Information about all Committees

1. EC Secretary

The Secretary provides the Executive Committee with notices of meeting times and places and requests contributions of items for the agenda. The Secretary, in consultation with the President, prepares agendas for the Executive Committee meetings.

The role of the Secretary is to support the President in ensuring the smooth functioning of the Executive Committee. In summary, the Secretary is responsible for

• Ensuring meetings are effectively organized and minuted

• Maintaining effective records and administration

An Executive Committee secretary has a wide ranging role which includes the following responsibilities:

• to manage the Executive committee’s business. This involves preparing agendas in liaison with the President, monitoring the progress and scheduling of the Executive committee’s business, and ensuring that meetings run smoothly according to the guidelines set out in Bylaws. (Secretary should maintain a “rolling schedule” of business for the forthcoming session and beyond. This will include recurrent items, and one-off items which the Executive Committee has specified should be reviewed again at a particular time. This system will enable draft agendas to be drawn up in advance and help identify papers which may require early planning and extensive preparation)

• to be thoroughly familiar with each Functional committee’s terms of reference so that appropriate advice on the committee’s business in relation to them can be given on them when needed

• to advise the President on issues relating to the Executive committee and to ensure that the President is well informed

• to be aware of the wider context in which the Executive committee operates and in particular being able to relate its business to the Samasti’s priorities

• to brief the President before the meeting to ensure that any difficulties in transacting business are anticipated and appropriate strategies for handling them identified

• to be familiar with the membership of each Functional committee, when the periods of office of the members expire, and the procedure for replacing members

• to take the minutes of the meeting according to agreed conventions and ensure that the necessary follow up action is taken

2. Publicity Committee

The main purpose of the Publicity is to encourage interest in Samasti’s activities. This committee is responsible for the Samasti’s Public Relations. The members of this committee should have a flair for telling the story of the Samasti in a stimulating manner that dignifies the organizations. Periodic suitable publicity announcements of forthcoming activities may be provided to members of the community and to news channels/media in an order to stimulate interest on the Organization and increase attendance in all activities.

Responsibilities of a Publicity Committee may include:

• writing, editing, and distributing news releases to the news media

• maintaining an up-to-date list of news media for the Samasti

• creating displays, posters, fliers, brochures, and other branding materials

• maintaining and updating a comprehensive mailing list

• managing a website with up-to-date information on the organization and its activities

• designing, writing, and editing a print and/or e-newsletter

• managing special recruitment efforts and campaigns (e.g., a campaign to increase attendance of families, a campaign to recruit more volunteers)

• maintaining a photo archive

• organizing displays and exhibits at community events to educate community members about the Samasti

• asking local media outlets to run public service announcements

• coordinating visiting community organizations to talk about the Samasti

3. Arts and Cultural Heritage Committee

The Arts and Cultural Heritage program pursues several goals that are germane to the performing as well as the visual arts today, and to their many overlapping challenges and practices.

Samasti supports programs that advance public knowledge of the visual and performing arts, bring the arts into the Folsom Ranch community, and strengthen community participation in the arts and arts organizations.

The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, film-making, design, crafts, and architecture.

The performing arts are art forms such as acting, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. Other forms of the Performing Arts include opera, theatre, magic or illusion performances, mime, spoken word, recitation and public speaking.

Samasti will organize/coordinate following activities:

• Multiple levels of Classes, Competitions, and Periodic performance events by Guests and Students..

• Parades – a procession of people organized along streets, accompanied by all families of the community in costumes, bands, floats etc celebrating India and US Independence days, Halloween, etc

• Cultural evenings, celebrations for festivals & fairs – Make Folsom Ranch a wonderful place to share and learn about different cultures and provide opportunities to engage with this element of the mission. Families from similar cultural background present songs and dances to share the cultural heritage with the community. For example, Holi, Diwali, New Year Celebrations, Eid, Christmas etc.

4. Youth and Education Committee

A proper education, exposure and guidance helps youth to quench their thirst for realizing their potentialities. They should be equipped with favorable conditions and best possible opportunities, tools/resources and education to attain skills not generally taught in regular schools. In this globalized and knowledge-based world, every young person should be given the opportunity to fulfill their potentials. A properly guided and motivated youth will become an asset to the community.

Samasti is committed to organize Multiple levels of Classes, Competitions, and Periodic exams for formal certifications in the following streams and subject areas, skills development etc.

5. Sports and Recreation Committee

Sport and recreation entail activities that help develop physical fitness, reduce stress and promote a positive use of leisure time, appreciation for the environment and interpersonal skills for all genders and age groups in the community. Such activities may be used as sources to have fun and to stay physically fit. Sport and recreation activities include the following:

• Cricket, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Hockey, Golf, Chess

• Aerobics, Yoga, Dancing,

• Hiking, Cycling and Mountain biking, Running, Marathons, Camping etc..

Samasti will organize Classes and Competitions at multiple levels for all genders and age groups within the Folsom Ranch community.

6. Human Services and Social Work Committee

Human service focuses on broader work needed for the community. This tends to be more related to activities in a community based setting, providing a Service to Society. Particularly in times of crisis. It is designed to help people navigate through crisis or situations where they feel they need external help and guidance to alleviate stress and change to help them function at their highest capacity.

Social work is primarily with focus to help one-on-one with the member of a community and help that they need to improve their lives. Such as the difficulty they are facing is an internal challenge like depression, a physical ailment or disability or other physical health or mental crisis.

Samasti will recruit volunteers, train and educate them to provide the following to help the needy in the community :

• Providing vocational training

• Re-engagement in education

• Parenting classes for young parents

• Counseling groups or individuals in dealing with chronic illness, loss of a loved one or substance abuse

• Helping to connect individuals with community and government resources around financial, health or insurance issues

• Creating/developing and implementing community events such as

  • to raise awareness in identifying chronic abuses in the society (substance abuse, child abuse, elderly abuse, domestic violence etc) and seek help.

  • Medical advisory health fairs

  • Financial responsibility seminars

  • Retirement planning seminars etc

This committee of the Samasti will be the liaison with all community partners in the areas of Human Services and Social work.

7. Information Systems Committee

The principal responsibility of this Committee include assessing the IT needs of all functional committees and recommend common IT tools while also working on their definition, planning, development, deployment and business implementation. It owns the application roadmap and the corresponding budget. It will also hold complete ownership for designing, development and rolling out website for Samasti and all it social media accounts.

The committee will actively liaise with all functional committees with the overarching goal of developing and maintaining IT systems for efficiency, accuracy and completeness. In addition, it will review and render the MIS processes within Samasti to be more efficient.

8. Joint Treasurer and Fundraising Committee

The Treasurer has a watchdog role over all aspects of financial management working closely with other members of the Board and Executive Committee to safeguard the organizations finances. It is important to note that although the Treasure ensures that these responsibilities are met, much of the work may be delegated to Joint Treasurer in the Executive Committee.

In Summary, the Joint Treasurer is responsible for

• General financial oversight on all Functional committees

• Funding, Fundraising and sales

• Financial reporting of all Functional Committees

• Book Keep, record keeping

Given these responsibilities, the Joint Treasure acts an information and reference point for the President and all Functional Committee chairs: clarifying financial implications of proposals; outlining current financial status and procuring relevant documentation.

As a part of Funding and fundraising activities, the committee is also responsible for providing

• Advice on the organization’s fundraising strategy

• Organizes and implements fundraising activities to raise funds

• Ensure use of funds complies with conditions set by funding bodies

• Ensure fundraising and sales complies with relevant legislation and is bound by effective financial systems and controls

• Ensure effective monitoring and reporting

The Joint Treasurer will have dotted line relationship with the Treasurer and represent him in the Executive committee. Joint Treasurer will ensure all expenses incurred by Functional Committees are in line with pre-approved resolutions. All financial records and statements are periodically submitted to Treasurer.

9. Food and Beverage Committee

The General Food and Beverage Committee is responsible for all the Samasti’s food and beverage needs for the Cultural evenings, Celebrations for festivals and Fairs, Parade, Competitions and Periodic performance events etc.

In this capacity, the committee:

• Plans the menu, procures groceries and items from various vendors

• For large size events and program:

  • • selects and contracts food vendors

    • orders beverages, accepts delivery, inventory, stocking and distribution of beverages at all Samasti events and programs

    • coordinates with food vendors to acquire appropriate health permits and insurance certificates

    • applies for appropriate Special Events Health Permits, schedules health inspections and coordinates the fair inspection walk through with the Health Department Inspector

    • designs the Food/Beverage Booth layouts and ensures that all booths have required facilities

    • organizes volunteers to staff the Samasti’s Beverage Booths and line management

    • develops and approves signage for Food and Beverage Booths

• For small size and moderate events and programs:

  • • organizes volunteers to cook, package and distribute healthy food, snacks etc

• Maintains and safeguard all assets/inventory procured for food and beverage needs of the organization

• Ensure all Committee financial requirements are met and invoices collected and forwarded to Treasurer/Joint Treasurer

• Understand related health and food handler permit and inspection requirements and ensure that they are met. Schedule and be present during inspection and coordinate resolution of any inspection deficiencies

• Collects and account for all fees and sales proceeds (if any)