Common Fire is emerging from three very intense years of launching our first project, the Common Fire Housing Co-op. The rewards have been tremendous. Besides the clear impact of both the community and the green building aspects of the project, it has allowed all of us at Common Fire an opportunity to refine our sense of how Common Fire can best focus its energies and expertise; it has helped us develop a large network of people inspired by our work; and it's given us tremendous credibility.

All of this has translated into a tremendous enthusiasm both inside and outside the organization to move forward with our next projects and programs. We have been looking forward to beginning work on a retreat center/community-based institute as well as a retreats and a camp for youth and young adults, not to mention further housing co-ops. There is increasing momentum building behind some exciting partnerships in all of these areas.

However, before we dive in to these opportunities, we are clear the most important thing we need to do is focus our attention on developing the kind of infrastructure and leadership in the organization that will allow us to move effectively and with integrity into this pending dramatic growth:
-- staying connected with our core values and vision, both as individuals and as an organization
-- being strategic about how we prioritize where we put our resources
-- being clear about how to shape programs to best fit our mission and vision
-- doing the personal and interpersonal work to allow each person involved to bring their full selves to the process and to move through challenging times with grace
-- balancing our use of the resources we have to move programs forward while also doing the work to connect with greater resources to maximize our potential
-- being honest about who is at the table in making decisions and how that affects the long term relevance of our work

The Common Fire Foundation is several months into a year-long process of deliberating what kind of leadership structure, decision-making processes, and internal culture will best align with our vision of the more just and sustainable world for all. We are increasingly clear on the kinds of questions we want to examine over the course of this year, and beyond. With time we expect those conversations will lead to a more solid sense of what the answers look like for Common Fire, and we will share those here.

In the meanwhile, we offer some of those questions here to give a sense of the path we are walking.

• How do we do our work in a way that is means to ends consistent?
• How do we forge deep and vibrant relationships among people within the organization to work most effectively in both challenging times and smooth times? What kind of relationships will create the sense of shared purpose and responsibility that will bring out the best in everyone and help them through rough times? And what kind of relationships best honor the transformative work we want to do in the world, starting with ourselves?
• What does it look like to prioritize those kinds of relationships, to create the time and structure to nurture them?
• What does it mean to be an organization committed to acting on a shared vision of a diversity of people? What do we mean when we say we are committed to being a diverse organization, serving diverse people through our programs? In particular what do these things mean within the context of an organization committed to creating new ways of being in the world, with a strong social justice and environmental mission?
• Beyond the legal requirements, what role should a board play, particularly in organizations concerned with transcending traditional power dynamics – and given the awful reputation most board have? Are there other bodies or positions that can with greater integrity or effectiveness assume either some of the traditional responsibilities of boards or new ones to allow the board to operate with greater integrity and effectiveness?
• What role should staff and constituents play in decisionmaking at the board level? To what degree does a hierarchy/division of responsibilities and accountability serve the broader purpose of the organization or undermine it?
• Does a clear distinction between the “realm of the board” and the “realm of staff” make sense within organizations concerned with transcending traditional power dynamics? If so what should those clear distinctions be? Do some of the traditional distinctions align with our values and goals? Are there some that are “effective” regardless of the organization’s mission and values?
• Within an organization particularly committed to diversity and to serving a social justice mission, how can new board members best be recruited and oriented?
• How can such a body make decisions that allows the greatest individual and collective wisdom to emerge from the group, and that creates the greatest sense of investment in those decisions and in the organization? In particular are there models of consensus that would be particularly appropriate for us?
• In what ways can there be opportunities for feedback and support for growth among board members, both collectively and individually, and in what ways can there be regular accountability for the board and its members?
• Are there roles individual board members should play, either in meetings our outside meetings, to best support the health and effectiveness of the board members collectively and individually, roles that transcend or even abandon the traditional president, vp, secretary, treasurer?