Amendments

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Chapter opening policy

1. Setup unit in all countries
2. Develop as a Chapter with additional responsibilities
Noolaham Foundation Chapters are legally entitled in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Norway. Some of the chapters have been formed in the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia within the Noolaham Foundation network. These structures will be expected to form in other countries also. The present policy is meant for the network to better understand this concept and to assess the steps by which to achieve the Noolaham Foundation Goal, based on an analysis of experiences shared by Noolaham Foundation board members. Firstly, explores the meaning and definition of “Noolaham Advocacy”, as also seen through the lens of different fund collection systems in other countries. It then presents and analyses existing examples of good practices of Noolaham Advocacy in a number of countries, grouped according to one of the three dimensions: the legislative dimension, the financial dimension or and the policy dimension. These examples can serve to inspire, build confidence and to teach, as well as to be (adapted and) replicated in other countries, depending on the context. The main goal of this policy is to facilitate advocacy, the expansion of activities, information and fund collections to stimulate and encourage discussion among the Governance Board members and to give a top-down definition or to suggest one unique model for all the countries.

Fundraising and mobilization
I. Chapters' primary responsibility shall be fundraising and mobilization of members:
1). Fundraising for Friends of Noolaham
2) Specific project-based fundraising
3) Project partnership-based funding
4) One-off donations (individual and/or organization)
5) In-kind donation (equipment, server, etc)
6) Institutional partnership and funding, i.e. UTSC, UCLA, etc

II. Chapters could spend up to 10% of the raised funds towards Chapter programs/projects (and not operations).

III. Fund management
1) For registered chapters:

  • Organizational bank account creation
  • Paypal
  • Donorbox
  • Signatory
  • Fund transfer (monthly)

2) For non-registered chapters: Through another organization Ex: Manitha Neyam Trust, Direct transfer to Sri Lankan Bank account.

Operations
I. A new chapter setup process
II. A Chapter shall be composed of a Mentor, Co-mentor, Members, and contributors.
III. A Mentor and a Co-mentor shall be assigned from the Board to coordinate a Chapter’s operations.
IV. Chapter Mentor.
The selection process -- Brick system Provide feedback regarding the country-specific fundraising model
Chapter-based responsibilities.
1) Finance, fundraising, mobilization
Ensure the planned monthly cash flow and transfer
Check, review, and maintain bank balance on a monthly basis
2) Collections
3) Communications and outreach

V. A chapter member. How to join? Responsibilities. Mentors shall introduce new Chapter Members.

A chapter member shall mobilize a minimum of 10 members to Noolaham Foundation who can contribute monthly. (Please refer to the country-specific contribution document for more details on amounts; the monthly contribution amount is reflective of the hourly minimum wage of the respective country).
Chapter Members shall monitor and ensure acknowledgment letters and receipts are being sent to the contributors.
Chapter Members shall support the Noolaham Foundation staff to maintain the relationship with the contributors.
Chapter Members shall identify new and/or existing collections and conduct outreach to diaspora individuals and organizations in order to develop Noolaham’s work.
VI. Only Chapter Mentors have the authority to make decisions pertaining to Chapter operations.
VII. A Chapter Member could contribute to Noolaham Foundation’s programs and projects directly by contacting the respective program or project Mentor or Co-mentor.
VIII. Chapter meetings shall be held on a quarterly basis (according to the needs of the specific Chapter). The Finance Sector lead shall organize the meeting and the Chapter Mentors and Members, Resource Mobilisation Mentors, and the CEO shall be present in the meetings. The Finance Sector lead shall share an agenda for each meeting in advance and be responsible for recording minutes, and the meeting minutes shall be shared via the respective email thread within a day.

Programs and projects
I. A Chapter shall engage in programs and projects to document and archive their respective country-specific diaspora histories, i.e. oral history recording, organizing archival-related meetings, writing biographies, etc.
II. All other programs and projects are managed and facilitated by Noolaham Foundation.

Communications
I. A Chapter could organize promotional events and related activities.
II. Chapter Members could outreach to individuals and potential members through their personal and professional networks.
III. Chapter Members could organize outreach and promotional meetings with interested individuals and organizations in the respective countries. A summary of the meeting/event shall be shared in the respective Chapter email thread within a day (including photographs if applicable).
IV. Any other form of communication shall be processed through Noolaham Foundation. For example, designing a flyer or a publication shall be consulted and processed through the Communications Process team at Noolaham Foundation.

Research based Documentation policy

Noolahan Foundation Research Partner Program
Noolaham Foundation supports learning, teaching and research through creating collections on specific themes, documentation, reference services, research support services, collaborative scholarly publishing, tools, capacity building and technology solutions. A core part of Noolaham’s objective is to support researchers at all levels. Noolaham supports independent as well as affiliated researchers. Noolaham Foundation’s Research Partner Service provides advanced support to researchers throughout the life cycle of their research.

Noolaham Foundation provides the following services to Research Partners:

  • Research Support Services
    • Bibliographic search - we will assist in conducting a bibliographic search of books, journal articles, audio/visual materials, and datasets relevant to the research.
    • Help obtain items such as journal articles and works not available in Noolaham.
    • Research consultation with scholars or subject experts
  • Multimedia Documentation/Field Research Services
    • Oral History Recording
    • Field Documentation (photography, videography)
    • Field Data Collection
  • Digitization and Digital Preservation Services
    • We will digitize, and where appropriate digitally preserve and make accessible materials researchers need for their research.
  • Research Skills/Research Assistant (RA) training:
    • Volunteer librarians/scholars will work with you or your Research Assistants to ensure that you/they have the research skills to support your work.
  • Research Data Management
    • We will help you develop a research data management plan, as well as help you publish/steward your research data for the long term.
  • Technical Support
    • We will collaborate with you or assist you in developing scripts, visualization etc to conduct your research.
  • Scholarly Publishing Support
    • We will assist you with publishing your research outputs in journals/magazines as well as via other publications such as books.
  • Popularizing Research through Mainstream Media
  • Get help from NF Field Researchers Network

Criteria for Research Partners
Noolaham Foundation is committed to supporting research that is conducted in line with scholarly ethics and is accessible to the public. Noolaham Foundation only accepts Research Partners who share this vision. Thus, we are committed to publishing the research data, research software as well as scholarly outputs under open access guidelines, while taking steps to protect privacy/safety and copyrights. We welcome proposals from research partners on topics and themes that concern the Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking communities. We will give preference to research that is conducted in Tamil, in Sri Lanka, and research related to special collections that either has been developed or will be by Noolaham Foundation: LGBTQ+, Anti-Caste Struggle, Muslim, Women, Minorities of North East, Upcountry, Costal Vedas Archives. Noolaham Foundation will not provide input or take responsibility with respect to research content or analysis. The scope of the support will be determined on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the need and potential impact of particular research projects.

Expectations from the Researcher
Researchers will provide a copy of their research outputs to be made openly accessible, including the following:

  • Bibliography/citations related to research according to library standards
  • Research data, including field notes, datasets, media etc.
  • Software, including visualization/map/electronic notebooks specifically developed for the research
  • Publications such as journal/magazine articles, books
  • Recording of workshops, events related to research

The researcher appropriately recognizes Noolaham Foundation’s contribution in their publications and communications. We welcome if the researcher can provide mentorship to up-and-coming researchers; however, this is not mandatory. References

Diversity Reporting Template

1. Collections
a) Acquisitions
When accessing materials or collections for acquisitions (including print and multimedia), the staff member who is responsible for the assessment shall ensure to complete the diversity matrix [prepare a matrix in consultation with the mentors].
b) Develop special collections
Develop existing and new special collections to ensure and solidify diversity in the collections of Noolaham.
c) Metadata creation
The metadata creation staff shall ensure diversity in their use of controlled vocabularies and descriptions at all levels - collection, file, and item-level metadata.
d) Information architecture
The information architecture of Noolaham and Aavanaham sites shall be modified to reflect and provide easy access to diversity-related collections and materials.
e) Field research
Establish a diversity committee with a minimum of five individuals from diverse backgrounds to ensure equity in representation. All new major research projects shall consult with the diversity committee and obtain their approval prior to field research.
f) Evaluation
Diversity shall be ensured at all levels by all staff members during the collection and collection development process. Upon completion of each project, a diversity assessment report shall be prepared by the Project Lead. A biannual evaluation across Noolaham’s collections and projects shall be carried out by the Program Manager and a diversity assessment report shall be prepared and presented to the Board.

2. Human Resources
a) Recruitment
Ensure diversity in the interview panel, selection of candidates, and hiring new employees. Job vacancy notice - include a statement of diversity
b) Assessment of diversity in the workplace
A biannual assessment related to diversity in all sectors and levels of the organization shall be performed by the CEO and a report shall be submitted to the report.
c) Diversity training
A diversity training as part of the induction to Noolaham for new employees shall be carried out by the hiring managers in accordance with Noolaham Foundation’s Diversity Manual.
Create NF Diversity Manual (basic and sector-specific training)
Create Noolaham’s Diversity Matrix
3. Governance Board
a) New members to the Governance Board (Grey or Regulatory Boards) shall be selected following an assessment of Noolaham’s Diversity Matrix to ensure diversity in the leadership level. Include diversity as part of the Brick system.
4. Partnerships and collaborations
a) Organize partnerships and collaborations with organizations/groups that advocate for diversity and invite them to facilitate workshops to Noolaham staff, project/process mentors, and Board members.
5. Communications and promotional activities
a) All Noolaham communication and promotional materials (print and multimedia) shall be assessed for diversity and diverse vocabulary before publications.
6. Programs and Projects
a) All programs and projects shall be assessed for diversity and diversity-related topics. Findings from research and other projects and or any concerns raised regarding diversity issues shall be addressed in due course.

Revise Weekly working Hours / Leaves

Working hours have been reduced from 45 hours to 40 hours from five and a half days to five days in the HR manual. Staff should finish their performance on the 6th day in case they fail to achieve their performance within the 5 working days. Staff can take leave after informing the relevant manager but annual leave can be taken by getting approval from the relevant manager within two weeks. The staff has to work for all 6 six days within their probationary period.
1. Define working hours as 40 from 45
2. Increase working days to 5 from 5 1/2
3. Based on performance all staff should come and finish work 6th day
4. There are no leave without approval
5. Probationary period all staff should come 6 full days to work
Working days and hours
Working hours are specified in internal rules, except for contrary arrangements specified in the individual contract ( especially for field researchers), as follows:

  • 40 hours per week (Normal working time) from Monday to Friday
  • 8 hours per day from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm ( with one break of half an hour)

The weekly working timetable can be modified if the program requires it or on any specific request from the employee. The chief executive officer must approve this modification. All employees are requested to mark their daily starting time and finishing time with a signature in the attendance Marking book of the Noolaham Foundation or fingerprint machine.
Probationary period
The Probation period is two months for the Digital Preservation & Field research officers & one month for the other officers in Noolaham Foundation. During the probationary period, the staff is not eligible to take leave. End of the probation period, their Annual, Casual, Sick leave is accumulated & Staff is eligible to take those leave. If staff take leave during the probation period, their salary is not paid for their leave. The staff has come to work on all 6 days during their probation period.

Transparency of Noolaham meeting minutes

All project and process meeting minutes shall be prepared by the Sector Lead in the following format and shall be sent to the respective project/process email thread:

கலந்துரையாடல் சந்திப்புத் திகதி:

ஒழுங்கமைப்பு/தொகுப்பு:

கலந்துகொண்டவர்கள்:

சந்திப்பு நோக்கம் (Agenda):

செயற்பாட்டுப் பணிகள் (Action Items):

சந்திப்புக் குறிப்புக்கள்:

Resource mobilization strategy and policy

Resource Mobilization and Financial Management
The GB is responsible for developing and managing the Global Annual Plan of Noolaham Foundation and its Chapters. It is the responsibility of the Noolaham Foundation and its Chapters to ensure that the GB has access to the financial information of all its entities.
Source of funding resource mobilization plan
There will be two main resources for grant mobilization namely regular and non-regular donations. Regular resources will be provided by relevant resource networks throughout the world, friends of Noolaham Foundation, patrons, technical advisors, members of regulatory bodies, the chapter community, and through the initiation of fundraising activities by Noolaham Foundation in Sri Lanka to cover routine operational cost and expenditure.
Seven chapters, Directors of the Board, members of the Governance Board, other well-wishers, and friends-network of Noolaham Foundation will be the primary source of operational functions. All chapters will ensure their commitment during the fourth quarter of each year and will mobilize funds and commitment by the first quarter of the following year, while the second and third quarters will be the periods for actual implementation. Reporting will be carried out during the fourth quarter of each year.
a) Responsibility of the Governance Board

  • GB shall take responsibility for the minimum annual budget benchmark and for the operational budget for every year.
  • GB shall also define donor members, individual donations, and events.
  • Develop new projects and fundraising (People / Places / Organizations)
  • Donor / Volunteer recognition plan including SMEs

Sustainability strategy

All documents collected through projects will be digitalized and preserved as archived on the official website of the Noolaham Foundation. Stakeholders will be the primary responsible persons to coordinate with the relevant stakeholder in their respective locations.
Sufficient backup will be made and maintained in many locations to protect the documents from hackers and breakers. The main server will be the primary source of information control and the administrator will be the key focal person to operate and administrate the entire system of Noolaham Foundation. The document and question/questions bank will be made available for access.
The volunteer network established through active involvement in documentation and preservation activities will serve as the stable contributors to the continuation of community efforts on resource mobilization and as vigilant groups to identify and support the socio-economic development of each community group, social groups, and the Tamil speaking community as a whole.
The relevant government and non-government stakeholders will be the key contributors to community construction and preservation of potential heritage, and will also be the primary officials for harmonization of potential contributors and creative commons. Through the establishment of a forum, relevant expertise will be linked and networked. Any new ideas or findings shall be discussed in relevant forums to increase the technical know-how of the Tamil-speaking community. And through archiving web and multimedia components, information and documents will be permanently preserved.
Through engaging in research on important topics in required areas, a knowledge targeted student community will be developed, and this will serve as a potential knowledge contribution to the Tamil speaking community, to plan and perform many social and cultural initiatives, and to cater to the needs and rights of the Tamil speaking community in Sri Lanka and around the world.
The establishment of a network between the Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking community and the Diaspora will be a bridging agent to fulfill certain social and economic needs to fill the gaps in the targeted community. Potentially viable and feasible activities will also be made available for external sharing and any interested parties shall communicate with community groups directly and offer support to the socio-economic and political development of the targeted community.

1. Process / Project / Theme Mentors should find Process co-mentors from outside the organization
Process and project theme mentors have to join co-mentors for all processes from the outside who are edible, skillful, supportive, and interested in learning.
2. When taking new responsibilities cross OTS dependencies number below '5'
Every mentor has to keep the dependency of OTS below 5. This will allow the foundation to run independently and reduce the need for dependency.
3. Maximum process threshold should be created
Each process has to be achieved with its maximum outcome by optimizing the quality, quantity and inputs of the process.
4. Heavy process/project should be split and maintained in small size
HR has been divided into three processes staff recruitment, admin and payroll, and KPI staff training and development.
5. Most dependent process mentors should inform to board to find volunteers for their process/project
Process mentors with high dependency should inform the board to find volunteers for their projects/processes.
6. Same kind of process should be handled by different people
The project and operation should be handled by two different mentors and people in the same project.

Restrcturing sub committees

Every Sub Committees should be made as a process and avoid permanent subcommittees. Collection Development is a process and HR process divided into 2 processes such as 10.1 HR recruitment & selection and 10.2 KPI and career planning training and learning development and 10.3 HR admin and Payroll. Process and project management oversight is also divided into 2 processes such as 9.1 process management oversight and 9.2 project management oversight. Mentors and co-mentors should be allocated to each respective process.

Policy development procedure

a) Noolaham Foundation’s process mentors can initiate a new policy related to their process.
b) The new policy shall be created based on an existing issue/s or it can also be improvised to address any organizational development matters.
c) All Noolaham policies shall adhere to the government and legal policy regulations and standards of Sri Lankan and relevant countries.
d) A policy shall be first discussed in the 'Governance & Policy' process meeting. A draft of the discussed policy shall be created and submitted to the GB for further discussion.
e) Following approval from the GB, a final version of the policy shall be added to the GPP manual.

Physical records repository storage policy

1. Define 'Rare material'
Rare material refers to any item included in a library’s special collection because of the age, historical value, craftsmanship, rarity (as in the case of autographs, letters, or diaries), and other items of varying significance. Special collections can also include generalized material not considered entirely rare such as an extensive collection of children’s books on a specialized topic such as the urban experience. Waters (2009) defines special collections as “sometimes referring simply too rare books and manuscript materials, and sometimes more generally to materials that are used as primary sources of evidence as opposed to secondary sources.” For the purpose of this essay, we will focus on the former, rare material collections.
2. Prepare storage procedure
Rare materials require special housing not only to protect against theft but also to provide a suitable physical environment including regulation of temperature, light, and humidity. Magazines, Books, Souvenirs are categorized and stored in cupboards. NF collects and keeps the borrowed and donated documents in separate cupboards with the entry of the donated list/borrowed list which has the Documents category, Name of the document, Donor name, No of documents, date. Donated documents are categorized and kept in different cupboards. The document transfers to the scanning Then the Scanned document will be checked. Finally, the document returns to the contributor with a Thanking letter.

  • Palm-leaf manuscripts

Citronella spray is a herbal repellent that will be used for rare materials & keep them in the passive sunlight. All ola leaves are arranged properly, bound, and covered with red cloth. All preserved materials are kept in the cupboard and regularly monitored.

  • Books

a) Dust the Books

The right precautions can go a long way in preventing pests and the elements from totaling your beloved books. Before packing them away make sure that they are in pristine condition. Use a soft paintbrush to remove any dust and dirt from the book’s cover and its pages. Making sure the book stays dry is paramount.

b) Air out the books if needed
If the book feels damp or smells musty, allow it to air out in a dry room before packing it away. Damp books are likely to mildew once stored—if there’s already mold or mildew on their pages, you’ll either have to keep them out of storage or seek professional assistance.
c) Inspect for pests before packing
When cleaning your pages with a brush, check for insect eggs, which resemble tiny black seeds and often get lodged in the gutter between pages and the binding. If you do find eggs, the only measure you can take is a good, thorough cleaning. “Do not use bug spray or any other kind of spray.” It will almost certainly react with the paper and damage the book.”
d) Provide protection for dust jackets
Packing books the right way can help keep insects and moisture far away; packing the wrong way will put your books in danger of those “clumsy hands”.
After the books have been thoroughly cleaned, it’s best to wrap them up.
“Many hardcover books are wrapped in dust jackets and they can be particularly fragile and liable to small tearing, so that’s a good reason to add extra packing around each book individually.”
Though the purpose of a dust jacket is, nominally, to protect the books from the elements, a pristine jacket is an important factor in a book’s value, “The presence of a dust jacket is vitally important in maintaining a book’s value, so treat them particularly carefully. Library classification, is a system of arrangement adopted by a library to enable patrons to find its materials quickly and easily. While cataloging provides information on the physical and topical nature of the book (or other items), classification, through the assignment of a call number (consisting of class designation and author representation), locates the item in its library setting and, ideally, in the realm of knowledge. Arranging similar things in some order according to some principle unites and controls information from various sources. Classification can be distinguished by type: (1) natural, or fundamental—e.g., books by subject, (2) accidental—e.g., chronological or geographic, and (3) artificial—e.g., by alphabet, linguistic base, form, size, or numerical order. Degree of classification (e.g., close, with the most minute subdivisions, or broad, with the omission of detailed subdivisions) may also characterize a system. Several systems of classification have been developed to provide the type of access and control that a particular library and its clientele need. Generally, each system consists of a scheme that arranges knowledge in terms of stated principles into classes, then divisions and subdivisions. Dewey Decimal Classification, also called Dewey Decimal System, system for organizing the contents of a library based on the division of all knowledge into 10 groups, with each group assigned 100 numbers. The 10 main groups are 000–099, general works; 100–199, philosophy and psychology; 200–299, religion; 300–399, social sciences; 400–499, language; 500–599, natural sciences and mathematics; 600–699, technology; 700–799, the arts; 800–899, literature and rhetoric; and 900–999, history, biography, and geography. These 10 main groups are in turn subdivided again and again to provide more specific subject groups. Within each main group, the principal subseries are divided by 10.
3. Plan infrastructure for physical storage
Based on available books and future donations, an appropriate place shall be identified and allocated to store the books. The books shall be stored in closed cupboards. The borrowed and donated materials shall be organized and stored separately and meticulous record-keeping of these shall be kept and updated regularly. The storage cupboards shall be clean, insect, rodent-free, and also free of any water or temperature damage. The storage cupboards shall be cleaned once a month to ensure safe storage systems for preservation.
Dried Acorus calamus, naphthalene ball, cloves are powered and tied by the red cloth which will be added to the old books for 3 to 4 days to kill the insects in the books. Those books are allowed to keep on the “V” shaped wooden frame, which will facilitate bringing out the small insects within the books.
4. Prepare a budget for a physical storage facility
Three staff members from Library Science programs are required to perform the classification, binding, and labeling of books. Cupboards and locations shall be arranged in accordance with the requirements presented by the respective staff members.
5. Linking physical storage items with digitized items
An access number is given when Noolaham first receives the material. This number will be used to provide the status of the material as it goes through the digitization process. This number will be the link between the physical and digital versions of the material.

Developing Friends of Noolaham

Friends of Noolaham set up is for collecting operational funds. It would be supported to manage the cash flow of the operational expenditure smoothly. Regular members should be paid their contribution periodically through standing order or one-shot payment. The particular fundraiser may raise funds for himself in his own country or in other countries through his contacts. Each fundraiser must provide details of their contributors to the annual resource mobilization plan at the beginning of the financial year. Details of each fundraiser will be published along with their photograph on the Noolaham Foundation’s MediaWiki page and in the Noolaham Foundation Friends of Noolaham presentation. The details of all the contributors will be kept in the Excel sheet of Friends of Noolaham.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1onSkVRoLLQPny9GYq9-4tWCSqeyLX5cW2RT4WioSBoo/edit#gid=1742655491
The Friends of Noolaham setup model is functioning in UK, Canada, Australia, Norway, USA, Singapore, Netherland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Malaysia, Denmark and Sri Lanka.
Cash flow sustainability and accountability
1. Friends of Noolaham shall be connected with all Noolaham chapters for operational funds.
2. Chapter coordinator shall be responsible for maintaining the respective Chapter finance sheet and ensuring cash flow from the respective chapter.
3 Chapter mentors shall take responsibility for the ethical framework and get help from the board.
4. Chapter mentors shall take the responsibility to confirm the chapter cash flow and obtain help from the Board if needed.
5. All projects shall have a project owner who is connected with the donor.
6 Project owners should take responsibility for the project cash flow.
7. If a donor withdraws from funding, the project owner shall find an alternative donor or obtain help from the Board.
8. Monthly reports and thanking letters shall be sent to the Friends of Noolaham every month.

External Communication procedure policy

1. Collection development work can be performed by anyone who identifies and collects print and/or multimedia materials to be included in Noolaham or Aavanaham collections. This can range from monographs (books), periodicals, newspapers, booklets, reports, souvenirs, felicitations, mementos, posters, leaflets, invitations, factsheets, dissertations, abstracts, olai suvadi (ola manuscripts), diaries, letters and other handwritten materials to audio, video, photo and images, maps, drawings, websites, and electronic resources. Communication officers shall ensure to send an acknowledgment and thanking letter upon receipt of the materials.
2. The communication officers shall also ensure to send Noolaham’s monthly reports to all the stakeholders. The information regarding the stakeholders, shared correspondence, reports, etc shall be recorded in the CMS sheet.
3. Institutional repository is initiated by the proposal Mentors to help institutions preserve and share their knowledge bases and memory for the long term.
4. Individual fundraising can be carried out by any Noolaham members who are part of Friends of Noolaham, Noolaham chapters, or project teams/donors. The Research Manager shall write project proposals based on the needs or requirements for the fundraising.
5. Campaigns are carried out by the Communication process mentors via social media platforms or through meetings, workshops, seminars, events, press, conferences, and publications.
6. Large-scale funding from local and international organizations shall be initiated by the Initiatives and Proposal Writing process mentors on behalf of Noolaham. The initiation and presentation shall be carried out by the relevant mentor. The Research Manager shall be responsible for providing field insights and needs to enhance and develop the proposals as needed.
7. Partnerships and Collaboration activities are carried out by the relevant mentor and the CEO. The information regarding all partnerships and collaborations shall be recorded in the CMS sheet.
8. Events and seminars are designed and initiated by the Communication mentor. Events and seminars are hosted by Events mentors. The communication officer shall be responsible for the implementation of the events and seminars.
9. Online meetings are designed and initiated by the Communication mentor. Online meetings are hosted by the Events mentor. The communication officer shall be responsible for the implementation of the online meetings. Meeting minutes of these events shall be sent via the relevant email thread by the Sector Lead/ Managers.
10. All forms of communications with external stakeholders shall be carried out by the Communication mentors and the CEO on behalf of Noolaham.

Define roles of mentors / co-mentors / Volunteer

1. Mentors are responsible for the conceptualization, design, development, mentorship, and the quality of the output of the process/project. The Noolaham staff is responsible for the delivery of the process/project.
2. Co-mentors can be from inside or outside of the board.
3. Co-mentors must participate in all of their assigned process/project meetings.
4. Volunteers are the ones who work/participate in a project based on the task or during the required or needed time period.

Create Emeritus Board / Grey Board for 2021

Emeritus Board
1. An Emeritus Board shall be created in order to recognize the former Board Members of Noolaham and to open a path for them to continuously contribute to Noolaham.
2. The CEO shall send a formal invitation to the former Board Member to be part of the Emeritus Board and identify the areas in which they would like to contribute to Noolaham.
Former Board
1. A Former Board shall be created in order to recognize the former Board Members of Noolaham.
2. The CEO shall send a formal invitation to the former Board Member to be part of the Emeritus Board and identify the areas in which they would like to contribute to Noolaham. If the former Board Member wishes not to contribute to Noolaham, then they will be added to the Former Board.
Grey Board
1. A greyboard shall be created ensuring diversity within, and shall include representatives of women, Upcountry, Muslim, LGBTQ+, regional communities.
2. Other top contributors of Noolaham shall be selected to the Grey Board based on bricks and skill shortage.
3. The selection and finalizing of the process of new Grey Board members shall be proposed and accepted by the Governance Board.
4. Review all the Boards and board members annually and reorganize the boards according to organizational contributions and needs.

Staff recruitment procedure policy

1. Sector Lead shall create a vacancy notice regarding the sector and submit the admin form for the vacancy to HR.
2. Vacancy notice shall be advertised in social media platforms or through other relevant media.
3. The HR officer is responsible for documenting all the received applications.
4. The applications shall be shortlisted based on the requirements of the vacancy notice.
5. A written exam and/or an oral interview shall be conducted for those who are shortlisted for the respective position.
6. Manager, COO, and Admin Officer shall be part of the interview panel for non-managerial and sector lead positions. Process mentors shall be in the interview panel for sector lead and managerial positions along with other panelists.
7. Interview panel shall decide on the successful candidate based on the written exam and/or oral interview.
Staff personal file maintenance
The following documents shall be kept in the staff’s personal file:
1. Copy of education and work experience certificates
2. Feedback documents of orientation
3. Probation assessment form
4. Biannual performance review reports
5. Contract end form
6. Completed final clearance form
7. Completed report from the exit interview
Probation period
C1, C2 and C3 have probation periods of three months. C4 and C5 have a probation period of two months.
The line manager should carry out a review after the probation period.Form Attached The manager should propose whether or not the probation period should be extended and the final decision would be at the CEO’s discretion. The probation period may be extended once for the same period.
Termination during the probation period
During the probation period both parties have the right to terminate the contract at any time upon giving:
1. C4 and C5 - One week written notice for employees.
2. C1, C2 and C3 - two weeks written notice.
Basic salary and allowances would be calculated on a pro-rata basis out of working days.

Salary review procedure

The salary scale of employees can be reviewed periodically depending upon the financial capacity of the organization. Such revision is at the discretion of the GB‘s approval may be applied to all salary grades or only some of them.
The following features shall be considered when reviewing the salary of the staff:
1. Fulfillment of basic qualifications for the respective position
2. The performance ratio shall be more than 85%
3. Years of service
4. Disciplinary measures regarding the staff

Finalize the degree of involvement of various board members

1. Governance Board members
Governance Board members shall have access to all emails, folders, and have voting rights.
2. Grey Board members
Grey Board members shall have access to all emails, folders, but have no voting rights.
3. Emeritus Board members
Emeritus Board members shall have access to the emails and folders which are related to their processes/projects. They can be invited to the board meetings but they have no voting rights.
4. Former Board members
Former Board members shall be on the board for recognition only and have no other rights.
Financial responsibility for the board members
Country/chapter representatives shall be on the board as board members, greyboard members, or emeritus board members.
Create a system for evaluating the performance of board members
Members of the Governing Board must ensure the conditions for their continued participation in the Governing Board in the following ways.
1. At least 75% full attendance at monthly Governance board meetings.
2. Must have contributed at least 75% of the process/project meetings allotted to them.
3. Board members should contribute to at least 4 walls in the bricks and Greyboard members should contribute to at least 2 walls in the brick system of Noolaham Foundation.

Create a position Chief Executive Officer

1. The current COO’s position shall be promoted to CEO.
2. Define the Roles and responsibilities of the CEO. Job Description-CEO
3. Define the benchmark of CEO transmission from the COO.
4. Noolaham Foundation shall be operated as an independent organization under the leadership of the CEO. The resolution was developed and passed by the GB through the company secretary. Resolution - CEO appointment.
5. The CEO shall be responsible for assigning and developing the fundraising capacity without consulting the Board.
6. The CEO has no voting rights.
7. Define the evaluation process - Board members can monitor, evaluate the CEO through the process and document it. Based on the evaluation, the board will consciously update KPI. If not stratified with KPI, the board can terminate the CEO.

Convenor position and board quorum

1. There must be at least four board members included in the quorum.
2. The CEO shall function as the convenor in Board meetings.

Update the Finance Manual

1. All regular payments, including salaries and rent, must be made by bank transfer. Bank payments should be made through 2 phase confirmation. This 2 stage confirmation can be done by the Finance Executive Officer, a member of the Board of Governors responsible for the financial process, or the Chief Executive Officer.
2. Bank payments should be encouraged except in exceptional cases. The cheque pack should be kept in the office with no signatures. A member of the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Bank as required Payment can be made by cheque with signature.
3. Monthly cash flow statements should be prepared in accordance with the Friends of Noolaham account details.
4. All expenditure details for the month should be clearly stated in the monthly report.
5. The monthly report will reveal the details of all the donors who contributed that month and the monthly report must be sent to them.
6. Salaries for each month must be paid by the end of the month. Salaries will be credited to the bank account of the employees between the 25th and 30th of each month.
7. Prepare monthly payroll and issue the payroll slip to the employee on the basis of which a copy should be documented with their signature. Copy of Finance Manual

Create Noolaham Foundation repository with International Institution

1. External Noolaham Foundation repositories shall be maintained with international institutions for safe and continuous storage and long-term preservation. The Board members can initiate discussions with potential organizations for creating new repositories. The CEO shall be responsible for maintaining a list and contact with the external organizations with repositories.
2. Formal terms of reference or MOUs shall be prepared with those organizations. The Board members and the CEO shall be responsible for preparing the necessary documentation.

Policy/Guide for professional development

1. The staff and the direct manager should discuss and decide on what issues should be taken care of and assisted in relation to staff development. This should be done based on the employee's KPI rating.
2. Assistance for further education and training of staff should be provided on the basis of an approved TOR ( TOR attached).

KPI development procedure

Employee Direct Manager can provide feedback on employee work efficiency based on KPI at regular meetings. A systematic KPI review should be performed every three months. The KPI form should be based on each employee's job description and the assignment assigned to them in the annual plan of Noolaham Foundation. Sample format KPI

Revise board members responsibilities

1. Greyboard members are appointed and the board members will be changed based on the commitment every year. The word commitment has to be included in the place of assessment.
2. The commitment has not only incorporated the finance contribution but other contributions of the mentorship process, mentorship projects, collaborative partnership, project sales/owner, active volunteers (mentors and co-mentors), and sustainable fundraisers.

Make Sure responsibilities /Implement handover policy of responsibilities of board members / Mentors / Volunteers

1. Board members should take responsibility for their roles.
2. Board members should meet their responsibilities without delay.
3. Board members should update their targets and deliverables in the board meeting.
4. Board members have to continually upgrade their availability / capacity and make sure zero dependencies.
5. Board members are not allowed to take any operational responsibility without board’s permission.
Handover policy
1. All the responsibilities should be hand overed with knowledge-sharing to the alternative Mentor / Volunteer.
2. If board members / mentors need a short term break, they should temporarily hand over their responsibilities to an alternative board member.
3. Short term breaks should be defined for a 3 months period; If they take more than 3 months, their positions will be revised from the Board / Grey board / Emeritus board.
4. If Board members have any disagreements or want to leave from the board membership, they should discuss it in the board and handover their responsibilities to another board member / mentor / volunteer.
5. Board members should give at least one month notice period and attend at least one board meeting after their resignation / change to a different type of board like Grey board / emeritus board.
6. All the above policies will be applied from June 2022.