Manual of Procedure

III. Interim Meeting

All members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting are members of Interim Meeting and are welcome to attend its meetings. Interim Meeting acts for the Yearly Meeting in the intervals between its sessions. It meets at least three times a year and on call as necessary.

In order to assure wide participation in Interim Meeting, each Monthly Meeting in the Yearly Meeting is requested to appoint one person to attend Interim Meetings. Ordinarily, no one serves consecutively as Monthly Meeting appointee for more than six years.

Others expected to participate in Interim Meeting are:

• the officers of the Yearly Meeting: the Presiding Clerk, the retiring Presiding Clerk (for one year following retirement), the Recording Clerk, the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer. The Presiding Clerk of Yearly Meeting serves as an alternate to the Clerk of Interim Meeting and the Recording Clerk of Yearly Meeting serves as an alternate to the Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting.
• the Clerk and the Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting.
• the clerks selected by each of the standing administrative and functional committees of the Yearly Meeting including the clerk of Trustees and the Clerks of Baltimore Yearly Meeting Young Friends Nuts and Bolts Committee and Young Adult Friends.
• Friends selected to serve on the Search Committee of Interim Meeting and on the Supervisory Committee.

The functions of Interim Meeting are:

• to consider recommendations from standing committees and working groups as needed between Annual Sessions.
• to define staffing needs, set staff compensation policies, and be the employer of record. Interim Meeting selects, employs, and defines the responsibilities of the General Secretary.
• to nominate for approval of Yearly Meeting in session persons to serve as Presiding Clerk, Recording Clerk, Clerk of Interim Meeting, Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, members of the Supervisory Committee, and members of the Nominating Committee.
• to appoint from the floor a Naming Committee of two Friends to nominate Friends for appointment to fill the vacancies on the Search Committee.
• to fill vacancies among Yearly Meeting or Interim Meeting officers, or on the Supervisory Committee or the Nominating Committee, when such occur between sessions of the Yearly Meeting.
• to conduct necessary correspondence in the name of the Yearly Meeting between sessions.
• to make sure that adjustments are made in the number of trustees of any corporation to comply with legal requirements.
• to re-examine the function and structure of any Yearly Meeting committee when necessary and make appropriate recommendations to the Yearly Meeting to enable the committee to carry out the concerns placed upon it.
• to consider proposed changes in the Manual of Procedure, report on its actions to those who initiated the proposal, and forward changes to the Yearly Meeting as approved.
• to carry out such other responsibilities as the Yearly Meeting may refer to it.

The Naming Committee is appointed on Spring Yearly Meeting Day, and served for one year or until a new Committee is appointed. The Naming Committee usually presents its recommendations to Interim Meeting on Summer Yearly Meeting Day. At any time the Naming Committee may present to Interim Meeting nominations to fill vacancies on the Search Committee that occur during the year.

Committees of Interim Meeting

Search Committee

The Search Committee is composed of six persons, two appointed each year to serve a three-year term. They are nominated by an ad hoc Naming Committee and appointed by Interim Meeting. Their service begins immediately after the Annual Session of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Search Committee members attend Interim Meeting. No person may serve for more than six consecutive years. The Committee may not co-opt additional members.

The Search Committee nominates persons to serve as Presiding Clerk, Recording Clerk, Clerk of Interim Meeting, Recording Clerk of Interim Meeting, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, members of the Supervisory Committee, and members of the Nominating Committee. In order to fill these positions with Friends well qualified to best serve the Yearly Meeting, the committee not only strives to consider each individual’s experience and spiritual gifts, but also strives to draw these gifted Friends from diverse age groups, genders, racial identities, ethnicities, and geographical regions. These nominations are proposed to Interim Meeting and, if approved, are forwarded to the Yearly Meeting. The Search Committee usually presents these nominations on behalf of Interim Meeting at Annual Session.

The Search Committee usually reports to Interim Meeting on Summer Yearly Meeting Day. If the Search Committee is able to fill any remaining vacancies after Summer Yearly Meeting Day, it may bring these nominations directly to the Yearly Meeting sessions. At any time the Committee may present to Interim Meeting nominations to fill vacancies which occur during the year.

On Spring Yearly Meeting Day, Interim Meeting appoints from the floor a Naming Committee of two Friends to nominate Friends for appointment to fill the vacancies on the Search Committee. This Committee serves for one year or until a new Committee is appointed. The Committee usually presents its recommendations to Interim Meeting on Summer Yearly Meeting Day. At any time the Committee may present to Interim Meeting nominations to fill vacancies on the Search Committee which occur during the year.

As with other nominating bodies, the Search Committee normally does not nominate any of its own members for other responsibility.

Supervisory Committee

The Supervisory Committee is composed of the Clerk of Interim Meeting, the Presiding Clerk, the Treasurer of the Yearly Meeting, and four additional members of the Yearly Meeting nominated by the Interim Meeting for appointment by the Yearly Meeting. The Committee may not co-opt additional members. The Supervisory Committee is clerked by the Clerk of Interim Meeting or one of the four appointed members.

The four persons appointed by the Yearly Meeting also attend Interim Meeting. Two of these members are appointed annually for terms of two years. Generally, none of the members may serve on the Supervisory Committee for more than six consecutive years. An individual may again be appointed after a one-year break in service. Terms begin at the end of the Yearly Meeting sessions at which the appointment is made.

The General Secretary is responsible to this committee, specifically to its Clerk. The Committee as a whole guides and supports the work of the General Secretary. The Supervisory Committee writes a position description for the General Secretary to be approved by the Interim Meeting. The Supervisory Committee also ensures the support and nourishment of the staff.

The Supervisory Committee creates, reviews and updates written personnel policies. Supervisory Committee approves written position descriptions of all office staff. The Committee may delegate writing position descriptions to the General Secretary who will consult with appropriate committees and Supervisory Committee. Position descriptions changes that would affect the Yearly Meeting budget need the approval of the Interim Meeting.

The Supervisory Committee recommends staff compensation policies to Interim Meeting, annually sets specific compensation levels for individual staff, annually reports compensation totals in aggregate form to Interim Meeting, and provides guidance to the General Secretary in the employment of staff.

The Committee will review and remain familiar with the content of the Youth Safety Policy (Appendix D to this Manual) in order to ensure that the practices of the Committee reflect the guidelines adopted to promote the safety of our youth and youth workers. The Committee will ensure that any necessary staff and volunteer training is provided and that programs and events are carried out in compliance with policy guidelines.

The Supervisory Committee also oversees the maintenance of the office property and grounds and the acquisition and maintenance of office equipment and any other fixed assets. Authority for the expenditure of funds for normal maintenance up to a stated dollar amount may be delegated to the General Secretary.

The Supervisory Committee annually provides budget recommendations to the Stewardship and Finance Committee for office staff salaries and benefits and for the maintenance of building, equipment, and grounds. As appropriate, the Supervisory Committee will inform the Stewardship and Finance Committee of needed adjustments to the budget.

In addition, this Committee carries out such duties as the Interim Meeting specifically assigns to it, and, between meetings of the Interim Meeting, may act upon urgent matters not involving policy nor of such importance as to justify a special session of the Interim Meeting. When acting upon urgent matters between meetings of Interim Meeting, the Committee will confer with standing committees of the Yearly Meeting that hold a concern for the subject matter being considered and will make decisions with direct involvement of those committees. All such actions are to be reported to the Interim Meeting at its next session.