The ADF Elections are coming up, and while the bios that candidates provide are helpful, they are by necessity too short to truly convey the things the membership would like to know before casting their votes.  To that end I’ve compiled the many questions that folks have asked across social media.  I’ll be sending out the questions to the candidates, and providing their answers here, in a separate post, so that they are all in one place for folks to read.  If you’ve got any last minute questions you want to see added to this list, please send me and email at rev.jan.avende @ gmail.com

Additionally, sometimes it’s hard to know what all these leadership positions actually entail, so I’ve summarized the basics of them below.  To see the full list of descriptions for the Mother Grove officer positions, look here: https://www.adf.org/members/org/mg/index.html (you will need to be logged in as a member)

Here’s the list to see who has been nominated thus far: https://www.adf.org/members/org/elections/2019/nominations.html

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I’ve started with the general questions that are geared towards all candidates.  Below those are questions that are specific to each position.

Questions for all Candidates:

• What do you consider the role, responsibilities, and requirements of [the office you are running for] to entail, and how are you uniquely qualified to fill it?
• Do you have any “day-job” qualifications for the position, and if so what parts do you use most often/benefit ADF the most?
• Describe your leadership style, and why it makes you a good choice for your position.
• Why are you seeking this office? Why do you love ADF enough to devote substantial time and energy to the organization, and what do you see as the limits and boundaries you would have to place on your involvement?
• How will you promote & grow ADF’s commitment to a culture of consent?
• Share your thoughts on the ADF saying “fast as a speeding oak” and why roots are important to you and to the org going forward.
• Do you believe in the axiom “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”?
• Regarding Solitaries (you may answer these separately or as one response):
  • What efforts will you take to improve outreach & engagement for solitary members?
  • How will you support those solitaries working through the DP by strengthening the mentoring program or establishing a virtual grove?
  • With more solitary ADF members, supporting them in their practice may be the most important tasks we face if we want keep them and get new members. What will you do to fix the Mentor program so it can become a robust source of help for anybody who wishes to join ADF, but who is not local to an operating, healthy, teaching grove?

• What sorts of efforts and contributions do you plan on making to the organization if you do *not* win this election?

Questions for all Incumbents:

• Looking back at your previous candidate bio, what goals/intentions have you successfully accomplished?
• What goals/intentions have fallen by the wayside? If re-elected, how do you plan to bring these goals back into your next term?

Arch Druid:

The Arch Druid is the President/CEO of the organization, as well as the Spiritual Leader of the organization and Head of the Clergy Council.  Please note that the Arch Druid is a paid position.  They are an employee of ADF and receive a monthly stipend, making it especially important that our funds are spent on a qualified person.  Arch Druid is a 3 year term, with a 3 term limit, and is a voting member of the Mother Grove.

• What is your Vision for ADF for the next 3 years? For the next 6+?  How do you plan to articulate and act out this Vision?
• Are there any specific problems or goals you’d like to undertake, and what is your plan of action for them?
• What do you consider to be your best accomplishment in your previous term as AD/your previous tenure in ADF?
• What do you consider to be your most significant failure in your previous term as AD/your previous tenure in ADF, and how do you plan to avoid a similar issue going forward?
• In what ways will your term be different from previous Arch Druids (or from your previous term)?  What, if anything, would you do differently?
• What do you think needs to be done to improve the “spiritual” needs of the congregation; and how might you meet that need?
• How will you engage the full membership to be a part of the major changes that affect everyone in the organization?
• Do you believe the cultural appropriation of indigenous practices to be a real and valid concern? If so, how do you navigate that within our religious structure and community?
• As AD, you would be the visible head of the organization.  Do you plan on any interfaith outreach (formal or informal) to non ADF organizations or people?

Secretary:

The Secretary helps organize the agenda for Mother Grove meetings, takes notes for those meetings, and ensures that those notes are distributed out to the membership in a timely manner. For a more detailed list of what the secretarial job looks like, visit here: https://www.adf.org/members/org/mg/secretary/duties.html.  The Secretary is a 2 year term, with no term limit, and is a voting member of the Mother Grove.

• How will you engage the full membership to be a part of the major changes that affect everyone in the organization?
• How do you envision communication across all channels (such as email lists and Facebook groups) being standardized and connected with the website?

Non-Officer Director:

The Non-Officer Director is elected to represent the membership at large.  They are not given any specifically defined duties, but are often the heads of various subcommittees as determined by the Mother Grove. There are 4 NOD positions on the Mother Grove, with 2 up for election each year.  The Non-Officer Director is a 2 year term, with no term limit.

• Are there any specific problems or goals you’d like to undertake, and what is your plan of action for them?
• How will you engage the full membership to be a part of the major changes that affect everyone in the organization?

Member’s Advocate:

The Members Advocate is the organizational ombudsperson.  They represent individual members of ADF to the Mother Grove, especially minority members that are otherwise not well represented.  The Member’s Advocate manages compassionate memberships as well as handling complaints that are both interpersonal and inter-organizational.  They are expected to mediate these complaints before they reach the Mother Grove. The Member’s Advocate is a 1 year term, with a 3 consecutive year term limit, and is a non-voting member of the Mother Grove, though they are expected to attend all Mother Grove meetings.

• How do you mitigate your biases and remain a neutral party in extreme disagreements?

Regional Druid:

The Regional Druids represent the membership of their region, both solitaries and groves.  They are expected to welcome new members to their region, help prospective and new protogroves with challenges they may face, and stay in contact with the members in their region (often by physically traveling).  They are also in charge of mediating complaints that arise in their region before escalating them to the Member’s Advocate. The Regional Druid is a 2 year term, with no term limit.  They are eligible to run for Chief of the Council of Regional Druids (a voting Mother Grove position) after having served as RD for 1 year.  

• How do plan to maintain contact with the members in your region and make them feel a part of the larger organization?