Invitation to Apply for the US Western Council position

PDF of Search Letter
Recommendation form

Help Wanted

USW Council is seeking to place a team of two or more Leaders on the Council to support the USW Area Coordinator of Leaders (ACL) Network. USW would like to explore options for providing support in creative ways to meet the needs of today’s ACL.  Leaders who are interested in considering doing this kind of LLL work are encouraged to think about what’s currently working in this support network,  and then to think beyond the traditional administrative roles of the past.  This is an opportunity for Leaders with different perspectives and energy levels to help meet the needs of Areas as Areas’ needs change.  This is an exciting time to be part of the USW Area Network Council! 

 Leaders who are members of the USW Council wear two hats –  as a Council member and as one of the coordinators of a specific department/network (in this case, the Leader Department/ACL network).  Council members meet weekly for conference calls of about one hour in length.  The calls take place on a day and time that meets the needs of the members.  Council members rotate the responsibility of preparing the agenda and facilitating the discussion during the calls.  In the past, one Council member has taken meeting notes, which are distributed to the entire Council. 

Frequent and regular communication with the Council is an expectation, usually via email to individual members, or the Council discussion list on the Community Network (CN). Face-to-face meetings happen at least annually each March, and before or after any face-to-face continuing education workshops offered to Leaders by USW Area Network.  Each Council member creates a personal agreement with the Council, outlining the work she commits to do for the coming year.   While each member of the Council is accountable to the ADCs she supports, she is also part of the larger Council and is thus also accountable to the larger Council.  Decisions about how one department will work often affects the functionality of other departments; therefore, Council members make major decisions about their individual departments in consultation with the full Council.

Position description: 
ACL network support Leaders establish and maintain a connection to each ACL in the USW Area Network for the purpose of supporting and encouraging her in her role as ACL.  The support Leaders are available to answer questions, to offer ideas and suggestions, and to brainstorm with ACLs as they support the Leaders in their Areas. ACL network support Leaders work cohesively with the USW Council by representing the larger USW Area Network to ACLs and assure that ACLs are kept informed of news from the larger LLL organization entities.  They also represent the perspective of ACLs to the USW Council; they speak for the ACL network and do not let their personal biases interfere when advocating for the needs of ACLs and their Areas. 

Responsibilities as a member of the USW ACL network support team:

• Connects with and strives to maintain a personal connection with ACLs
• Supports and encourages ACLs in their jobs
• Informs ACLs of pertinent information from USW Area Network, LLL USA, and LLLI in a timely manner
• Acts as a sounding board for ACLs, offering suggestions and feedback
• Participates in the USW ACL discussion list on the CN; she is also a moderator of the list
• Maintains a current directory of USW ACLs and makes the directory available to all ACLs
• Explains and interprets LLLI policies and standing rules when appropriate
• Facilitates face-to-face meetings with ACLs in conjunction with USW continuing education events
• Collects semi-annual statistics from Areas and passes them on to the LLLI Executive Director or the Associate Executive Director
• Participates, if requested, in the search and selection of a new ACL; provides job specific orientation to a new ACL, depending on her needs and requests
• Represents the perspective of ACLs to the USW Council
• Represents the USW Council to the USW ACL network

Responsibilities as a member of USW Council:

• Participates fully in USW Council activities, including weekly conference calls, email discussions, provision of continuing education opportunities for USW Leaders, reports and other responsibilities that may be identified by the USW Council
• May join a search committee, as requested by the Area or Area network, for the purpose of identifying new Area Department Coordinators
• Is fiscally responsible; reviews USW finances (including approving an annual budget); submits personal expenses for reimbursement in a timely manner, as specified by the USW Council finance team
• Attends LLL events, as she is able, USW funding permitting, and if her participation is working to purpose
• Brings the perspective of ACLs to USW Council; provides the perspective of the USW Council to the ACL network
• Works by mutual accountability, agreements and distributed leadership
• Implements policies established by the LLLI Board of Directors
• Represents all Leaders in the USW, not just her Area or Department
• Writes articles for eConnect

Helpful qualifications include:

• Is responsive to questions and enjoys working with other Leaders
• Communicates verbally and in writing, using a respectful and effective manner and within a timely response period
• Can delegate and meet multiple deadlines
• Has organizational skills and gives attention to detail
• Is flexible and can work under pressure
• Has or can develop decision-making ability
• Has Internet access and is comfortable using e-mail as a main form of communication

The USW Council is looking to add at least two Leaders to support ACLs by September 1, 2010.  Send your recommendations for candidates to Nancy March, nmarch@lllused.org  by August 1, 2010. 

Recommended candidates will be contacted by a member of the search committee and will be asked to respond to initial questions via email and will participate in a telephone interview so that all parties can decide if working on USW Council is a good fit for the recommended Leader. 

If this position is one that interests you, please contact Nancy March and tell her what you can bring to the ACL support network and the USW Council.  We look forward to hearing from you!

When submitting recommendations, please:

• Give us the recommended Leader’s name and contact information
• Share a brief statement about why you think she would be a good candidate for this position
• Let us know if the recommended Leader is aware of your recommendation and if she is interested in pursuing this work
• Give us your name and contact information

Thank you, for participating in the selection of new members to USW Council, for the purpose of supporting USW ACLs.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Search Committee Members:

• Peggy Wiedmeyer                               
• Pam Mills
• Nancy March                                      
• ACL (to be determined)

 

Contact Nancy at: nmarch@lllused.org

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Other Help Wanted

USWD staff is looking for one or more people to help and mentor with various projects. Team players are needed to share their skills with other Leaders.

USWD welcomes and would appreciate Leaders to help with these facets of our work:

• Working to implement policies enacted by the LLLI Board of Directors
• Supporting/mentoring members of local administrative teams
• Supporting/mentoring members of networks/departments

Do you have these interests and the desire/willingness to help?

• Interest in the bigger picture of LLL
• Willingness to support and implement the decisions of the LLLI Board of Directors

Do you have a particular skill or interest you would like to share with USWD Leaders?
What is it and how might you see yourself sharing it with other USWD Leaders?

Mentoring Groups

Leaders bring a wealth of experience to LLL. Many have outside-LLLL experience that LLL can benefit from. Many more have volunteered in a variety of ways within LLL. We are exploring ways that expertixe can benefit LLL in ongoing ways.

One way USWD provides help and support to USWD Leaders is through the work of Department/Network mentors. These Leaders have volunteered to make themselves available to help in a variety of ways as needed.

If this is something you might be interested in, please contact USWD Staff (below) or any staff member.

For more information, contact the USWD Staff at uswdstaff@llluswd.org.