July 22, 2012 -- Update and ideas for upcoming elections

July 22, 2012

MEMORANDUM

TO: HDF Board of Directors

FROM: Johnny Celestin

RE: Update and ideas for upcoming elections

Intro

Following the publication of my initial paper to the board and ahead of our preparation to elect a new board, I want to quickly highlight in this note what I hope can be a roadmap in the next few months for the Federation.

This update is the summary of our progress in the last few months. It is intended to serve three purposes. First, it is a reminder of what we committed to doing during my tenure as Interim Executive Director.  Second, it provides a summary of recent activities and finally it presents a set of action items to be undertaken by the Board at our next meeting and the following few months.

To start, I want to go back to the priorities I laid out in my November memo titled “Recommendation for taking the Federation to the next level” in which I proposed the use of the three ‘R’s” going forward: restructure, rebuild and rebrand.

In the Restructured section I recommended making the Executive Director position, which I accepted, an interim role with three main tasks:

·       Develop and obtain agreement on HDF strategy and programmes

·       Develop an outreach and fundraising plan to expand and support HDF’s programmes and operations

·       Recruit and hire a permanent Executive Director

My second recommendation was the creation of an Advisory Council that would be “representative of the major diaspora enclaves and include up to 30 members.  The participants will be appointed by the current BOD, abide by the Federation’s existing rules and will require a personal and financial commitment as per our bylaws.  The Council’s recommendations will be binding on the Federation upon a vote by the majority of members in good standing.”

Finally, I recommended that we undertake a rebranding effort that responds to the criticisms we have received and ensure that the Federation is known and “recognized as an open, democratic and committed organization that fights on behalf of all Haitians. “

Update

Based on these priorities I have engaged the board on a limited basis in the last few months in order to focus on building the basics.  To begin, I wanted to focus on the operational aspect of the organization starting with our registration for the 501c3 status with the IRS.  This process was completed and we are now waiting for a response.

Second, it took a tremendous team effort and commitment but we planned and held a successful investment forum in Miami with a turnout of 136 attendees.  I am developing further relationships based on the meetings we had with key potential partners.

The final component has been more circumspect and the goal was to assess the level of community support for the Federation.  The good and bad news is that we learned nothing new in that the community continues to see value in having a Federation.  Still, they do not fully understand our mission, organizational structure and most importantly how they can be engaged in the Federation’s work.    

This assessment also highlighted the fact that all the organizations and members of the community we spoke with indicated an interest in being engaged.  However, our greatest challenge is in organizing the community or communities within the diaspora. The work we hope to do in our communities start from a position of deficit of trust and of resources that are amplified by a lack of community cohesiveness – hence, my use of communities within the larger Haitian family.  There is neither a shared view of the “Haitian community” nor a shared understanding and even less of a shared vision.  While these particular challenges are too large to tackle in a simple memo, it is an important to point them out so that are not forgotten in our deliberations. 

As a result, my primary intent in this update is to focus on how the Federation can begin to position itself to respond to the challenges we face within the context of our mission statement, which in part is about creating a vibrant Haitian community.  In the next section I make a few suggestions, which includes changes in our board structure and the creation of three committees.

Next Steps

The most important action item we need to take is to lighten our board structure.  As we plan the elections, I want to recommend that we create an executive board that has a membership of ideally five members instead of the larger board we now have.  The current structure is hard to manage and make it difficult to obtain a quorum, which is needed for the organization to function effectively.  Instead, I want to propose a smaller but highly engaged and active Exec. board.  The executive board would focus on the broad governance of the organization and shift the core of the detailed work to a committee level.   Therefore, I am also recommending the creation or restructuring of three committees: Finance, Governance, and Outreach.  Each committee will include at least one Executive Board member and general members.

The committees will be responsible for the following:

·       The Finance committee would be responsible for the coordination of our fundraising efforts and financial oversight. 

·       The Governance committee would be tasked with Program Monitoring and Evaluation, Board Self-Assessment, and updating our bylaws. 

·       Lastly, the Outreach committee would be outward facing and responsible for our community engagement as well as membership drives.   As part of a broader undertaking this committee working with the Governance committee would be responsible for assembling the Advisory Council. 

The Council is a representative group of lay leaders with a focus on emerging leaders that will review and comment upon the Federation’s strategy.  I will say a few words later on the need to expand more of our time and efforts on the younger generation of Haitians/Haitian-Americans.

Although the Executive Board would have to define and agree on the Council’s remit, I want to suggest two possible goals:

1.    The Council would convene meetings with community organizations to take into account agency concerns and to build support for a new paradigm. It will be critical to illustrate that the federated approach is truly a win/win for all members.

2.   The Council should develop detailed steps to begin to effect cultural change, including specific Federation actions, as well as specific programmatic activities.

To achieve these goals, the Federation must recognize and accept its responsibility as a coordinating force in the community.  However, to do so will require that we provide the leadership for our community to become engaged.  Our work has to be about encouraging community members and organizations to embrace a set of shared goals and actively work together to achieve them.  Much work has been done on that front including the 2012 Investment Forum, the Rebuilding Haiti: Horizon 2030 conference held by the Groupe de réflexion et d’action pour une Haïti nouvelle (GRAHN), the Lott Carey Haiti Collaborative and Oxfam America’s Haiti Diaspora Forum both held in Washington DC, the Organization of American States (OAS) Haitian Diaspora Forum in Washington DC, the pre-planning meetings held by the Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition (HAGC) in Miami, the Haitians Building Haiti conference held in Massachusetts,  to name just a few.

All of this work has been done using the community’s meager resources. The Federation must have no higher priority than engagement and we have a professional obligation to build on these efforts.

Most of the changes I have suggested above can be carried out at little or no cost. However, we will need to be attuned to a different target group, which communicates and interacts differently than the first generation of Haitian-Americans.  As I mentioned above I believe we need to expand more efforts targeting the younger generation of Haitian-Americans.  Some in this generation either don’t know how to engage with the community, while others are disenchanted with the current leadership or simply do not view leadership in the same way.  Although we have much to learn from the older generation of leaders, our work is over a long timeframe and requires that we begin to build up the new generation of Haitian-American leadership now.  This does not negate or minimize the contribution of the previous generation and indeed it builds on it, but with limited resources we need to have a focused approach and more efficient allocation of our resources.

Other changes will take longer and require significant resources.  We all know that culturally Haitians need to see before they believe so it is my view that the Federation will need to raise significant funds to invest in engagement efforts in the U.S. as well as in Haiti.  These funds would be used for promoting community engagement locally as well as in Haiti.  They would also be used to support highly visible projects in Haiti given priority to those that leverages other resources – public and private.  

In summary, I am suggesting in this paper that we a) stay focus on what we agreed to do based on the three R’s paper that the board approved; b) we need to modify the board’s structure through the creation of an Executive Board that is smaller, nimble and active.  They will be supported by three committees: Finance, Governance, and Outreach; c) we need to identify and build the next generation of Haitian-Americans; and d) we need to build on the work that has already been done by us and other organizations in the community.  These recommendations, I hope will be the basis for the next board meeting scheduled for Saturday morning August 1 at 8:00 AM.

As always, I look forward to your comments, criticisms and ideas on how to make our work together more productive.

January 22, 2012 -- Update to the HDF Board

Dear colleagues,

I want to use this short memo to outline the objectives of our conversation tomorrow night. 

A couple of months ago, you approved the transition strategy I proposed for HDF, which included (a) the creation of an advisory council, (b) the successful realization of the investment forum, and the restructuring the HDF’s operations to support our two programs (Advocacy and Integration of Haitians Living Abroad in Haiti’s Civic Life).  For each of these areas, I need your support and more importantly your participation and active engagement.   I hope tomorrow to have a good and robust discussion regarding our plans and timeline for the activities we will undertake over the next few months. 

The meeting will focus on three topics:

First, I want to start with the issues of operations.  Since its inception, HDF has not been a real organization.  The problems we faced are inherent to volunteer-led organizations in that we do not have the financial resources and therefore the staff to carry out the mandates of the board. Our very good intentions have to be matched by our actions.  In spite of these difficulties and the limitations caused by my other obligations,  I have agreed to fill the role of interim ED because my experience and observations over the past two years have reinforced my personal belief in the need for the Federation.  It is unnecessary to enumerate the number of ways in which Haitians and particularly the ways in which the Haitian community abroad has been sidelined in the reconstruction and even the conversation about the reconstruction.  Whether it is in the major power centers (Washington DC, the UN in NYC, or the Republic of PaP), the voice of the general public has been muted.  And that’s been the result of our lack of cohesion and inability to build strong institutions that can defend our common interests. 

In tomorrow night ‘s meeting, I want us to have a frank conversation about your own views and commitments to HDF.  This conversation is an important precursor to what will be needed to carry out the vision of HDF that brought us together.  My hope is that all of you agree that the Federation is needed now more than ever. More importantly, you will reaffirm this commitment in words as well as deeds to make history.

In the interim, I am focusing my limited time on building the infrastructure necessary to support our current work.  In the immediate future, this infrastructure will be based on the commitment of volunteers and members who, like you, believe that the sacrifices to help build HDF into a strong institution are an imperative necessity for our community.  I will also ask each of you to think about how you can put your gifts, network to the service of the Federation and the broader community.  Additionally, once we finalize our fiscal sponsorship, I will ask you to pay the annual dues and indeed go above and beyond it, either on behalf of the organizations that you represent or in your personal capacity.  I have submitted a request to Rethink Haiti to serve as our fiscal sponsor.  Rethink Haiti is a registered 501c3 organization on which Major Bernadel serves as Chairman.

I have completed the operational transition with Wiener and plan to:

• Redesign our website
• Review our finances
• Complete the 2011 tax filing
• Finalize our 501c3 filing
• Develop a communications strategy (see attached created w. the help of Carla Murphy)
• Develop an outreach plan (see attached created w. the help of Laurette Backer)

Second, I’d like us to discuss the issues of governance.  As of now, we have a number of ad-hoc committees that are inactive.  I want to propose that we keep three:

1.     Advisory Council on which I hope most if not all current board members will participate

2.     Finance committee.  This committee only had two members (Wiener and Francois).  This committee has not been very active and I am hoping to have at least three members – one of which should be Mjr. Bernadel if his board approves our fiscal sponsorship request.

3.     Communications committee.  In addition to current members, I have three potential volunteers to help in this area (Véronique Pluviose-Fenton, Samuel Maxime and Laurette).  We also have a number of other friends and colleagues who are willing to support our efforts

One of the responsibilities of the Council will be to revise our bylaws to reflect our new strategy and goals.

Overview of the May-December Timeframe

The plan for the remainder of the year is to work towards implementing a strategic planning process with the advisory council that culminates in a set of proposals for a December Board approval.  I expect the work on the two programs that were approved to continue but will in some way link with any new programs/objectives.  Our December Board presentation is planned to provide an overview in strategy and budget for the 2013-2015 timeframe as well as the results of discussions concerning allocations across programs and proposed as well as potential campaigns.

With the Advisory Council having more regular meetings, I propose that we have four Board meetings for the remainder of 2012 - May, August, October and December. Working back from the proposed December approval of a 3-year strategy, we would use both May and September as update sessions from the Advisory Council.  The October meeting would be an opportunity to make revision on the final draft report and begin to plan the December meeting, which will be a formal congress when we hold new elections, approve the new strategy, and onboard the new Executive Director.

I define success in this role if we are able to:

• Implement a successful investment forum in April at Sustainable Haiti

• Have at least 150 attendees and raise at $25,000 for HDF

• Launch the Advisory Council

• Add at least 15 new members
• Approve a 3-year strategy by December
• Identify the permanent E.D. by December

• Raise the profile of HDF in local and international media

• Participate in at least 12 interviews with the top 5 media outlets (prints, radio and TV)
• Participate in at least 3 forum to promote HDF

I look forward to speaking with you all and as always, feel free to email or call me with any questions about this or any other operational issues. 

Warmly,

Johnny 

Recommendation for taking the Federation to the next level

November 12, 2011

MEMORANDUM

TO: HDF Board of Directors

FROM: Johnny Celestin

RE: Recommendation for taking the Federation to the next level

During its most recent meeting on Sunday 6 November 2011, the Haitian Diaspora Federation Board of Directors (BOD) asked me to take on the Executive Director role of the organization because Wiener Rouzeau, who recently held this position, had decided to step down for health reasons. Although I have not yet decided to accept the position, I am deeply humbled by the BOD’s unanimous vote in favor of my candidacy.

As I consider whether I can be useful in the efforts to move the Haitian Diaspora Federation (HDF) forward, I promised the BOD that I would think about the issues HDF face and lay out a plan of action, which would be considered a commitment between HDF and myself.  This plan will serve as a way to keep me accountable.  Most importantly, it will ensure that we share a common vision for moving forward. 

I am proud to have been involved with HDF from its inception.  I know firsthand the tremendous efforts and sacrifices that have been made to get it to where it is today.  I also know the criticisms the organization has received from the diaspora.  The harsh critiques of the Federation are in a way an acknowledgement of the importance of HDF for the diaspora community and the expectation it has of our leadership.  Although HDF has not been fully accepted as the single voice for the Haitian diaspora, in just about a year it has gained prominence among political circles in the United States as well as Haiti.  However, we should be clear that no organization could ever be the only voice of our diverse community – though we should strive to be as representative as possible.  The challenge before HDF today is to grow its recognition among the grassroots so that we can emerge as one, if not the most prominent voice of Haitians Living Abroad (HLA).  While we have to respond to the criticisms, it is also important to highlight that a number of other organizations much older than the Federation have unsuccessfully endeavored to unite the Haitian diaspora community and we must learn from their efforts.  In my view the criticisms we have received are an indication that the diaspora does indeed view the Federation as a singular opportunity to bridge the gap between our community’s hopes and the realities of building a strong institution.  Indeed, from its inception HDF was created on a platform to address the concerns of the very diverse HLA community, regardless of their professional backgrounds or political affiliations. At present, HDF has a membership of 30 organizations that hails from Boston to Miami, Chicago to Georgia and from Canada to Paris to name a few places where our members operate. We need to take pride in that achievement and aim higher.

The HDF has played a major role over the past year in reaching out to policymakers to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the US and the US-based diaspora in particular.  We have been a partner of the US State Department’s effort to inform the diaspora about the commitments made by the United States and the reconstruction strategy it developed in partnership with its bilateral counterparts in Haiti.  While key members of the Federation have worked hard behind the scenes to maintain this engagement, we have not done a good job cobranding the activities that stem from our advocacy.  We continue to advocate the US government to stay engaged in Haiti and to work with Haiti’s elected government and civil society.  I want to emphasize the importance of this point as it affects how the Federation positions itself going forward.  There are a number of voices in the community who are calling for the diaspora to develop its own plan for Haiti.  From the very beginning, those of us who were involved in the creation of HDF considered, debated and rejected that approach.  We believed that Haiti as an independent and democratic country has the right and the obligation to develop its own reconstruction plan to which its civil society and international partners will hold its elected leaders accountable.  While this should be informed and influenced by civil society, we did not believe that it was up to the diaspora to develop a reconstruction plan for Haiti.  This is a principle worth remembering and the Federation’s stakeholders should reaffirm it as we move forward. 

I want to introduce a couple of other ideas in this memo, which I hope you will support as additional principles for the Federation.  At its formation, we made the decision that HDF would be an apolitical organization.  We use that term to mean that the Federation does not and will not have any political affiliation. I believe very strongly that we should maintain that position inasmuch as we do not officially endorse any political parties.  This principle ensures that the Federation remains a space for all HLA to debate and engage on issues that affect Haiti and Haitians without the specter of political division.  I would suggest however that being apolitical is not the same as being non-political.  For example, we have agreed to be advocates for Haiti and Haitian-related issues and the dual citizenship is one such issue that has important political implications.  Rather than focus on the term, I would suggest that we engage in activism, which is in essence a political act that is different than being in politics. 

Over the past year, I have taken part in numerous meetings, all of which had more or less the objective of understanding the diaspora’s priorities and interests.  I have narrowed this focus to one theme, which is that most of us want a peaceful, equal and just Haitian society.  To get there will require us to concentrate on advances in three areas: Good Governance, Transparency, and Accountability.

I believe we all want to see power being held to account, for there to be better governance and political leadership and for decision-making to be made on the basis of what is best for Haiti, not for partisan advantage. We want better implementation of equality and human rights commitments, particularly for those still living in IDP camps and others who have moved out or pushed out and now live in precarious conditions that are either no better or worst than before the earthquake.  To deliver on this grand vision, I believe we need to encourage and sustain greater activism around a progressive agenda.

The Federation will have an important role to play and all of its programmes, in addition to their specific outcomes, should contribute to the goal of a peaceful, equal and just society. As a diaspora community but also citizens in our adopted countries, each individual through growing activism should endeavor to embody and speak when possible to the issues of good governance, transparency and accountability. 

HDF is at an important intersection and we need to develop key priorities and targets by which it can be measured.  The work of HDF must result in concrete policy gains in the selected areas of work while also working to broaden the base of the Federation.  There are many strategies we could consider for moving the Federation forward.  However, I will focus on two.  The first option to consider during this transition phase is whether to use this opportunity to rally a small but committed coalition made up of the existing members or some other combination to focus on these limited goals.  The other is to use this opportunity to “reset” the clock; in essence, to make coalition building a key objective of the transition in order to gain the legitimacy that we need to be better and stronger advocates on behalf of Haiti. 

I propose that we adopt the second option.  Although this may sound paradoxical, I believe that time is our side.  We all remember the urgency that existed immediately after the earthquake and again during the one-year anniversary.  These moments were full of enthusiasms and activities by Haitians and her friends.  As we look further back in history we can see that at key moments in Haiti’s history – post-Duvalier, post-Aristide, and now under President Martelly, there are always frantic activities that amount to mountains of sands.  As a community and as a country we are always responding to crises, which mean hurry up, wait and start over.  My view is that we need to undertake the longer-term project that results in concrete but sustainable gains. I would suggest that it is better to make incremental changes that reset the policy framework than achieve big changes that can be reversed on a whim. The dual citizenship issue is a clear illustration of a policy win that was short-lived.  The issue is not whether we won or lost but whether the governance allows for a fair adjudication of the issues.  The reinforcement of Haiti’s public institutions is elemental and a sine qua non for development.  The advances we make can be too easily lost and reversed, and the same battles often need to be re-fought.  Our strategy should combine securing change and building an enduring capacity, which continues to deliver even if the Federation is gone.  Our work needs to be transformative and multi-generational.

With this framework as a backdrop, I want to propose that the Federation adopts two programmatic pillars during the transition period: Advocacy and the Integration Haitian Living Abroad (HLA) in Haiti’s civic life.  After a careful analysis, I am proposing these two areas as a bridge to the longer-term efforts we might decide to undertake after a broader review by a larger group. 

1.     Advocacy

a.     Support the Family Reunification Program

b.     Support the passage of S.1576 - Assessing Progress in Haiti Act

c.     Partner with local and international organizations to end antihaitianismo in the DR

2.     Integration Haitian Living Abroad (HLA) in Haiti’s civic life

a.     Promote dual citizenship as a basic right for HLA

b.     Promote HLA civic engagement – initially, by making voting accessible in Haitian consulates and embassies.

c.     Encourage collaboration between and among diaspora organizations through networking events and strategic leveraging of resources

I believe these two programmes offer a platform around which we can rally our community to action.  I considered both the fractured state of our community as well as the exogenous issues we face.  For example, one area that consistently comes up in various forums and meetings is that of the diaspora’s engagement in the reconstruction process either as contractors or technical experts who could be employed by the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), and Bilateral and Multilateral Organizations.  While on its face this issue would seem to be an appropriate one for the Federation to undertake, a deeper analysis reveals that it is controversial and ultimately divisive.

Indeed, many donors and investors for their own self-interests argue that the diaspora should take on these roles on as volunteers or at local rates.  Conversely, local institutions also for their own self-interests argue that in a country with over 70% unemployment, local candidates should be given preferences to these opportunities.  At the same time the former pays its own consultants international rates and the latter maintain a monopoly because the pool of skilled candidate is limited.  An objective analysis of this recommendation, which has come up often as a key priority for the diaspora will lead one to conclude that the adoption of such policy risks doing more harm than good in the long-term.

Let me underline the hard choices that I hope the Board will consider as we move into this transitory but also treacherous period for the Federation. 

We are fully aware of the criticisms that have been leveled against the Federation so it doesn’t serve any purpose to elaborate on them further in this note.  However, if we want to strengthen and expand the Federation then our actions must surpass the expectations of our friends and critics.  To that end my proposal is to use three ‘R’s” going forward: restructure, rebuild and rebrand.

1.     Restructure because there is the view that the Federation is a closed society.  To offer an alternative reading, our actions more than our words need to clearly demonstrate that the Federation is an open and democratic institution.  As a result, during the transition phase I propose that we make the Executive Director position interim.  And under those circumstances and based on the adoption of the approach I have laid out in this paper I will consider filling in that role for a limited time and specific duties in agreement with the board.  Additionally, I propose the creation of an Advisory Council (see appendix A for Terms of Reference) that will have three objectives:

a.     Develop and obtain agreement on HDF strategy and programmes

b.     Develop an outreach and fundraising plan to expand and support HDF’s programmes and operations

c.     Recruit and hire a permanent Executive Director

The Advisory Council will be representative of the major diaspora enclaves and include up to 30 members.  The participants will be appointed by the current BOD, abide by the Federation’s existing rules and will require a personal and financial commitment as per our bylaws.  The Council’s recommendations will be binding on the Federation upon a vote by the majority of members in good standing.

2.     Rebuild is to develop a process through which the Council will launch a broad outreach effort within the Haitian diaspora to engage as many individuals and organizations as possible in the movement.  It is clear to me that while there is some wealth in our community, our strength is in our numbers and concentration, particularly in the US and Canada.  The diaspora’s concentration in these two coutries that are very influential in haiti is worth more than the money.

3.     Rebrand by ensuring that the Federation is recognized as an open, democratic and committed organization that fights on behalf of all Haitians.  To illustrate the necessity of such an effort, I need only to point to the recent elections.  There were leaders in the community who claimed that the Federation was created to support former President Preval’s administration.  After the election, the Federation is now accused of being aligned and doing the bidding of President Martelly’s administration.  To the extent that there is any truth to these claims, it shows that the Federation is open and willing to talk with all parties.  However, what this raises for us is that more transparency about and better communication of our work is needed to help the diaspora better understand why it’s important for the Federation to remain an apolitical organization.  We must reaffirm our commitment to work with Haiti’s elected leaders to achieve our mission but never shy away from critiquing them when it is warranted.  Still, we need to help the Haitian community understand that the two are not incompatible.  

In summary, at the heart of the approach I have laid out above are two central points.  First, it acknowledges that while the Federation has had some success in its very short life, more needs to be done to respond to some valid criticisms, particularly in the areas of outreach and communication.  The plan I have proposed will respond directly to these criticisms and hopefully help build a broader and more inclusive grassroots support.  I also want to frame this as a response that draws a sharp contrast to the way in which our critics themselves respond to the challenges faced by our community. Therefore the second component requires that self-identified leaders and critics step up and move from words to actions.  This means that leaders will not be allowed to only engage in rhetorical debates but we will challenge them to move to action by participating in the development of the Federation’s strategy for the coming years.  Or create an alternative option that better responds to the community’s needs.  This is also about committing the resources needed to execute on that strategy.  We can no longer focus on remittances but we must align our resources to support institutions that advance our larger goals.  One such challenge is the programme to support the efforts of grassroots organizations in the Dominican Republic.  I hope the issue of stateless HLA in the DR can unite the diaspora, especially in the US and Canada.  The Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton recently raised the issue of human rights of Haitians living in the DR with Dominican officials and we can help to keep that issue alive in policy circles.   This challenge should bring to stark relief the commitment of critics and the diaspora at large to act selflessly and show once again its generosity. 

The plan for moving the Haitian Diaspora Federation forward will need to evolve over time, particularly to reflect the “bottom-up” input from key stakeholders.  Lastly, I will work with the board to adopt the following critical success factors for implementation:

• Commitment to a formal annual planning process;
• Prioritization of strategic activity, even at times of operational pressure;
• Long-term commitment to the plan;
• Clear communication to all stakeholders throughout the implementation process.

I want to once again thank my colleagues for their confidence in my ability to play a small part in the evolution of the Haitian Diaspora Federation.  I don’t know if I can live up to your expectations but if we can agree on a strategy moving forward and the continued commitment of the members then we can together help HDF take the next step in its still young organizational life.

Johnny