

Charities and non-profits

Annual filing forms

990-series

Filling out the form with this information: 

Name, since 2017: Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle

DBA: Trillium Awakening

EIN 72-1601132

Company address: (Do we need to update with Juliet’s current address on Anderson Island?

3930 NE 105th Ave, Portland, OR 97220

Principal officer:

Cielle Backstrom

1307 S Main, Fairfield, IA 52556

Iowa State Bank

55 S 4th St, Fairfield, IA 52556

(641) 472-3161

Marketing checking account 40013359

Used for expenses associated with "development: such as website improvements, marketing, etc. Funding comes from donations.

Debit card: See Last Pass

Signers on above account - Juliet Ganschow, Cielle Backstrom

Operations checking account 334006

Used to pay for recurring expenses for the administration of TATC such as email account, Zoom accounts, professional such as bookeeping and legal. Used to pay for recurring expenses for administration of TATC, such as email account, Zoom accounts, professional services, including bookkeeping and legal.

Funding comes from teacher dues.

Debit card: See Last Pass

Signers on above account - Juliet Ganschow, Cielle Backstrom

Trillium Savings account 501087

Interest-bearing account holding surplus income until it needs to be dispersed

Signers on above account - Sharon Gilbert, Cielle Backstrom

Juliet Ganschow, a member of the TA community and AMS graduate, takes care of the day to day bookkeeping needs of the TATC. Her address is
10618 Madrona Dr
Anderson Island, WA 98303

Her email address is julietganschow@gmail.com

tasks executed by Juliet include
receiving and depositing dues payments
sending reminders for late dues payments
paying bills that have been approved by the Finance Role
reconciling the checking and PayPal account

Juliet uses Quickbooks accounting software. At the end of each month she sends a copy of the Quickbook files to the Finance role so that the holder of that role can review the month's activities and make suggestions regarding changes to the recording keeping as needed.

Foundation Course Agreement

The following is a formalization of an agreement dating from March 6, 2022, between
Ted Strauss and the Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle regarding fees to be paid in
exchange for promotion of Ted’s intellectual property, the Foundation Course. Ted
assumes all responsibility for how people use or respond to the information contained in
the course.

By this agreement, in exchange for promotion of the Foundation Course through links
on the TrilliumAwakening.org website and/or TATC mailing list, Ted commits to paying
the TATC $20 for each sale of the course after March 6, 2022.

Ted agrees to keep accurate account of the revenue generated by sale of The
Foundation Course, and make timely quarterly payments to the TATC along with a
summary statement showing individual payments and quarterly totals.
Initial payment shall be retroactive and reflect total sales from March 6, 2022, to present
day.

Payments are payable to Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (TATC).
Send to: (updated with Juliet's recent mailing address as of 4/14/25)

10618 Madrona Drive

Anderson Island, WA 98303

Signed:___________________________ (treasurer) Date:_____________________

Signed:___________________________(Ted Strauss)  Date:___________________

Quarterly requests for payments for sales of Foundation Course generated through TA website.

On January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1,  the Finance role holder emails a request to Ted and Hillary along these lines.

Dear Ted and Hillary,

(Date) was the end of the X quarter of (year).

Did you sell any Foundation Courses generated through the TA website during the X Quarter?

If you had any sales, you've agreed to pay the TATC $20 per sale.

When you pay, please include a note to help Juliet distinguish this from dues payment.  Your note might be, 1st Quarter, 2025. payment for X Foundation Course sale(s).
 

Please send payment by check**:**

TATC

10618 Madrona Drive

Anderson Island, WA 98303

Regarding payment for the TATC Zoom accounts

There are 2 accounts

I'll give a number to each account

Zoom 1

TrilliumAwakening@gmail.com
used for:
 

• TATC monthly meetings
• OC meetings
• Other TATC administrative meetings
   

1 license, due annually July 24

Zoom 2
trilliumvirtualprograms@gmail.com
used for:

• Participant Virtual Programs

payment is made by PayPal via the account under this Gmail account
TATCMarketing0@gmail.com

license 2  due annually May 5

TATC has three PayPal accounts

recipient address = tatcmarketing0@gmail.com

This account is used to pay expenses that fall into the classification of "development" expenses. These expenses are particularly centered around developing our presence in the field of spiritual organizations, as opposed to recurring operational expenses. This account is primarily funded by donations.

recipient address = trilliumteacherscircle@gmail.com

This account is used to pay operations expenses which typically are recurring expenses.  It is primarily funded by TATC dues

recipient address = TA.online.events@gmail.com

This account is used to receive payments for TATC centrally organized events (courses.)  TATC is a 501c6 corporation with the focus of service and support of the members of the TATC.  In order to become a member of the TATC, candidates must attend courses set up by the TATC for those who have clarified their Whole Being Realization.  Because such courses are part of the training to eventually apply to be a member of the TATC, the TATC can charge for these courses and the course fees can come directly into the TATC accounts.  Please note: dues from members should make up the majority of income to the corporation. If income from courses consistently exceeds the income from dues, then TATC would be considered an Educational corporations and it is advised at that time we opt into a 501c3 corporation.

Shared costs
The expenses for retreat meeting room, equipment charges, insurance, flights, and incidental costs such as snacks are totaled and then equally shared by all teachers who attend.  

Sometimes the lodging expense is added to the shared cost in the event that the facility bundles the lodging with its other fees.

Lodging expense

If the facility fees include lodging, then the total lodging cost is added to the shared costs.  If a teacher wants a lodging upgrade, such as a single room upgrade, then that upgrade is paid by that teacher and is not added to the shared costs.

If the lodging expense is not bundled into the facility fees, then each teacher is free to select their own lodging and will pay for it by themselves.

Shared transportation costs
The thinking behind this plan is to make it easier for teachers who live at a distance (especially outside the US) to not have to bear the burden of expensive transportation each year. By totally the cost off all flights and then dividing that cost equally by all teachers, each attendee will contibute equally to the overall cost of transportation.

Ground transportation and airport parking is not included in the shared costs. Each teacher pays for this independently.

Flight fare maximums
In order to keep the shared transportation expense at a reasonable level, approximately 3 months before each retreat, the Finance Role researches current fares for flights from many cities in the US, to ensure that the flights:

The maximum credit for airfares is the researched price plus 20% so as to allow some choice of flights.

Of course, participants are welcome to purchase a more costly ticket if personal needs dictate that.
However, the excess would be paid by that teacher and would not be part of the expense shared by all teachers.

Deposits
All who attend the TATC retreat are required to pay a deposit before the retreat begins. This allows the Finance Role to pay the balance due to the retreat facility on the last day of the retreat, before the teachers are invoiced for their balance due.

Participant invoices
The Finance role will take into consideration the shared expenses for the retreat, any individual surcharges per teacher for single room upgrades, the flight expenses each teacher incurred and deposits sent, etc and calculate the balance due for each teacher. after the retreat is over.

Subsidy
The TATC generally contributes a subsidy (in the past it has been $3,500) to help offset the shared cost of the retreat for those who attend.

Accountabilities

Posting centrally-organized free events on TA.org

Free events can assume a number of different activities such as Sittings, Presentations, Community Calls and other Community Activities including Book Studies, Death Conversations and Webinars, Mutuality Cafes, Gazing, Closed Mutuality Circles and Community Mutual Support Forums. Any time one of these is scheduled a listing should be placed on the TA.org website events calendar as well as entered in the Weekly Events email list that goes out every Friday. You will need to make sure that:

• teachers are assigned, if necessary
• dates don't overlap with other events
• necessary additional emails be created and sent
• all zoom links are from the Events@trilliumawakening.org Zoom2 account
• Point person has access to the Zoom2 account

As you can see this role will be working in conjunction with the Roles Website and Mailing list.

A complete document for a detail description of the process can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yoayj2vyYZ20qV8vsEU46yJhilRdGx_zVnzvrdDG5oQ/edit?usp=sharing

Providing oversight for free events volunteer assistants

As the role holder you may assign Energizers for a particular event or for all events if someone is willing to act as the administrator for the events. Maintain contact with the Energized keeping them up to date about upcoming events.

Reporting quarterly metrics

There is a metric spreadsheet that has a listing of Intros found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_HmAUErimNS6hnlsnyy9lpTEbrmSknez8_QcyTR3ueA/edit?gid=0#gid=0. Fill in the number of attended after each Intro

Holding meetings for TATC members to brainstorm on potentially substantive initiatives (as defined in TATC bylaws), and incorporating teacher input, before proposing such initiatives for a TATC vote

If events or situations come up that require approval by the whole TATC, then a substantive issue process must take place in which to get that approval. This is usually an 8-week process requiring a posting to the TATC Google site discussion board as well as discussions in two TATC monthly meetings. If a vote is required, then that vote would occur in the second monthly meeting.

Definition of a role:
https://resources.holacracy.org/holacracy-glossary#:~:text=Circle's%20current%20authority.-,Role,through%20the%20Circle's%20Governance%20process.

Writing roles’ accountabilities in Holacracy
https://blog.holacracy.org/writing-roles-accountabilities-in-holacracy-eb9d83e363bf

After reading these and creating a draft that feels right to you, email it to Secretary, who will bring it up in GlassFrog when you’re ready to raise the agenda item at a Governance meeting.

Holacracy Refresher Workshop with Laura Frew & Jonathan Yankovich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl23pqhBkhI

Awakening Capacities in Holacracy (7-minute read)
https://www.enliveningedge.org/organizations/awakening-capacities-holacracy/

Beware of "We" (1:50 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plZHwIlM-LE

What Is Holacracy? (1:47 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUHfVoQUj54&t=8s

Holacracy Video (1:54 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSm5cxw8qrk

Holacracy Book Summary (4:45 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FmKsDf_CnI

Differentiating Organization & Tribe (5-minute read)
https://blog.holacracy.org/differentiating-organization-tribe-2bc0190bf1c5

An Impersonal Process (2-minute read)
https://blog.holacracy.org/an-impersonal-process-b618fc93b988

Holacracy Basics: Understanding Tensions (9-minute read)
https://medium.com/@chrcowan/holacracy-basics-understanding-tensions-98fc3c032acf

Processing Tensions (3-minute read)
https://blog.holacracy.org/processing-tensions-5f2712be589a

Differentiating Role & Soul (4-minute read)
https://blog.holacracy.org/differentiating-role-and-soul-fe8cf5d53cc1

Zen in the Art of Untangling Organizations:
How Holacracy is Similar to Mindfulness-Practice (12-minute read)
https://medium.com/encode-org/zen-in-the-art-of-untangling-organizations-9a883f4e4885

Communication Types in Holacracy (4-minute read)
https://medium.com/@chrcowan/communication-types-in-holacracy-3d54650c9d27

Holacracy Governance (1:02 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKhFJnD4RNk

Governance Meeting Process & Simulation
https://www.holacracy.org/governance-meetings

Are You Anticipating? (5-minute read)
Understanding Holacracy® Objection Validity Criteria #3
https://medium.com/@chrcowan/are-you-anticipating-266033b972f3

A Better Way to Test Objections in Holacracy (9-minute read)
https://medium.com/@chrcowan/a-better-way-to-test-objections-in-holacracy-c4faa4577627

Tactical Meeting Process
https://www.holacracy.org/tactical-meetings

Facilitating a Holacracy Tactical Meeting
https://medium.com/@chrcowan/facilitating-a-holacracy-tactical-meeting-5d51baa2441c

What is GlassFrog? (8:40 video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnEnqwZQ01I

Trillium Awakening Operations Circle GlassFrog Account
https://app.glassfrog.com/circles/92

A few days BEFORE each TAOC meeting...

Is anyone energizing roles for you? If so..

1. Ask if they have any project updates you can report to the TAOC
2. Ask if they have any tensions about energizing the role that need to be processed within the TAOC
3. Thank them for their service!

Review your Next Actions from our previous meeting
Have you completed the actions you committed to, or considered doing the actions, but consciously decided not to?

Review your Projects, and prepare updates to report at our meeting
What is different since your last report?

Review your roles and accountabilities - click your photo to see your roles
Do the accountabilities reflect current reality, or do changes need to be made?
Make notes of any needed updates at https://app.glassfrog.com/agenda_items and raise them at our Governance meeting.

In Holacracy, tensions are defined as the gap between what is and what could be. Tensions can express the evolutionary impulse––how life, as we perceive it, wants to evolve––when we process them consciously through the pathways of Holacracy.

As TAOC Circle Members, each one of us is a sensor registering different tensions through our unique lenses. Similarly, each Role is also a sensor registering different tensions that Role tunes into through the purpose and focus of its work.

Because we are unique characters filling different roles with diverse purposes, this inevitably results in tensions being surfaced that may appear to be at odds with each other. Examples might include issues of centralization vs. decentralization, individual vs. collective, authority vs. freedom, inhaling vs. exhaling, action vs. rest, quality vs. quantity. These are enduring polarities that cannot be overcome, vanquished, or resolved; both ends of the spectrum are vital for the flourishing of the whole. Over time, as we mature in mutuality and the practice of Holacracy, we have the opportunity to manage polarities. However, the natural friction that exists between them will persist. We can’t make it go away through consensus-seeking. By being true to our own perceptions and the purposes of our Roles, we can foster healthy integration in the system as a whole, so the TAOC can examine, include, and balance as many tensions and perspectives as possible. The reality that different Circle Members and Roles have different concerns and approaches is a feature (not a bug) that Holacracy celebrates, because it’s a way diversity can be integrated and lead to growth.

Anyone who senses a tension in the current structure is sensing it from their own perspective as both a person and a Role-holder.
Anyone who senses a tension (in other words, every one who senses a tension) should bring it forward yourself, rather than deciding who will bring it forward, or seeking consensus about what the tension is.

Why? What you have in mind as the tension, and how to process it, will and should be different from someone else’s idea.
So don’t discount yourself, and don’t expect someone else to represent your tension.

This is why in Holacracy meetings, we often see multiple instances of the same agenda item (for example, “Teacher Retreat”), because each Role who raises it has something different in mind.
We don't lump them all together in one agenda item. We honor the differences.
We process one tension at a time, and keep moving along, so that as many tensions as possible get integrated in the cleanest, fastest way.

If Role-holders wants to influence what other Roles do, and there is no clear governance indicating lines of authority between the relevant Roles, then Role-holders are totally welcome to make a passionate pitch to other Roles––and they are also required to respectfully yield to and support the final decision of the role-holder. This is the same behavior they would expect when exerting authority within their Roles. Do unto others.

Finally, whatever you see in GlassFrog for your role is definitely not written in stone. If you see something that you’d like to add or modify, bring it to a Governance meeting.

“The buck stops here” — clarity about who holds authority for what — is one of the core principles of Holacracy. Through Holacracy’s governance meeting process, each role is delegated authority to energize the accountabilities delegated to his/her role.

That said, role holders are free to energize their roles' accountabilities in whatever ways they wish, in accordance with their available resources of time and energy, while following their inclinations of what’s most needed in current time.

For example, non-TAOC members could be recruited to execute specific actions, or manage specific projects. However, you as role-holder are FULLY accountable to the TAOC for the quality of all work performed by (or under the direction of) your role -- whether specifically done by you, or not.

Therefore, role holders need to check in REGULARLY with role energizers. Set calendar reminders for yourself to make sure this happens. Regularly monitor the work of your energizers, answer their questions, offer appreciation and encouragement, and report their accomplishments/challenges/concerns back to the TAOC on an ongoing basis.

WHAT IS A VALID OBJECTION TO A PROPOSAL?

• ALL 4 must be true
  A. HARM: Proposal would reduce capacity of Circle to enact its purpose
  B. ROLE: Proposal would limit Objector's capacity to enact purpose or accountability of one of its roles
  C. PROPOSAL-BASED: Concern doesn't already exist prior to Proposal. A new tension is created by Proposal.
  D. MUST BE PREDICTIVE: Proposal would cause negative impact, and Circle wouldn't have opportunity to adapt before significant harm (Immediate danger)

Generally, Proposers can bring proposals only if they help one of their own roles. There are four exceptions to this rule:

1. The Proposer has permission to process tensions for another Role.
2. Lead Link can bring proposals regarding any Roles.
3. Evolving the Governance to better reflect what is already happening is always allowed, even if unrelated to the Proposer’s roles.
4. Calling for an election.

On the Google Doc drive for the TATC is the document "Hierarchy Agreements" in which can be found information about the qualifications and application process to be on the Elder and Visionary Councils

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_TfYIewy_3ndzKUP24GoXnuANUkKwtNx/view

The above document indicates that a Functional Hierarchy Committee is necessary for the application process.

1. Lead Link Interviews a prospective role-filler to find what they currently know about Holacracy and the role itself; ascertains they have adequate background/training for the role and can manage our current meeting times.
2. LL invites the candidate to read and/or watch the Holacracy materials Holcacracy Mentor has linked to at https://app.glassfrog.com/roles/4896538/role_notes/22377
3. HM checks with the candidate after he or she has done so to hear comments and answer questions. HM sends a summary of that conversation to LL.
4. LL invites the candidate to attend our next meeting to get a feel for how it works in practice.
5. After the candidate has attended an OC meeting HM will arrange to meet again to answer any remaining Holacracy-related questions or concerns. HM sends a summary of that conversation to LL.
6. LL considers all data accumulated and makes a final decision as to the candidate’s fit for circle membership.

• (Unless you are a Trillium Teacher or Mentor) maintain an ongoing relationship with a Trillium Teacher for support and as a resource

• Maintain a confidential Trillium mailing list.

• Interface with area teachers, event organizers, and peer group facilitators in mutuality as needed to coordinate, publicize and promote area Trillium events

• Respond to inquiries about Trillium Awakening

• Convey any questions or tensions to your Trillium support resource teacher, or the Community Liaison. fax@lisco.com

• Maintain affinity with the Trillium Area Coordinator Guidelines

• When conflicts arise in your area, encourage people to talk to their Trillium teachers and to follow the conflict resolution guidelines listed on our website: http://www.trilliumawakening.org/guidelines-for-conflict-resolution/

• Certifies and provides information and support to Area Coordinators

• Maintains Area Coordinator / Community Liaison site.

• Maintains current mailing list of Area Coordinators

• Updates the Area Coordinator section of TrilliumAwakening.org.

• Organizes educational opportunities for Area Coordinators

• Communicates questions from Area Coordinators to relevant role holders.

7-30-20

Dear Teachers,

I am writing you in my role of Mentor Support and also my role as MTEC -- Mentor Teacher Evaluation Committee. I have clarifications about these roles to pass on to you as members of our Teachers Circle. Please read the following points carefully so our organization remains functional, with clearly discerned lines of accountability.

1. Please remember that Mentors have completed a very extensive program to become trustable and capable of holding the role of Mentor when meeting with individual students, and also when assisting teachers in sittings, courses, and other offerings (both core dharma and related dharma). Please invite only formally approved Mentors in good standing (listed on our website) to fill these support positions.

Lately there has been some confusion, as students who have not yet been approved as Mentors have been serving in the Mutuality Café and in virtual peer gazing groups. In these contexts, they are offering peer support; they are not serving as Mentors. This has proved quite workable and mutually beneficial, but peer support should not be confused with Mentoring.

Another factor that might have contributed to recent confusion was the March 2020 Thailand retreat, which certain Teachers and Mentors were unable to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions. During that event, some participants who had not been officially approved as Mentors seemingly functioned as Mentors. Wonderfully and happily, this worked very well, but I am reminding us to fundamentally adhere to the training pathways we have carefully established over time for progressive learning and support when staffing assistants at our events.

2. The accountabilities of the Mentor and Teacher Transitions role have been updated to eliminate overlap and duplication with the MTEC role. The Mentor and Teacher Transitions role is now accountable only for communicating the transition process as defined by the MTEC, and for updating the standard application forms after changes are approved by the TATC.

Mentor and Teacher Transitions is an administrative role that tracks details in the guidelines that might need to be updated. Upon approval by MTEC, Member Agreement Steward would later bring such changes to the Teachers Circle for a vote.

The Mentor and Teacher Transitions role does not interpret the guidelines, nor does it offer support to applicants in the transition process.

Sponsoring Teachers — not the Mentor and Teacher Transitions role or the MTEC role — are responsible to help applicants for Mentor and Interning Teacher understand the written guidelines, and to hold applicants through any uncertainty or concerns about the transition process.

Sponsoring Teachers should confer with the MTEC for help understanding how the transition guidelines are generally applied.

The MTEC reviews applications and assesses applicants’ adherence to the guidelines. Questions about an applicant’s adherence to the guidelines should be directed solely to the MTEC, which weighs and measures the entire application in a holistic manner. Recommendations may at times vary from applicant to applicant, depending on a range of factors. In other words, the MTEC applies both specific requirements as well as an organic understanding of the situation. As we say, evaluating is not a “cookie-cutter” process.

Thank you for your attention.

Love,
Sandra

Easier to read (shorter sentences, fewer words overall).

Metrics and checklist items are no longer assigned by the Lead Link; they can be requested by anyone in the circle.

Lead Link is now called Circle Lead.

RESOURCE ALLOCATION:
Prior to v5: Lead Link (now Circle Lead) had authority to approve spending by other roles.
v5 takes major steps toward distributing that spending authority.
Circle Lead no longer has sole resource allocation authority.

Now, anyone can spend the circle's resources (money or other assets) by announcing their intention to do so -- in a spreadsheet shared with the circle -- in this format:
"In this role, I intend to spend this much money for this purpose."
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pf8hrt_zTIDaqcvKOoNQylIdBbT8-bPVp6xvupRQfTk/edit?usp=sharing

Then the "announcer" has to wait long enough for other circle members to ask questions and share reactions. During that waiting period, anyone can escalate the spending intention for more consideration. If someone escalates it, that stops the "announcer's" ability to proceed with the spending. Circle Lead, or the person who escalated it, can later remove the escalation, and in that case, the intent to spend is automatically approved.

Circle members can also post a single spending intention: "I intend to spend $100 over the next few months on miscellaneous stuff (list) in my role." And then you don't need to list every small purchase I make. Then you have control over $100.

Once a reasonable time has passed (define in a policy) and no escalations stand, the Role gains control of those resources for your stated purpose.

Circle Lead also needs to use the process, too, if doing any resource spending.

This change strips away the sense that Lead Links are controlling things because they control $--which can get in the way of people taking initiative and autonomously pitching for the spending they want. Everyone is on the same level-playing field and gets to post their spending intentions. Forces people to show up and say "I intend to spend this," rather than "May I spend this?" Power and judgment are no longer deferred to Lead Link.

"Individual Action" (outside a role) is now called "Individual Initiative."

GOVERNANCE:
WHAT IS A VALID PROPOSAL: Proposal is not valid unless (if not, Facilitator discards it) the Proposer:
Describes a tension that the proposal would address for one of the Proposer's Roles
Shares an example of an actual past or present situation illustrating that Tension
Gives a reasonable example of how the Proposal would have reduced that Tension.

WHAT IS A VALID OBJECTION TO A PROPOSAL? - ALL 4 must be true
A. Proposal would reduce capacity of Circle to enact its purpose
B. Proposal would limit Objector's capacity to enact purpose or accountability of one of its roles
C. Concern doesn't already exist prior to Proposal. A new tension is created by Proposal.
D. Proposal would cause negative impact, and Circle wouldn't have opportunity to adapt before significant harm (Immediate danger)

1. a person who helps organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other, or
2. a relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other.

After uploading a file to Dropbox, in order to disallow "viewers" to download the file,

1. hover over the selected file name, click on the "share" button (to the far right of the selected file name)
2. at bottom of the pop-up window, click "Create a Link"
3. then, when it appears, click on "Link settings"
4. after new window appears, toggle "disable downloads" to "ON"
5. click "save"

Discovery Course Registrar -- processes payments from participants, provides teachers with the roster of registrants, and provides students with email Course details and link to course website (including prep for first class)

@Undefined_Role manages Discovery Course pricing, modifies the product (integrating Visionary Council input), contacts teachers to invite them to offer the Course (including Course content - Googledocs)), and reports income via metrics.

@Promotions promotes the Discovery Course.

editing and posting TATC monthly meeting recordings

*download recording
log onto TATC zoom account

username: trilliumawakening@gmail.com
password: request from Teleconference Manager role holder

once logged into the site, on the left side of the page, locate the
“my recordings” link
click that link to open a page on which the TATC recordings are listed

Find the audio recording for the TATC monthly meeting with the date of the meeting.
Click the “more” button associated with the audio file you need to download. There is no need to download the text or video files. The default method is to pause the recording during the healing circle and transition discussions and votes.

save file with this name
TATC yy mm dd

example
TATC 19 07 10

Using this consistent file name will make locating the file in the future much easier

upload the audio file to the cloud (TATC Dropbox account)

request username and password from Teleconference Manager role holder

Drag and drop the edited recording into Dropbox, share the link so that anyone with the link can view

Disable downloads for the shared link

Copy URL of the file now in Dropbox
Hover over the file and click Share
Click Copy Link

Email the URL
email the URL to the
TATC Google Site Manager (Deborah)
and
Teachers Circle Secretary (taking minutes- Sanji)
…………………………………….
sample email

Dear Deborah and Sanji,

Here is the link to the recording TATC Aug 2018 meeting (insert correct month and year)

(insert correct URL)

Deborah,
Please post the link above to our private teacher website on the meeting minutes page

Link it to the date of the meeting.

Sanji,
Please use the link to the audio file above in order to listen to the recording and write the minutes.

I have updated the attendance records on the attendance spreadsheet

After you have the attendance records and minutes prepared, please email them to Deborah who will post them to the private teacher site.

…………………………
delete recording from Zoom
After the recording is uploaded to Dropbox, the recording to the Zoom cloud must be deleted. We have limited storage capacity with Zoom.

Return to the TATC Zoom account
login
access “my recordings”
delete appropriate recordings

..............................
** be sure to log out of the TATC zoom account*

After uploading the audio recording to Dropbox and deleting it from the Zoom cloud, be sure to log out of the TATC zoom account. Failure to do this can create problems in other Zoom meetings.

Lead Link is the only role with authority to approve expenses. Therefore, all wishes and intentions to spend should be presented to Lead Link before any action is taken. This also means that no conversations should be initiated with volunteers about paying for their services without prior approval from Lead Link.

Lead Link heavily relies on the assessment of Finance to guide her decision-making process. Circle Members should always consult Lead Link to find out if funds exist for services or products they wish to purchase before incurring those expenses, and before talking to volunteers about the wish to pay them, or about the amount of their potential compensation. The purpose of this restriction is to avoid setting expectations that cannot be fulfilled, and to keep our Circle solvent and healthy.

To summarize: Lead Link approves expenses. Finance does not approve expenses. Lead Link relies on Finance’s input to make decisions.

When non-Trillium Teachers Circle presenters are invited to a TATC-sponsored core dharma or TA-related event, their participation should be limited to a clearly defined role previously agreed upon by the TATC teachers staffing the event. Guests should not participate in any staff meetings or offer input in any official capacity to the staff as a whole or to any particular member of the staff.

In addition, event participants must also be informed that the guest presenter is not a staff member, but rather an invited guest.

All guest presenters are expected to abide by the TATC Ethics Agreement during their participation in the event to which they are invited. The Event Organizer or Primary Teacher will provide the guest speaker or presenter with a copy of the Ethics Agreement http://www.trilliumawakening.org/professional-and-ethics-policies. Guest presenters must also sign a waiver (see below*) agreeing to abide by its policies prior to their participation in the event. The Event Organizer or Primary Teacher must return the signed agreement no later than one week prior to the start date of the event in which the guest will be participating.

*I have read the TATC Ethics policy and agree to abide by it during the
____________________ from _________________
event name event date

Signature date

This role requires discrimination and a sense of the pulse of the whole of our work.
The Lead Link is tasked to

1. represent the needs of the larger Teacher Circle and if necessary bring them to the Operating Circle;
2. determine, within the Operating Circle, the right person to support the roles engendered through the governance process;
   3), recruit new Circle members as needed; and
3. approve expenditures.

As stated in the Interning Teacher Maintenance Guidelines, Interning teachers are invited and requested to participate in monthly IT Supervision Groups with a full teacher of Trillium Awakening, where the focus will be on discussing topics relevant to their work with students. Participation does not have to be for the entire length of time that one is an IT, but at least six months is recommended. Cost for this supervision group will be $25/month. We recommend that this training be taken towards the beginning of the IT period, if available.

Since 2007, IT supervision groups have been based on the book "The Ethics of Caring" by Kylea Taylor. There are 15 chapters in the book; two to three chapters are read each month in advance of each of the six monthly meetings. During the meetings, interning teachers are invited to bring situations from their individual and group teaching in reference to the material being discussed in the book.

Full teachers wanting to lead the IT Supervision Group will confer with Mentor & Teacher Transitions role holder in order to coordinate the timing of the offering.

Suggested emails to participants in the IT Supervision Group as well as suggested outlines for the first 2 meetings can be viewed at
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/muxs9bes6pvh418/AABGUInD-Pu67h56GQO6u3bDa?dl=0

Lead Link could invite TATC members to become energizers of various roles.
The current role-holders would interview energizers to orient them to the roles, and see if they were qualified and dependable.

After being energizers for a few months, they could apply to become OC members if they found they wanted to assume full responsibility for the roles. They would be screened, and if qualified, offered TAOC membership.

This would bring people into the pipeline in a very concrete way, with roles already in place. We would be screening for people who actually want to do the work.

April 16, 2015
Mutuality Circle Definitions and Guidelines

In Trillium Awakening (TA), a gathering of participants may be teacher-led or peer-based. A teacher-led group is generally referred to as a “Sitting.” Peer-based groups have called themselves “Mutuality Circles”, or “Peer Circles.” The primary distinction is the presence of a Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (TATC) teacher. The guidelines may be slightly different when a TA teacher is present to guide the gathering.

A Teacher Sitting or a Peer Circle gathering may meet in person, via telephone conference, or with the aid of video-based web platforms.

Peer-based Trillium Awakening mutuality circles are formed of members of the TA community at large. There is frequently someone in each group who volunteers to organize the group and act as host, and/or moderator for the meetings. Some groups share these roles among individual members, even rotating the roles of host, organizer, moderator, etc. As these are gatherings of equals it can be useful (though not required) to include as many members as are willing and interested in taking responsibility with tasks that help the group function, and remain aligned with the spirit of Trillium Awakening.

Peer group organizers agree to adhere to the published Trillium Awakening Mutuality Circle Host Guidelines. (see below)

In order to qualify as a Trillium Awakening Peer Group in good standing, all members of the group must fulfill certain prerequisites. Membership prerequisites include:

1. Regular sessions or sittings with a Trillium Awakening Teacher.
2. Completion of a Trillium Awakening introductory course OR attendance at one or more Trillium Awakening teacher-led workshops.
3. In addition, all members agree to familiarize themselves with, and follow, our Guidelines for Practicing Mutuality.
   http://www.TrilliumAwakening.org/guidelines-for-practicing-mutuality/
   It can be useful to reread these guidelines from time to time. You’ll find that depth of understanding increases as you grow in the work.

In order for peer-based Trillium Awakening mutuality circle to be listed on the TrilliumAwakening.org website, and be announced via TA mailing lists, all members must fulfill the prerequisites, and agree to follow the guidelines.

Teacher-led sittings are formed of members of the Trillium Awakening community under the guidance of an active Trillium Teachers Circle teacher. With a teacher in this role the prerequisites for membership and listing are more relaxed. All members are still encouraged to become familiar with and follow our Guidelines for Trillium Awakening Mutuality Groups, and to explore the many expressions of Trillium Awakening through reading, videos, and engagement in private sessions with teachers and mentors, when they are able.

March 29, 2015
Don Freas

Peers in Circles
organizing without teachers

A primary goal of the Mutuality Circle Link is to encourage peer-based groups to form, to continue, and to remain aligned with the Trillium Awakening organizing principles.

As Trillium Awakening is a teacher-guided, individual journey to awakening, there are many aspects of the very idea of a “peer circle” that might seem to be open invitations to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet the many and varied expressions of Trillium Awakening peer circles have proven to be remarkably supportive, low-bar assets, and welcome gateways to the work. Peer circles generate participants that add dimension, and strengthen the work.

These local organizations give participants and curious seekers a place to sample and grow in understanding and recognition of the remarkable power of this work, with minimal commitment and at low cost. Community members can try-out the practices, try on the understandings, and pool their resources to engage with teachers in a variety of ways—without the financial burden of full immersion in the practices, and engagement with distant retreats. These circles make it easy to put your toe in the water before diving in—and at their best they provide encouragement and living examples of the many compelling reasons to dive in.

Which brings us back to those esoteric and multidimensional organizing principles around which the work is formed. This work can’t be codified, dogmatized or reduced to an easy list of instructions. It’s far too subtle and nuanced for that. When we honor the spirit of this ever-developing and always evolving transmission and understanding, we know it helps individuals come to awakening. We know as well that the understandings are accretive: deep introspection and self-inquiry over time are required for the reality of the work to soak-in and become available in the most universal ways possible.

Teachers pass through a series of gates on their way to becoming teachers. In that annealing process they learn how to take their own humanity and their individual journeys and translate the essence of that for use by others. We need teachers because we can’t guide ourselves, teachers who know they don’t know what subtleties will guide us in our own unique unfolding—but who are willing to explore that with us in dynamic equilibrium. In the presence of a teacher we have a reliable rudder holding the individual, or group of individuals, generally on course.

In a group of peers, with no teacher present, it’s difficult to predict what might happen. In the absence of depth of exposure to the transmission and understandings we have found to be effective, and with the possibility of strong personalities interpreting Trillium Awakening dharma for others, it’s possible that cultures of misunderstanding can propagate, diluting the power of the work. For these reasons we suggest that newcomers initiate study on their own, and to have regular sessions with teachers before beginning to gather with peers.

As it turns out, Trillium Awakening is a practice that has a way of self-correcting—the work works that way. The curiosity that brings seekers in tends to draw those seekers to look for more. It’s not for everyone, but those who remain find that their curiosity remains piqued. They become devoted to the group but also look for more input from teachers and mentors when they can getting to workshops, retreats, and online events that assist them with this path. The transmission gets through. And as more members of a group find increasing contact with teachers, the work gets stronger and more dynamic for all.

If you are in a peer circle now, or are considering a local peer-based circle, take a closer look. Get a sense for how many of the individuals involved are working with Trillium Teachers Circle teachers in some way. Consider opportunities to have deeper contact, through teacher-facilitated online groups, or by working directly with a teacher when that’s possible for you.

Let a peer circle be reinforcement and encouragement, more than a guide. At its best a peer circle is a rich gathering of individuals looking for something very similar to what you are seeking. You add to the strength of the work by delving into the core of the mystery through whatever means you find.

The attendance at the TATC monthly calls is posted to a Google drive spreadsheet at

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odzs3eQz7gXztZBeGzOC5u6dMMACHJm9uxMoGqmQLTY/edit#gid=0

Clicking the above link will initiate a request to access the document.

If you are not granted access, please consult the Teachers Circle Secretary by email.

The attendance must be recorded during the call. Zoom does not record the names of participants at a meeting. Once the meeting is over there is no way to recapture attendance names from Zoom other than to watch the recording and hope that the number attending didn't exceed the number of thumbnail videos that are seen without scroll to a "second page".

Here is a link to a video tutorial to guide you in the easiest way to enter attendance during the call.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ce4mfvpaiaffq6/Tracking%20attendance%20at%20TATC%20monthly%20meetings.mp4?dl=0

The practice of some mutuality circles has been to begin each gathering with an opening statement, or invocation, that sets the tone and reminds them of their deeper purpose in gathering.

As a sample, the Ashland, Oregon mutuality circle used the following opening statement for several years when they first began meeting. The statement was written by Bob Valine in 2009, and is offered here as a model, with his permission. Bob is also the author and editor of “The Second Birth: Stories of Awakening within the Heart of Community,” and “Dancing in the Fire”

OPENING STATEMENT FOR TRILLIUM AWAKENING CIRCLES
Welcome to our Trillium Awakening Peer Circle. Our purpose in coming together is to offer support for each other as we experience the stages of the awakening process and the integration, healing, self-exploration and growth that follow.

Everything that is shared in this circle is confidential, including the names of those who come to Trillium Awakening.

We are not here to "fix," change, offer advice or intellectualize. We are here in our hearts for each other, and for ourselves. We are here to greenlight what is rising in the moment, however painful or joyful, honoring the individual process of the mystery that we are.

Feedback can be silence, a smile or a tear. A few words can say more than many syllables. We offer each other compassion, acknowledgment, holding. We honor where every individual is in their process. That is where they need to be. When giving feedback we don’t talk about ourselves, our experiences; we focus on the person sharing.

If something is rising in you that needs to be spoken about yourself, speak. If not, your silence is also a gift. Please remember that we have a limited time, and there is no need for everyone to share.
Before speaking be sure that whoever is sharing is finished. There may be a need for silence and a few moments for that person’s process to deepen.

Be yourself. There is no right or wrong way. Sometimes when we don’t know what we’re doing, the unexpected blessings happen.

We do mutual gazing at the beginning of our time together. It can also be done in our closing circle. Gazing is sharing ourselves with the other. It is also a way to see ourselves. There is no right or wrong way to do it. There may be times when you don’t want to gaze. That also is a sharing of yourself. In gazing there’s a transmission that can activate the awakening and deepening process.
Be aware that Trillium Awakening is a powerful process that can take us into unchartered and challenging parts of ourselves. Working with teachers, mentors and, as appropriate, a therapist is highly recommended.

Welcome.

Share screen

This is quite easy to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wsWpnqE6Hw

This feature only shows up in the options at the bottom of your Zoom screen if it is selected when you configure your meeting upon set up.

One caution, if you share your desktop, participants will see your full desktop including any file or folder names you would rather they didn’t see. You might want to tidy your desktop before sharing it.

Another caution. The configuration that allows the host to share her screen also allows participants to share their screens. On rare occasions a participant may inadvertently share her screen. Then her screen is seen by all. You may need to instruct her how to stop her screen share. For this reason it is important for you to understand this feature so that you can give the needed "stop sharing" instructions.

Here is the link to a video tutorial on setting up a recurring meeting in Zoom.

It will save a lot of time to set up a recurring meeting that can be used at any time. For regularly recurring meetings, there is no need to create a specific meeting room with specified dates/times for each time the meeting will take place.

An example of a recurring meeting is the TATC montly calls.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1xolzfc2h4dha66/Tutorial%20Zoom%20recurring%20meetings.mp4?dl=0

Below is the link to a video tutorial to aid in setting up a TATC Zoom conference.

Please note: As of November 2019 a "recurring" conference (meeting) has already been set up for the monthly TATC calls. As a result, the same conference and link can be used month after month and there is no need to set up a new conference each month or to specify the date/time of any conference.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yvh9b3o7bx8wtvy/Tutorial%20setting%20up%20a%20TATC%20zoom%20conference.mp4?dl=0

Elements of Planning:

Timetable:

ASAP: Schedule the dates of the next retreat. If we need to find a new facility, the search should begin as soon as possible. See “Location.”

6 months in advance: If we already have a facility booked, assemble a team of interested teachers to plan and deliver the retreat. Plan to meet at least once a month.

Consider and decide on the theme of the retreat and the retreat schedule.

4 months in advance: Begin announcing to the Teacher Circle the theme of the retreat and a sketch of the team’s plans. Unless the retreat will be online, urge them to begin making room in their schedules and travel arrangements. Announce developing plans at each teacher call before the retreat.

Solicit presentation ideas and proposals from the team and the wider Teacher Circle.

3 months in advance: consider and select from the ideas and proposals. Promote plans on teacher call.

A survey of the teachers is sent out to determine who is likely to attend, and their housing and meal preferences and needs.

2 months in advance: a team member interfaces with the facility to register our teachers with their lodging and meal preferences in mind. (If a teacher’s housing or meal needs can’t be accommodated by the facility, notify the affected teacher as soon as possible so they can decide whether to opt out or consider other food and/or lodging options, such as airbnb.)

One month in advance: Prepare and send the retreat schedule and site info to the teachers who plan to attend.

Promote on the last teacher call before the retreat to invite last-minute deciders.

Location:

Because of the pandemic, in 2020 we are holding our annual teacher retreat online via Zoom.

In 2018 and 2019 we held our retreat at the Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, CO.
If we need to find a new retreat facility:
As soon as possible, begin the search:
Check with the teacher circle about facilities in their areas. If a facility and location looks like it will suit our needs and preferences, ask the teachers from that area to personally visit and check:
environment — clean? quiet? Average temperatures, humidity, seasonal allergens?
food service — vegetarian and non-veg available, all the “nons” (non-dairy -gluten, etc.)
accommodations — clean? Inviting? well-appointed? windows, air-conditioning, heat?
meeting rooms — size, comfortable seating for 30+, air-conditioning, heat?
Get an estimate of their fees.

If a facility is already booked, a team member can volunteer to interface with their Registration office. How many single rooms will be available and at what cost? By what date will they require an accurate participant count? How do they handle registration?

Costs:

Facility fees are negotiated with in conjunction with the TAOC Finance role and the facility’s finance officer.

TATC Finance has been subsidizing the cost of the teacher retreats to make them more affordable.

Finance role holder will notify teachers of the facility cost they can expect, depending on the teacher’s choice of single or double room, or if they will be staying off-site. Many travel costs are subsidized by the TATC. Finance role holder will make these details available several months in advance of the retreat.

Presentations:

4 months in advance: Solicit presentation ideas and proposals from the team and the wider Teacher Circle.

3 months in advance: consider and select from the ideas and proposals.

Retreat Schedule:

Registered Teachers should receive the schedule via email within a couple of weeks of the retreat.
Ask them to make a copy to bring with them. Also, make a few extras to post and have on hand.

Here is a sample retreat schedule from 2019: https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/teacherretreat/teacher-retreat-2019-schedule

On-site Liaison with Facility:

To avoid individual teachers confronting facility staff with questions and problems, appoint one person to act as a liaison with a facility troubleshooter. At the beginning of the retreat let teachers know to bring questions and problems to the liaison.

Conducting the Retreat:

In addition to the on-site liaison to the facility, appoint an MC-Facilitator to introduce each presentation or event, to manage the timing of the meetings, breaks, and lunch in cooperation with the facility's schedule.

Determine who in attendance can help address audio-visual technicalities.

The 2019 Territoriality Guidelines were created to guide the handling of issues that this role mediates.

Territoriality: Guidelines for Local Teachers, Visiting Teachers, Area Coordinators, and Sponsors
The Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle is an association. As such, teachers can legally teach anywhere. There are no legal boundaries or areas. Ethically, it is important to work together for the best outcome and to respect preexisting conditions. These guidelines will help to create a mutually beneficial event. Focus on how to work together as much as possible.

“It isn’t self interest that creates the public good, it’s reciprocity. It isn’t competition that produces prosperity, it’s cooperation.” Nick Hanauer, TED talk

https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/event-submission-and-coordination/territoriality-guidelines

Definition: Someone who supports a local Trillium Awakening mutuality or peer circle, usually in an area that does not have a local teacher, by inviting people interested in TA to gather together for this purpose at a certain time and place.

Who can be a TA Mutuality Circle Host: ideally someone who has some depth of experience with Trillium Awakening, who works well in mutuality with others, and who has a good working relationship with a teacher or teachers who can help support the circle as needed.

In order to be a certified Trillium Awakening Peer Circle, and to be listed as such on the TrilliumAwakening.org website, hosts must talk to the Mutuality Circle Link regarding the required guidelines, and agree in writing to uphold those guidelines.

Hosting Tasks:
• Hosts Mutuality Circles on a regular schedule.
• Shares the “Guidelines for Mutuality” handout with all participants, and keeps clear boundaries about not acting as a teacher or mentor for the group.
• Maintains an email list to inform members of dates and times of the Circles and any other events the group may wish to create.
• Keeps @Website, and area and regional coordinators informed about their mutuality groups, their schedules, and whether they are open or closed to new members.
• Helps group members stay focused on Trillium Awakening dharma through recommended books, essays, videos, and other TA materials and courses available through the TrilliumAwakening.org website and individual teacher sites.
• Strongly recommends that participants establish a support team that includes a personal teacher of Trillium Awakening, a mentor, and a therapist as needed.
• Is familiar with the TrilliumAwakening.org website and the many essays, recordings, and videos available there for deepening personal exposure to Trillium Awakening teachers and Trillium Awakening organizing principles, or dharma.
• Regularly invites teachers to participate with the group in some fashion, either in person or through a medium such as Skype, or telephone conference call.

NOTES THAT APPLY TO ALL COORDINATING ROLES
• As an organizer, coordinator, or mutuality circle host, please be willing to learn about and practice mutuality in new and deeper ways.
• Expect issues to arise in all relationships and be willing to stay present, deeply listen to others, allow their feelings to impact you, and validate their reality.
• Take responsibility for your limits and mistakes.
• If you have difficulty working things out with anyone involved, seek assistance from Trillium Awakening teachers.
• When you step into a position of leadership in this work (including all the roles mentioned above), you will tend to be viewed by other participants as a model of mutuality.
• You can’t be perfect, but you can be willing to be vulnerable by opening yourself to feelings, feedback, and guidance.
• When mutuality trainings are made available, please participate.
• It takes time and willingness to learn how to live in mutuality, but it’s one of the greatest treasures—and a main draw—of this work, because it yields deeply fulfilling, trustable connections.
• Leading others by example in this department will bring the most rewarding results in our outreach efforts.

Organizers, coordinators, and hosts are not teachers or mentors (unless they are) and should avoid the temptation to fall into a counseling role with participants. They should also watch out for any tendency to interpret Trillium Awakening dharma for others.

Please refer participants to their teachers and mentors for counseling, and assistance with interpretation, as participants find their unique way into Trillium Awakening.
Being listed on the Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (TATC) resource list indicates being in good standing with the TATC.

Here is the link to a video tutorial for downloading audio from the Zoom cloud and uploading it to Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/s/56bdb9e9u89gqzp/Tutorial%20TATC%20recording%20downloading.mp4?dl=0

Here is the link to a short video tutorial on downloading the TATC monthy call recording from Zoom and uploading it to Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/s/56bdb9e9u89gqzp/Tutorial%20TATC%20recording%20downloading.mp4?dl=0

virtual mutuality circle organizer
2018, written by Sugandhi Barnes, Cielle Backstrom, Deborah Boyar

Overview
The TrilliumAwakening.org site offers online registration for committed Trillium Awakening practitioners to join a virtual mutuality circle. These groups are facilitated by experienced practitioners and meet regularly via video or phone. Most groups are closed to support cohesion and safety, and do not allow drop-in attendance.

The virtual mutuality circle organizer is a Trillium mentor, teacher or advanced practitioner who receives and tracks the online registration form, and then:
places participants in small groups
helps group members understand mutuality guidelines
emails group members documents about mutuality
supports groups as needed

Collecting requests to be placed in a group
Upon receiving a registration form, the person filling this task will let the person know s/he will be getting back in touch with information when enough people register to form a new group. Typically, the forms trickle in overtime.

Inviting participants to register for groups
Once or twice a year, the person filling this task will remind students about these peer-facilitated virtual circles, and include a link to the online form, by posting to Facebook and/or sending an announcement to the international Trillium email list (via the Mailing List role). Registrations may then flood in for a short time.

Forming circles
When placing people in circles, identify:
Best time and day for meetings;
Each circle should have at least one experienced practitioners (preferably someone post-Whole-Being Realization) who is well versed in Trillium with adequate maturity and skills to lead the group
Ideal group size is 4-6

Principal tasks entail communicating with participants, including:
Confirming with the most experienced participant that they will facilitate, and explaining the tasks and responsibilities of the facilitator.
Sending participants CC Leigh's essay on mutuality.
Informing participants how circles are typically run, and introducing their facilitator.

It is very helpful to attend the first meeting to help get them oriented.

Ongoing support for circles
At times, you might need to support the group facilitator in troubleshooting problems that arise within the group.

Check in with the person who has held this function before to become apprised of existing circles. Keep track of previously formed circles as well as ones you have started and when they meet. Email the facilitator and participants once or twice a year to see how the groups are doing. These check-ins can also elicit information about ongoing groups that may be willing to add new participants.

By staying in touch, you can also find out if groups have stopped meeting, and harvest the learning about why groups ended, and what might have worked better.

Time commitment
The amount of time to be spent on the job varies. The most time-consuming task is creating new groups, and integrating participants’ time constraints. Then the main task is informing participants about how groups are generally run, and answering questions.

After the circles are up and running, the time commitment slows down to the occasional troubleshooting email, placing new people in already-existing circles, and occasionally starting a new circle.

Here is a link to a video that will assist you as a Zoom Host

https://sites.google.com/view/tcec-resources/cielle-backstrom/zoom-tutorial

The tutorial is nearly 28 minutes long. Use the outline below with time notations to find specific features such as ways to

• mute participants (there are numerous ways to do this)
• rename participants (especially useful if they call in by telephone)
• raising hands
• and the helpful features of the participant side panel

Zoom frequently updates making the Zoom experience easier for both hosts and participants. This tutorial was made in February, 2019. If you are using this tutorial at a later date, you may find slight changes in your Zoom screen appearance compared to the screenshots I captured.

Here are some time notations to help you locate parts of the tutorial most relevant to your needs.

0:49 Establishing good audio signal and the value of using a headset

1:55 recommended internet browser

2:10 quitting high bandwidth internet sites during Zoom use

3:10 hard-cabling to your internet modem for highest internet speed

5:30 audio options upon entering Zoom

6:46 the difference between "speaker" view and "gallery" view

8:35 changing between speaker and gallery views

9:13 full screen vs. minimized screen

9:44 "waking up" Zoom features

10:14 understanding the features available

11:19 opening participant side panel

11:34 muting

14:40 brief overview of hosting privileges

14:59 the importance of entering your meeting as a host vs. participant

18:33 ensuring host privileges

19:27 renaming participants

20:27 pinning video vs. spotlighting video

22:17 features of participant side panel

22:39 chat

23:32 raising hands

25:03 ending meeting

25:45 screen share, breakout rooms, polls

video tutorials that I have found helpful

1. Share screen

This is quite easy to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wsWpnqE6Hw

This feature only shows up in the options at the bottom of your Zoom screen if it is selected when you configure your meeting upon set up.

One caution, if you share your desktop, participants will see your full desktop including any file or folder names you would rather they didn’t see. You might want to tidy your desktop before sharing it.

Another caution. The configuration that allows the host to share her screen also allows participants to share their screens. On rare occasions a participant may inadvertently share her screen. Then her screen is seen by all. You may need to instruct her how to stop her screen share. For this reason it is important for you to understand this feature so that you can give the needed "stop sharing" instructions.

2. Break out rooms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=158&v=j_O7rDILNCM

This feature only shows up in the options at the bottom of your Zoom screen if it is selected when you configure your meeting upon set up.

Zoom has created an excellent tutorial. It moves fairly quickly but you can pause the video and “rewind” as needed to watch segments repeatedly to learn how to create breakout rooms.

3. Polls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDHRmvpUVXw

This feature only shows up in the options at the bottom of your Zoom screen if it is selected when you configure your meeting upon set up.

Polls are very easy to use. Best to set up a specific poll ahead of a meeting.

4. Test your internet speed

https://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

1. IRS Form 990-N, due each May 15
   Filed by CC Leigh
   https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/annual-electronic-filing-requirement-for-small-exempt-organizations-form-990-n-e-postcard
   To login, enter our EIN = 72-1601132 + “02” (for CC) and enter your password.
2. Corporate filing - due each May.
   Filed by CC Leigh
   With the Secretary of State of Colorado: https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/CertificationCopiesSelect.do?quitButtonDestination=BusinessEntityResults&nameTyp=ENT&masterFileId=20051151847&entityId2=20051151847&srchTyp=ENTITY
   ID number 20051151847
   Cost: $10
   Instructions: http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/filingInstructions.html

Changing the corporate name requires filing forms containing the corporate amendment (name change) with the Secretary of State in the State of incorporation.

From: https://www.myusacorporation.com/amendment?ref=msn_gen
In Colorado: Instructions for completing Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation: http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/helpFiles/AMDRST_NPC_HELP.html
The organization would require the Secretary of State’s approval before using the new name.

Costs
Changing bank accounts, filing with the IRS, website, marketing, logos,
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/171054

As a 501c6, the TATC can offer training courses to its members and charge for those courses. It can also require that its members attend a certain number of courses per year to remain in good standing.

It's entirely legal that a 501c6 receive fees related to courses for professional training of its members in its bank accounts.

In other words, we are completely within our rights for the TATC to earn money via Continuing Education courses.

Source: Meeting between Fairfield CPA and Sandra, Cielle, Fax, and Michael - July 2019

(Note originally attached to Finance role; transferred to Legal July 2020)

If a nonprofit's gross receipts average $50,000 or less over a 3-year period, it must submit Form 990-N.

Example:

TATC Gross Receipts:
2018 $14,142
2019 $18,118
2020 $55,758

Average = $23,300
This is below the $50,000 average, so the 990-N form should be filed in 2021.

We use Zoom polls for TATC votes. We vote for approval of new
Mentor
Interning teacher
Full Teacher
Visionary Council
Lead Link
Substantive changes to teacher agreements, transition applications, dharma
Bylaw changes

There will be less time spent during a meeting if a poll is set up ahead of time. To set up a poll, here is a video tutorial.

https://youtu.be/HDHRmvpUVXw

a few things to keep in mind when tallying up the "votes"

The host cannot cast a "vote" via the poll.
add in your vote "manually"

Ask the cohost, if she can see the poll in order to cast a vote
add in the co-host vote manually if needed

A couple who share a connection can only cast 1 vote via the poll.
Ask them via a pm if they are both voting the same and add the second vote in manually

Someone who called into the conference by phone will not see the poll.
Scramble their names ahead of the vote so that they are can vote anonymously
Ask them to vote "yay" by pressing *9 on their phone keypad to raise their hands

If not all on the phone votes come in as "yay" in the first round, I repeat the request to raise a hand for "Nay" and "Abstain" until all phone votes are cast. Add in those votes manually.

occasionally a unique participant will not see the poll.
ask them to vote by private message. Add those votes in manually.

A few days before the regular monthly teacher call, solicit agenda items from the teacher circle.
Keep a running account of the agenda as it builds on https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/monthly-tatc-meetings/tatc-meeting-agenda

The call is conducted on Zoom. A Zoom link is sent along with the agenda.

On the Tuesday evening before the teacher call, or early the next morning, send the agenda to the teacher circle.

If the agenda includes a transition vote (e.g. IT to Full Teacher), plan ahead to include a poll.

Teacher calls are recorded, and transition votes and discussions are not included in the recording.
Remember to turn the recording feature ON after the healing circle, and then OFF when a transition discussion starts.

Teacher Call recordings are stored briefly in the Zoom cloud. The Teachers Circle Secretary role-holder (or energizer) downloads the audio recording from Zoom.

7-30-20
Dear Teachers,

I am writing you in my role of Mentor Support and also my role as MTEC -- Mentor Teacher Evaluation Committee. I have clarifications about these roles to pass on to you as members of our Teachers Circle. Please read the following points carefully so our organization remains functional, with clearly discerned lines of accountability.

1. Please remember that Mentors have completed a very extensive program to become trustable and capable of holding the role of Mentor when meeting with individual students, and also when assisting teachers in sittings, courses, and other offerings (both core dharma and related dharma). Please invite only formally approved Mentors in good standing (listed on our website) to fill these support positions.

Lately there has been some confusion, as students who have not yet been approved as Mentors have been serving in the Mutuality Café and in virtual peer gazing groups. In these contexts, they are offering peer support; they are not serving as Mentors. This has proved quite workable and mutually beneficial, but peer support should not be confused with Mentoring.

Another factor that might have contributed to recent confusion was the March 2020 Thailand retreat, which certain Teachers and Mentors were unable to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions. During that event, some participants who had not been officially approved as Mentors seemingly functioned as Mentors. Wonderfully and happily, this worked very well, but I am reminding us to fundamentally adhere to the training pathways we have carefully established over time for progressive learning and support when staffing assistants at our events.

2. The accountabilities of the Mentor and Teacher Transitions role have been updated to eliminate overlap and duplication with the MTEC role. The Mentor and Teacher Transitions role is now accountable only for communicating the transition process as defined by the MTEC, and for updating the standard application forms after changes are approved by the TATC.

Mentor and Teacher Transitions is an administrative role that tracks details in the guidelines that might need to be updated. Upon approval by MTEC, Member Agreement Steward would later bring such changes to the Teachers Circle for a vote.

The Mentor and Teacher Transitions role does not interpret the guidelines, nor does it offer support to applicants in the transition process.

Sponsoring Teachers — not the Mentor and Teacher Transitions role or the MTEC role — are responsible to help applicants for Mentor and Interning Teacher understand the written guidelines, and to hold applicants through any uncertainty or concerns about the transition process.

Sponsoring Teachers should confer with the MTEC for help understanding how the transition guidelines are generally applied.

The MTEC reviews applications and assesses applicants’ adherence to the guidelines. Questions about an applicant’s adherence to the guidelines should be directed solely to the MTEC, which weighs and measures the entire application in a holistic manner. Recommendations may at times vary from applicant to applicant, depending on a range of factors. In other words, the MTEC applies both specific requirements as well as an organic understanding of the situation. As we say, evaluating is not a “cookie-cutter” process.

Thank you for your attention.

Love,
Sandra

1.     Accountabilities

a.     Coordinating mailings schedule and sending emails according to this schedule

b.     Building, segmenting, and maintaining email list

c.     Adding and deleting names manually as needed

d.     Backing up contact list twice a year

e.     Updating mailing list with teacher and mentor transitions

f.      Updating mailing list and TATC WBR spreadsheet with Whole-Being Realization stats, and attendance status of awakened life courses

g.     Reporting mailing list metrics quarterly

h.     Managing the email promotion of TA Introduction and Discovery Course in coordination with Education role

2.     Check Weekly Events Email – Each week Jill Glidden (a paid worker) sets up the draft of the next Events email, typically by Sunday. She goes through the calendar and adds up-coming events that were not on the previous week’s email. In case Jill is not there the following needs to be done:

a.     Jill Glidden is doing (b)-(d) at this time, if so, go to (e).

b.     The Events Mailing from the previous week is copied for the coming week.

c.     Check the Events calendar to see if there is anything in the week after the last week reported in the previous Mailing. Typically, about four weeks of listings is appropriate.

d.     Check the Calendar for the next six months to see if there are any Workshops, Retreats or Courses scheduled that aren’t on the previous week’s Event email. If they are not there in the Upcoming Workshops, Retreats & Courses section then add them in. Make sure to use the picture from the Events page so they match and make sure there is a link to that page.

e.     Check the links with each entry to make sure that they connect to the proper page on the Trillium Awakening website. Note: Since the previous week’s email is copied, those links should work. It is good to test them anyway because occasionally the repeating events link is broken. It that is the case then Drew Martinez needs to be contacted. He takes care of our WordPress issues and Website programming. As a note this can be done in the preview option for the week’s email. Just click on the link for each event. It should open a new page in your browser.

f.      If a teaching paragraph is still being used each week, then a new teaching should to be put in just before the Events at the top of the email.

g.     Scheduled the email to go out at 3:00am PST Friday morning.

3.     Creating New Mailings – Occasionally a new event will be specified from a teacher or a specific group. This first goes to the Events coordinator. At this time, as the Events Role Holder/Energizer, I am using the community@trilliumawakening.org email address to track the new entries. The Events Role Holder/Energizer needs to contact you with the information to put the email together or you can go to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mccxB9w0-Oiqr4tisvKdZHqrqWlcG-kWB8QLg6V_veg/edit?usp=sharing to find the information if you’ve been informed there is an event that needs posting.

a.     Take an old email and replicate it, then modify the contents. This ensures that the necessary Mailchimp obligations (such as bottom footer) are part of the email.

b.     Optional: Sometimes the long paragraph space to fill in information for the event cannot hold the total amount of text the event planners would like to include in the email. As an option, you can contact the person requesting the event to see if they actually have more material they would like to add to the email.

c.     Trillium uses the free photo site Unsplash to get its photos. Do not rename photos. The image name is stored in photo archive of Mailchimp.

d.     Once the email is finished, send a test mailing to the person asking for the event to make sure it looks the way they want.

e.     If the email is given the okay, ask the person in charge of the event to specific when they want the emails to go out, if that has not already been specified. People can pay under the following options which the Events manager should tell you:

                    i.     Weekly notifications in Events email until event happens

                  ii.     One reminder email for the event only

                iii.     One email reminder for the event with weekly notifications in Events email until event happens

                 iv.     Two email reminders for the event with weekly notifications in Events email until event happens

                  v.     Three email reminders for the event with weekly notifications in Events email until event happens

                 vi.     Recurring event for six months

4.     Updating Teacher and Mentor Status – Go to Audience and All Contacts. In there are two segments called TATC and Mentors. If you click on either of them, they will take you to a sublist of the entire Mailing List database. Any teachers who have retired, you can edit their profile taking out the TATC tag. The same goes for Mentors. If a teacher or mentor is not listed in their appropriate section, then search the Mailing list and set the appropriate tag for either TATC or Mentors.

5.     Updating Audience Information – Go to Audience and All Contacts. You can search under the person’s name or just alphabetize the list. Click on the individual. As long as there is the required information present (First and Last Name, State, Country, Email) you have the potential of editing their contact information. There are also tags that can help MailChimp sort particular email drives. There is a list of tags after the contact information. Any tags that are no longer applicable can be removed by hitting the X on the tag. New tags can be added at that same location.

Also, go through the list once a month and put anyone who has unsubscribed into the Archive folder of MailChimp. This is done by hitting the Remove button when you are in a person’s individual file. The Remove will give you the options of Archive or Delete. Just Archive for now. This keeps the mailing list with the exact number of individuals to whom emails are sent. Otherwise, it inflates how many contacts are actually active in the mailing list.

6.     Usage metrics – If metrics are need for the Operation Circle then fill in the appropriate email information on the Metrics form

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_HmAUErimNS6hnlsnyy9lpTEbrmSknez8_QcyTR3ueA/edit?gid=0#gid=0

a.     To get Subscribed and Unsubscribed numbers go to Analytics and then Audience and specify the dates and look at What’s Changed. Count the ups and downs.

b.     On that same analytic page, you can get the number of subscribed for the month. It is averaged over the month

c.     To get Click Rate go to Custom Reports and choose Click Rate. Set the month and apply. You will also have to hit Modify. It gives the number of emails and the range from low to high that you want to put in the spreadsheet as well as the particular email that got the highest click rate.

d.     To get the open % rate, go to Analytics and then Reports. You’ll have to scroll through the month to get the range. Unfortunately, the Opened in Customs doesn’t give percentages for each email.

7.     Mailing List Backup – This should be done twice a year just as a precaution. Go to Mailchimp Audience then All Contacts. On the upper right is an Export Audience button. This will send a link to Trilliumawakening@gmail.comwith the file folder. It will export four files in CSV format. This can be converted to an Excel format easily. Put all four files into one spreadsheet and save it to the Mailing List Backup folder on the shared admin@trilliumawakening.org drive with the YY-MM-DD Mailing List designation. Delete all the irrelevant columns to have less blank space in the googlesheets document. This last step is not necessary, but makes the file easier to read.

8.     TATC Goggle Calendar – Trillium Awakening has a calendar within the trilliumawakening@gmail.com account. Schedule the dates that emails are supposed to go out under the TATC Mailing Schedule which is blue. We try to limit our emails to one per day so our audience doesn’t feel overwhelmed. If you have an email that needs to go out and something is already on the day you wish to schedule on, move it one day behind or ahead of the date you wish to use.

Action steps regarding re new or returning teachers

The following documents need to be updated to include the new or returning teacher
TATC Current Status
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vNm8jL_mZo_pW8yqATztnQ6_JdPmllPdP2C-7SyAM6g/edit#gid=0

TATC Business Calls Attendance
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odzs3eQz7gXztZBeGzOC5u6dMMACHJm9uxMoGqmQLTY/edit#gid=0

Mutuality Group Attendance
https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/mutuality-groups-sept-2020

Inform Juliet Ganschow -- julietganschow@comcast.net -- about the new or returning teacher and when they will begin to pay dues.

Email new or returning teacher a brief welcoming email with this link to resources.
https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/new-teachers

FINANCE
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/899/overview
1.Inactive teacher continues to pay dues. Inquire of teacher if they will adjust the monthly dues amount. If there is a change, notify TATC bookkeeper
.

LIAISON TO TEACHERS CIRCLE
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/824/overview

1. Alert role holder of inactive status of teacher. Remind role holder that the inactive teacher is still sent emails.
   2, Inactive teacher may attend TATC meetings but is not required to.
2. Inactive teachers are not allowed to vote on TATC matters.

.
.

.

Education Committee
1: Alert Education committee so that inactive teacher is not assigned to teach at events.
.
.
.

.

MEMBER AGREEMENT STEWARD
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/818/overview

1. Update teacher "current status" spreadsheet
   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vNm8jL_mZo_pW8yqATztnQ6_JdPmllPdP2C-7SyAM6g/edit#gid=0
2. Update TATC monthly calls attendance spreadsheet
   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odzs3eQz7gXztZBeGzOC5u6dMMACHJm9uxMoGqmQLTY/edit#gid=0
3. Update the current Mutuality Group attendance chart
   https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/mutuality-groups-sept-2020?authuser=0

.

MENTOR SUPPORT
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/968/overview

1. Notify mentors about the inactive teacher

.

.

.
SECRETARY
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/795/overview

1. Remove inactive teacher from roles s/he is filling and/or energizing in GlassFrog

.
.
TATC GOOGLE SITE MANAGER
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/10826862/overview
Remind Google site role holder that the inactive teacher is still given access to the TATC Google site

.

.

TEACHER ENRICHMENT COORDINATOR
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/1355/overview
Teacher Enrichment Coordinator

1. Remind role holder that inactive teachers still have access to CE site.
   https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/Home

.
.

TRILLIUM AWAKENING WEB-BASED MATERIALS MANAGER
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/12806/overview

1. "Unpublish" retired teacher page on the TA website.

Send email to all members of the mutuality group

Dear XX, YY, ZZ, and AA,

XX has missed 2 of your Mutuality Group (MG) meetings. At this point there is no concern. We are all allowed to missed 3 MG meetings during the months that a group is in place (from the TATC retreat until the following retreat). I want to make sure that your group as a whole will remain aware should XX need to miss a third time. If that happens, it will be crucial that your meetings are scheduled on days and times when s/he can join you. It is a group effort to help each other meet the agreement to attend.

At the same time, I have helped teachers come up with creative ways to meet the requirement in the rare case when someone ends up missing a fourth meeting.  We will work to meet that need should it arise.

Member Agreement Steward

Since July 2015, Steve Boggs has created new Mutuality Groups each year. These groups meet for the first time during our annual TATC retreat and continue to meet monthly until the next retreat. Steve creates the groups so each has a mix of men and women, as well as full and interning teachers. Couples are placed in separate groups.

Steve places new ITs in groups as they transition from mentor to IT. He notifies the new IT as well as Member Agreement Steward.

Attendance at TATC Mutuality Groups is done by self-reporting on the attendance chart:
https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/mutuality-groups-sept-2020

Some groups choose an "attendance captain" to mark attendance for their group.

At the end of each month, Member Agreement Steward sends reminders to groups who have not reported attendance for that month.

In 2016, Member Agreement Steward began setting up individual Zoom meetings with each new IT to go over the member agreements, and walk them through the TATC private site to point out via screenshare areas relating to member agreements.

Pages reviewed include:

• dues: https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/tatc-dues
• document archive (bylaws and member agreements): https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/document-archive
• event submissions: https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/event-submission-and-coordination
• mutuality group attendance: https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/mutuality-groups---august-2019
• monthly TATC calls: https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/monthly-tatc-meetings

If IT's ask questions that can be answered by browsing other pages, then other pages are explored together.

Planning these meetings helps demystify the TATC Google site and also creates greater member agreement compliance, thereby minimizing future time in verifying compliance, or addressing out-of-compliance behavior.

FINANCE
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/899/overview

1. Notify bookkeeper of dues status of retired teacher:
   a. Does retired teacher owe back dues?
   b. Is retired teacher entitled to receive prorated refund of prepaid dues?
   .

LIAISON TO TEACHERS CIRCLE
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/824/overview

1. Remove retired teacher from email list used for sending"teacher-only" announcements
   .

.

MEMBER AGREEMENT STEWARD
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/818/overview

1. Update teacher "current status" spreadsheet
   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vNm8jL_mZo_pW8yqATztnQ6_JdPmllPdP2C-7SyAM6g/edit#gid=0
2. Update TATC monthly calls attendance spreadsheet
   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odzs3eQz7gXztZBeGzOC5u6dMMACHJm9uxMoGqmQLTY/edit#gid=0
3. Update the current Mutuality Group attendance chart
   https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/mutuality-groups-sept-2020?authuser=0
4. Ask retired teacher how s/he would like to be remembered during the TATC meeting announcing retirement
   .

MENTOR SUPPORT
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/968/overview

1. Notify mentors about the retired teacher

.
SECRETARY
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/795/overview

1. Remove retired teacher from roles s/he is filling and/or energizing in GlassFrog

.
TATC GOOGLE SITE MANAGER
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/10826862/overview
Remove retired teacher's access to TATC Google site
https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/Home
Remove retired teacher's membership in TATC Google discussion groups
https://groups.google.com/g/tatc-google-site-discussions/members

.
TEACHERS CIRCLE SECRETARY
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/973/overview

1. Remove retired teacher from "Active membership" section of Teacher Call Minutes on TATC Google site.
   https://sites.google.com/site/trilliumawakeningteachers/monthly-tatc-meetings/meeting-minutes-2020?authuser=0

.

Teacher Enrichment Archive Site Manager
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/1355/overview
Teacher Continuing Education Coordinator

1. Remove retired teacher's access to Teacher Enrichment site.
   https://sites.google.com/view/tatc-video-archive/home
2. Add the word "retired" after the teacher's name in listings on the Teacher Enrichmentsite.
   https://sites.google.com/view/tatc-video-archive/teacher-index
3. Add the word "retired" after the teacher's name on the Living Library.
   https://sites.google.com/view/tatc-video-archive/living-library

.

TRILLIUM AWAKENING WEB-BASED MATERIALS MANAGER
https://app.glassfrog.com/organizations/27/orgnav/roles/12806/overview

1. "Unpublish" retired teacher page on the TA website.
2. Delete retired teacher's gazing video from the website.
3. Remove retired teacher's gazing video from TA YouTube channel
4. Consider other videos featuring the retired teacher; remove them or add note to description stating that the teacher is retired.

Each December, review the attendance records for the TATC monthly meetings. Some teachers know ahead of time that they cannot attend the meetings, and they either send additional dues or engage in a service project equal to 1-2 hours per month in lieu of attending the meetings. There are notes on the attendance records spreadsheet indicating their compliance. 

But there are always other teachers who will need to be emailed to inquire how they will fulfill this agreement.

Here is a sample letter to email.

Dear XXX

I am looking over the attendance records for the TATC monthly calls and comparing that to the member agreement that each of us made.

a) Participate in at least 3⁄4 of the monthly TATC calls each year (2 hours/month)
b) Or, be active in service projects at an average of 1-2 hours/month
c) Or, if participation level falls below one of the above, then members shall increase their dues payment by $15/month. note: $15/missed call in addition to the three allowed misses

Our attendance records show that you missed the meetings in XXX, YYY, YYY (etc) for a total of X misses. You are allowed 3 misses this calendar year.

Are you active in a project that serves the TATC that would equal X- Y hours to compensate for the missed meetings?

After hearing back from you I will let you know if you owe additional dues for 20XX.

Love,
XXX

After hearing back from the teacher, come up with a mutually agreed-upon plan for the amount of additional dues, if any, is owed. 

Send Juliet a copy of the agreement of what more is due with a request that she adds to the amount into Quickbooks.

Attendance records for TATC monthly calls are logged at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Odzs3eQz7gXztZBeGzOC5u6dMMACHJm9uxMoGqmQLTY/edit#gid=0

This spreadsheet is used to track which teachers are in compliance with the following  member agreement:

● Members are expected to make some additional contribution to the functioning of the Teachers Circle beyond payment of basic dues. They can:  

a) Participate in at least ¾ of the monthly TATC calls each  year (2 hours/month)  

b) Or, be active in service projects at an average of 1-2 hours/month  

c) Or, if participation level falls below one of the above, then  members shall increase their dues payment by $15/month.

Mentor Inactive Status

—Mentors in good standing may elect for various life reasons to request Inactive Status for a maximum of up to 18 months with an option to return to active status without prejudice when they are ready to do so.

—Though they will not meet with Mentees, they must still attend their monthly Supervision Group with their Supervising Teacher.

—Inactive Mentors will not be listed on the website or resource lists during this time.

—The inactive Mentor who is ready to resume active status within 18 months or less will consider this with their Supervising Teacher and then notify the MTEC.

Mentor Reinstatement Process

—The Inactive Mentor who goes beyond the 18 months, must obtain the approval of his or her Supervising Teacher as to readiness to engage the Reinstatement Process, which will be conducted through an evaluating committee.

—After the 18 month time frame, the Returning Teacher/Mentor Evaluation Committee, in its discretion, may determine, on a case by case basis, a process to reinstate the Teacher/Mentor. This may include sessions with teachers, or therapists, or participation in workshops or retreats.

When the Mentor/Mentee Agreements are updated, be sure to post the updated documents to

• the private teacher website
• the private mentor website
  -TrilliumAwakening.org at this page, http://www.trilliumawakening.org/guidelines-for-the-mentor-mentee- relationship/

Email all mentors inviting them to welcome the new mentor

Email mentor and copy Drew Martinez drewmartinez111@gmail.com inviting mentor to create a page for TrilliumAwakening.org

Give "view only" permission for private mentor website and send an invitation to mentor

Add mentor to "mentors and supervising teachers" spreadsheet.

Find out from mentor what AMS grads' group they are part of, include this information in the mentors and supervising teacher spreadsheet

Invite mentor to schedule a 30 min video consult to go over private mentor website so that it can be a useful resource

Email mentor the survey to inquire if they want to assist at TA sittings, events, workshops, etc

Share with mentors online opportunities to engage such as mutuality cafes

If there is a periodic mentor newsletter, introduce the mentor to the current editor

I send this out the day after we vote in a new Mentor: subject: "Welcome, [new Mentor]!

Dear [new Mentor],

It was lovely hearing [sponsor's name] and other TA teachers share words of praise of you as we discussed your candidacy to be a TA mentor. We are collectively happy that you have joined the rank of mentor. I am personally thrilled.

Thank you for all that you have already done to support this work.

The Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle (TATC) has an operations circle. That circle is accountable for ensuring that the administrative side of our circle runs as smoothly as it can given that those in the operations circle do this as volunteers.

I am giving you permission (via a separate email) to view a private website for mentors. At that site you will find the mentor agreements as well as the Interning Teacher application.

There is also a section on the site that has past mentor newsletters. We don't currently have a mentor publishing newsletters but I am sure you will find value in reading the past ones.

In our records, I have listed [teacher's name] as your AMS group teacher. Did I get that right? If you have another teacher who you are also working with, let me know and I will make note of that. You are invited and encouraged to consider all Trillium Awakening Teachers as a resource when questions arise. Mentors are a great part of the support we offer to students, and we want to support your success in return.

We want to make sure that you are included on our website, trilliumawakening.org. Please contact Drew, drewmartinez111@gmail.com. Drew updates our website and will set up a page for your welcome page. Drew will need a short bio and photo for you for your page. He can fill you in on the requirements for the photo pixels. I have copied Drew here so he will know that you will contact him

Also, if you have questions about our operations circle I am happy to provide answers. If you like to read and surf the web, take a peek at

https://app.glassfrog.com/circles/92

and

http://www.trilliumawakening.org/understanding-governance/

I meet with Mentors once a quarter and will invite you to our next meeting

Congratulations on becoming a Trillium Awakening Mentor!
Warmest regards,

March 2024

Thinkific is a teaching content platform

It is helpful for courses where there is audio, video or written material that student are asked to listen to, watch or read as part of the course

It is also perfect for live courses that will be recorded and students will be given ongoing access to the recordings after the course.

Recorded, self-paced, evergreen courses are good candidates for Thinkific

For Trillium teachers to use this platform we ask the following:

The teacher pays Drew to upload content to Thinkific - (or the teacher pays Drew to teach them to upload content). Drew charges $50/hour. Several teachers who have used the platform find it is user friendly after just a small amount of coaching.

The teacher pays 10% of the course's net income to TATC to help defray Thinkific's subscription costs.

If the teacher wants to promote their course through TATC, then they will use the standard events submission form and pay according to the level of promotion they desire.

Log into PayPal.
At top right of page, find account name (or 3 parallel lines).
Hover over that name or symbol.
From drop-down menu, select "Account Settings."
On the new page, choose "Manage Users," and click "Update."
On the new page, click "Add User" (blue button near top right)
On the new page, enter user information in appropriate fields

In "User login information" field:

• enter user's first and last name, lowercase, no spaces or punctuation
• create and confirm password, following requirements to include a special character

Click the blue "Continue" button.
On the new page, check appropriate permissions boxes.

Complete the process by clicking appropriate buttons.

Dear XXX,

In the role of Password Security that I energize, I am setting up user-specific login credentials for TATC's various PayPal accounts. This allows me to set up access with specific permissions for each user. 

Another advantage of this protocol is that when role holders and energizers retire, or someone who is hired completes a contract, it’s not necessary to update a password that many people share. I simply remove one person's access.

XXX, I have set up a unique user login for you. I will send that information separately via secure email. This individual access is only for you, and is not to be shared with anyone. I can set up multiple users to accommodate TATC needs.

When you log in to Paypal, simply input your unique username and password. You will not need to enter an email address in the login field.

After logging in, you might find that you’re initially taken back to the login page to log in again. If this happens, please log in again. You are also likely to have to respond to a "captcha" verification, such as by clicking "I am not a robot.”

I am finding that these extra security measures are fairly common the first time you login.

If you find that you need additional permissions to do your work, please detail the challenge you’re encountering and I’ll try to troubleshoot it, and if necessary, grant you further permissions.

I have also created a short video tutorial to help you learn how to log in to PayPal in this special way. You may watch it here:
https://www.loom.com/share/2e7d94b7c29f4107aeb828076655b000

Thank you for your service.

Love,
Cielle

All the funds that go out of the Marketing PayPal account are for payment of marketing services.

Funds come into that account from:
*the marketing portion of virtual sittings
*contributions from the CE video archive
*TATC "marketing dues"
*donations from the "donate button" on our website ( some folks are donating after attending a mutuality cafe, online gazing, online meditations)

The Marketing role then uses the funds to pay for marketing and "funnel" expenses. For example, a portion of the recent invoice from Marco, our website guy, was paid from "TATC" funds and the remainder was deemed to be "funnel" expenses, which Gena will pay from the Marketing PayPal account.

In 2019, a PayPal account (tatcmarketing0@gmail.com) was established by @Finance for use by @Promotions. The following is a review of the fund activity.

INCOME
A percentage of income from each online sitting (transferred by ?)

A percentage of income (sometimes 100%) from Continuing Ed videos (transferred by @Teacher_Enrichment_Archive_Site_Manager)

Teacher contributions bookmarked as "Marketing dues" (transferred by TA Bookkeeper Juliet as of 2020). Juliet notes the period associated with each transferred donation. For example, some teachers make annual donations, and others donate monthly. This is helpful for budgeting, as you can then estimate how frequently donations are likely to arrive.

Donations from mentors and participants - either paid directly to the Marketing Paypal account or transferred to it from the TATC operating account by Juliet.

EXPENSES (2019-2020)
TA.org revisions by Marco Morelli
Cullen Kowalski social media promotion work (at his request pay using "friends and family")
Paypal fees
Miscellaneous marketing-related expenses

SOURCE DOCUMENTS
The PayPal Marketing account is where you will find the record of income and disbursements that you need for planning.

Retreat Scheduling Advisor has developed guidelines for scheduling longer retreats. This role was initiated to help coordinate the timing of all the courses now being offered so that each would generate the best outcome. Note that these are guidelines, not rules, meant to maximize everyone's success.

Contact the role-holder before scheduling a new course or date change, and we’ll go over your variables together. These are guidelines, not rules. I feel they will help you in picking the best dates for your course in coordination with those courses already scheduled.

The market will ultimately determine the numbers attending your retreat, but the following considerations will help you to assess the mutual impact of your retreat and those which are already scheduled to best insure the success of all.

PROXIMITY: How close is your retreat in time zones to retreats already scheduled within the same time of year? For example a long retreat on the east coast will have less impact on a retreat in California than a similar retreat in Maryland.

SIMILARITY: How similar is your retreat to those already scheduled? For example, some long retreats are much cheaper and more rustic and can draw from a broader base than those that include room and board. Cost is one significant factor that will impact attendance and distinguish retreats.

FORMAT: How structured is your course? Can students pick and choose how they participate? For example, the TR in California is a structured retreat with the added cost of room and board, while Fairfield’s Feast of Sittings is a less expensive, a la carte type event where people find lodging they can afford. They are two time zones apart and so will have less impact on each other for that reason as well.

TEACHING/STAFFING: Is your course is a Trillium Awakening Core Dharma event or Trillium Awakening Related Event? This will impact transition requirements and could have some influence on attendance. See guidelines for Trillium Awakening Core Dharma event vs. Trillium Awakening Related Event: https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/roles/1965 (This link will also update you on the latest guidelines on scheduling your course and promoting it on the website and mailing list.)

11:30am - 2:30pm Pacific - 3rd Wednesday of each month - Tactical and Governance meetings

11:30am - 12:30pm Pacific - 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Wednesdays of each month - Tactical meetings

Holacracy App:
Download the free mobile Holacracy app, which includes the meeting processes, glossary, Constitution, and more. Download it to your phone or tablet from the
Apple App store - http://bit.ly/10fUb65
Google Play Store - http://bit.ly/1nBqKWQ
or Amazon Store - http://amzn.to/1pCUz3o

Tactical Meeting Preparation:

1. Review your Next Actions by clicking the date of our previous meeting at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92#_history (under Tactical Meeting History). Complete any unfinished actions.
2. Review our Checklist at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92#_checklist to see if you’ve completed the relevant actions for any of your roles this month. If not, do so.
3. Review our Metrics at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92#_metrics to see if your role will be presenting metrics at the upcoming meeting. If so, prepare them.
4. Review our Project Board at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92#_projects. Click on the little gear icon in the upper right corner of the board, and select “Group by Person” so that names appear before roles.
   Check the projects under your name, and consider what updates, if any, you’ll be bringing to the meeting.
   Consider if you have new projects to add in order to energize any of the roles you fill.
   Consider if any of your projects need a change of status (Current, Waiting, Done, Future can be selected from the icons on the colored tab of each project).
5. In a trusted, easy to find, digital location, prepare a list of agenda items you want to bring to the tactical meeting. Make a few notes if needed to remind yourself what information you need or want to convey.
6. Review the steps of the meeting at http://holacracy.org/sites/default/files/resources/handouts_-_tactical_meeting_process_v4.pdf

Governance Meeting Preparation:

1. Review your Roles at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92: click “My Roles” in the blue banner. When the new page loads, click “Show All”.
   Read the accountabilities of each of your roles and consider if any updates are needed. If so, make a note in your list of agenda items you want to bring to the governance meeting.
   If desired, pre-write any governance proposals you want to bring to the meeting. You can email them to the Secretary (Deborah) during the meeting so she can copy/paste them into our video interface for all to see.
   Think about what you’ve done since our last meeting. Have you acted within your roles? If not, consider whether you might want to propose a new role to capture activities you’ve undertaken outside formally defined roles.
2. Review the Notes for various roles at https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92#_role_notes.
   Notes are helpful to direct other Trillium Operations Circle (TOC) or Trillium Teachers Circle (TTC) or community members to better understand processes or obtain information for which your role is accountable.
   Consider if you’d like to add Notes for any of the roles you fill.
   To add Notes for a role you fill, go to the role, and look for “Published Information” at the bottom of the role page. Click on the “+Note” link to open a field into which you can type notes.
3. Review the steps of the meeting at http://holacracy.org/sites/default/files/resources/handouts_-_integrative_decision_making_process_v4.pdf
4. To see Brian Robertson, the founder of Holacracy, conducting a simulated governance meeting, go to http://holacracy.org/resources/video-governance-simulation. It’s a terrific teaching on Holacracy in general.

Here is how you can create a proposal outside a Governance Meeting:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ynh5ds7mq5j2lcd/GlassFrog%20Create%20Proposal%20Outside%20Governance.mp4?dl=0

To add information pertaining to your role in GlassFrog, take these steps:
Go to https://glassfrog.holacracy.org/circles/92 and log in.
If you can't log in, email Deborah for assistance.
Once you are logged in, double click on the role you fill that you want to publish a note for.
Do not publish notes for other role fillers in their roles.
Scroll down to the "Published Information" area.
You will see a link "+ note" - click on it.
This opens a title field ("Title") and text box ("Note").
Give your note an easy to understand title.
In the "Note" area, type (or copy/paste) in your note.
You can include any links - GlassFrog will make them live.

To edit a note you have saved, hover your mouse over its title, and you'll see a little icon of pencil and paper appear (next to a trash can icon).
Click the pencil and paper and you'll be able to edit your text.

To delete a note you have saved, however your mouse over its title, and you'll see a little icon of a trash can.
Click the trash can to delete your note.

As a 501c6, the TATC can offer training courses to its members and charge for those courses. It can also require that its members attend a certain number of courses per year to remain in good standing.

It's entirely legal that a 501c6 receive fees related to courses for professional training of its members in its bank accounts.

In other words, we are completely within our rights for the TATC to earn money via Continuing Education courses.

Source: Meeting between Fairfield CPA and Sandra, Cielle, Fax, and Michael - July 2019

Ideas from Zoe:

As part of the Trillium Teachers Circle's differentiation process, any new Whole-Being Realization confirmation interviews that take place after August 1, 2015 must be conducted by Trillium Awakening Teachers Circle members who are authorized Whole-Being Realization interviewers. Van Nguyen and Sandra Glickman are the current TATC Whole-Being Realization interviewers.

Prior to the adoption of the TATC's transition bylaw, Linda Groves-Bonder was a WDTA member and authorized Second Birth interviewer. Any Second Birth interviews conducted by Linda prior to August 1, 2015 will be honored, but any Second Birth interviews she conducts after that date will not meet TATC requirements, as Linda is no longer a TATC member.

On July 14, 2015, Linda was informed of this change.