Board of Directors

The International Focusing Institute (TIFI) is a non-profit organization, non-governmental organization, registered with the United States government as a 501(c)3 since 1985. The Board of Directors is the legal entity which has responsibility for the organization, ensuring its compliance with all US laws, including ensuring that our resources are used for the sole purpose of accomplishing our mission. Board members serve 3-year terms and can serve a second term, at which point they must rotate off. They can be re-appointed to the Board after having been off for at least one year.

The Board hires the Executive Director to manage the day-to-day operations, and the ED is the supervisor of staff. If you have questions or comments about TIFI, it is usually most efficient to address your them to staff, but the Board also warmly welcomes direct communication. Write them at [email protected].

The following is the text of a document "About the Board" which was approved by the Board in December 2020:

About the TIFI board
This is intended to be an outline of what the board is for and how it functions. It is not the final word on the subject, and it can be updated as and when necessary.

The board

The board consists of a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, and up to eight other directors.
The executive director of is an ex-officio member.
Candidates for new directors are recommended by the TIFI nominating committee, and the board decides who of these to appoint.
Directors are drawn from the worldwide membership, although some must be from the USA since
TIFI is a US non-profit organisation. The aim is to have a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, including experience of the international Focusing community, organisational governance, finances, and internet and social media issues. Directors may also be appointed from beyond the Focusing community if they bring relevant experience and skills with them.
Directors are appointed for three year terms which can be renewed for a further three years.
The board’s responsibilities, powers and general remit are outlined below.

The role of the board

The board is responsible for the stewardship of TIFI and for oversight of its activities, including policy, goals, programmes, and finances. It must act to fulfil this responsibility when the need arises.
The executive director answers to the board, and is responsible for implementing policy and
managing the day-to-day conduct of activities. The board agrees aims and objectives with the
executive director each year, and then assesses her or his performance in meeting them.
The board liaises with the international leadership council to ensure that the views of
coordinators and members of the worldwide Focusing community are taken into account when
making decisions on TIFI’s activities and policies.

Specifically, the board is responsible for:

policies regarding governance
the strategic planning process, and reviewing the organisation’s strategic business plan as proposed by the executive director each year
statements of the vision, mission and values of TIFI
training, monitoring and succession planning for the executive director, and overseeing her or his integrity

The following obligations are imposed by US law on non-profit organisations:

to act honestly and in good faith
to exercise care, diligence and skill
to exercise independent judgement
to demonstrate a willingness to listen as well as to express opinions

What the by-laws say
The main provisions as regards the board are as follows:

the board is responsible for managing the affairs of TIFI (3.1)
there are between three and ten board members from anywhere in the world, who serve for three to six years (3.2)
new directors can be appointed by the current directors, usually from a list of candidates presented by the Nominating committee (3.3)
directors can resign at any time (3.4)
directors are not paid but their expenses may be reimbursed (3.5)
a director may be removed by a two-thirds majority (3.6)
at least three directors are needed for a quorum at meetings; there is an annual meeting at which an annual report and accounts are presented and agreed (4.1)
two or more directors may call a special meeting (4.2)
decisions are made by consensus wherever possible, otherwise the president may call for a vote (5)
board members choose who will be president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer (6)

Board meetings
These are usually held online on the second Friday of each month for two hours starting at 12 noon New York time. Meetings can be held at other times if necessary by agreement. The board may meet with or without the executive director. Board members are asked to make every effort to attend all meetings.

The president prepares an agenda a few days in advance and sends it to all members. The monthly agenda will usually include:

an attunement at the beginning
approving the minutes of the previous meeting, and reviewing any action items
reporting from the executive director
reporting from members on their portfolios
any other business
closing felt sense contributions

Minutes of meetings are taken by board members on a rotating basis. They should be completed and sent out as soon as possible after the meeting.

Matters requiring the approval of the board
The following matters require the approval of the board:

annual and quarterly financial statements
the annual budget
the annual Goals and Plans document, as submitted by the executive director
the appointment of new board members, the president, vice-president, and treasurer
any debt financing
any material change to the business of TIFI not in keeping with the approved budget and annual Goals and Plans document

Daily management decisions do not require the approval of the board. The executive director may consult with the president as to whether a particular matter should be brought to the board for approval.

In addition, the executive director consults with the board over significant decisions and take their views into account. These include:

initiating and ending major projects
initiating and ending significant elements of TIFI’s public programme
anything involving substantial expenditure or expenditure that exceeds the budget
the hiring or dismissing of staff and major contractors
significant changes to salaries, fees, and payment of bonuses

Portfolios
Each board member is responsible for overseeing a particular aspect of TIFI’s management and activities, such as:

finance
fundraising
membership
programmes
governance
the Gendlin Centre
the website

Board members advise and support the executive director on their portfolio, and report back to other board members about them. They are flexible and can be changed.

Reports to the board
The executive director is responsible for producing the following reports for board members:

an annual report written for the public
an annual report for the board that goes into more detail than the public report
an annual budget (in cooperation with the board treasurer)
an annual Goals and Plans document for the year to come which is in keeping with the strategic direction as defined by the board, and which should include
-- major projects that will be started, ended or continued
-- plans for significant changes in staffing or compensation for staff
-- other relevant items
quarterly financial reports
monthly updates that keep board members informed of TIFI affairs

These reports should be accurate and timely, and the board should review their quality.

Bill Gayner (Canada)	Darryl Commings (USA)	Florentina Sassoli (Argentina)
Eveline Moor Züllig (Switzerland)	Tom Larkin (Ireland)	Detlef Girke (Germany)
Laura Bavalics (Hungary)

Board Member Details

Bill Gayner, Canada
President
In his first term, serving until mid-2027.
(Eligible for appointment to another 3-year term at that time.)
(Bio)

Darryl Commings, USA
Treasurer
In his second term, serving until mid-2027.
(Bio)

Florentina Sassoli, Argentina
In her second term, serving until mid-2027.
(Bio)

Eveline Moor Züllig, Switzerland
Vice President
In her second term, serving until mid-2028.
(Bio)

Tom Larkin, Ireland
Secretary
In his first term, serving until mid-2027.
(Eligible for appointment to another 3-year term at that time.)
(Bio)

Detlef Girke, Germany
In his first term, serving until mid-2028.
(Eligible for appointment to another 3-year term at that time.)
(Bio)

Laura Bavalics, Hungary
In her first term, serving until mid-2029.
(Eligible for appointment to another 3-year term at that time.)
(Bio)

Statement on Diversity of Approaches

(approved by the Board of Directors December 2021)

Focusing and Thinking at the Edge always honor what arises freshly in the moment. Frozen structures are antithetical to the ethic of felt sensing. Focusing and Thinking at the Edge and how they are taught by our certified teachers will not be standardized. It is a core value of TIFI that diversity of approaches will be protected. Constructive critiques are welcome among our teachers or between TIFI and individuals presenting or applying practices which arise from Gendlin’s philosophy of the implicit. These should be offered by means of open, respectful communication. TIFI itself will seek to honor the value of diversity of approaches in its offerings.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

(approved by the Board of Directors December 2022)

This statement was written by the Board of Directors of The International Focusing Institute (TIFI), with input from our members. It is a statement intended to cover the governance and operations of TIFI. While it is not binding on our members, the Board hopes that all members of the community will join us in the spirit of this statement.

It is inherent to Focusing to respect all persons as individual human beings. The heart of experiential listening is to put aside assumptions and pre-conceived ideas as much as possible, in order to respect a person for who they are. Each person is influenced by their various identities, situations and communities but never defined by them. Historically and to this day, there are many groups and individuals that are discriminated against. Some of the significant ones include those based on sexual orientation and gender, age, race and ethnicity, national origin, economic status or caste, religious affiliation and beliefs, appearance, and physical ability or disability. We recognize that none of us is immune to biases which make us elevate one group above another. Therefore, we strive to be ever more conscious of our individual and group prejudices.

TIFI is an international non-profit organization with members in more than 50 countries. We are richly diverse internationally. We aspire to be still more diverse, equitable and inclusive, and to make our operations, governance and programming ever more open to all people. Rigid social structures that do not honor the breadth of human diversity are antithetical to our work.

Our efforts include:

Seeing diversity, equity and inclusion as ongoing processes, and remaining open to what might be more fitting to the moment, endeavoring afresh as new understandings emerge
Being willing to stay with the discomfort that can arise when we are confronted with our failure to be diverse, equitable and inclusive
Navigating through any tensions which arise in a compassionate way, using our tools of Focusing and Thinking at the Edge
Seeing diversity, equity and inclusion as connected to our mission “to keep Focusing alive and available to everyone”
Intentionally expanding offerings to meet the needs of underrepresented constituencies
Reducing barriers to participation for those living on low incomes and those with disabilities
Learning to become more aware of biases, unquestioned assumptions and habits which may create unwelcoming or unsafe spaces

DEI Scholarship Fund

The Board of The International Focusing Institute proudly established the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarship Fund in August 2023.

This fund is a concrete means by which the Board is expressing its aspiration for TIFI to be “still more diverse, equitable and inclusive, and to make our operations, governance and programming ever more open to all people.”

The Focusing world is very diverse in terms of its international character; we have people of many cultures, languages and backgrounds represented. This is one of the things that makes being part of the Focusing community so enriching and delightful. There are some countries and demographic groups, however, where we have noticeably fewer people.

As our DEI statement indicates: “Historically and to this day, there are many groups and individuals that are discriminated against. Some of the significant ones include those based on sexual orientation and gender, age, race and ethnicity, national origin, economic status or caste, religious affiliation and beliefs, appearance, and physical ability or disability.” It is important to us that the wonderful benefits of Focusing and felt sensing be available to all, and that we eliminate those traditional barriers as much as we can.

People from any underrepresented group will be eligible for this new scholarship. At this time, the Board is especially committed to ensuring that young people (age 30 and younger) and members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community feel welcome to participate in all aspects of TIFI’s programming, and so we will be making special efforts to encourage those in these groups to apply.

We ask that you join us in this commitment to diversity by making a donation of any amount to the DEI Scholarship Fund. Thank you!