This page outlines the operations of Nyaya Health as a fundraising and technical assistance international NGO.  All of the operations for our INGO is stored on the wiki.  Our Nepal-based clinic operations managed by Nyaya Health Nepal that are described in the Evernote.com Clinic Manual. The tasks below are the critical stuff that are required to keep the support flowing to Nepal and more than anything require dedication, conscientiousness, and reliability.  

 

Board of Directors Functions of the Board of Directors Board Structure and Communication Expectations of Board Members Nominations to Board Board Decision-Making Termination of Board Tenure Accountability and Governance Structures Role of the Board of Advisors Nepal-Based Leadership Executive Director US-Based Leadership Director of Operations Mission-Critical Functions of the US-Based Team Director of Contracts Director of Grants and Reports Director of Finance Director of Fundraising Director of Transparency and Monitoring Director of Data Management Director of Procurement Director of Technology Director of Collaborative Technology Director of Volunteers Director of Translations Additional Functions of the US-based Team  Director of E-Commerce Director of Laboratory Services Director of Medical Services Director of Social Networking Director of Community Outreach Director of Research Director of Telecommunications Director of Health Service Financing

 

Board of Directors

Functions of the Board of Directors

The overall function of the board of directors is two-fold:

1) to ensure the smooth day-to-day operation of Nyaya Health to raise the funds and provide the oversight needed for excellent patient care in Nepal

2) to continuously improve upon the overall vision and strategic direction of Nyaya Health

3) to oversee and assess the effectiveness of the Executive Director and Director of Operations.

 

Board Structure and Communication

The size of the board of directors will vary from 8-12 depending upon the specific functions and tasks required.  The Board also conducts weekly to biweekly voice conference calls, with whomever is available at that time. 

 

The board will use the board@nyaya listserve extensively.  Whenever board members are writing individual emails to other members, they should consider cc'ing the board liberally.  The team@nyaya general member listserve should be used for larger updates or broader questions about rural health delivery. 

 

Given the fact that most board members do not see each other in person very often (aside from those presently working in Achham), it is important 1) that the board stays in regular contact; 2) that e-communication is conducted in a critical but respectful manner.  Everyone on the board must come to the (virtual) table with a mutual respect for each other, acknowledging that without other board members there can be no Nyaya Health. 

 

All board members should be cognizant of "e-etiquette".   Email is a wonderful thing, but the challenge when it comes to emotionally-laden topics is that there is so much more to communication than words-- there's body language, there's tone, and most of all, there's true real-time dialogue.  Without those elements, we can read too much into emails and bitterness can quickly develop.  If you are upset by somebody, wait and talk with them on the phone, or, better, in person.  avoid sarcastic, offensive, or accusatory language.  Before sending a nasty email or chat, take a deep breath and realize that it can be very unproductive and damaging to long-term e-communication if you say something accusatory over electronic media.  In the real world, when we say something accusatory to someone, we can watch body language, we can resolve the issue through talking through, we can otherwise address concerns and criticisms productively.  We can defuse our anger quickly, in person.  That option is not typically available for e-communication, where there is a lag time in response, which can build stress and resentment on the other end that cannot be dealt with for a considerable amount of time.  It is also important to avoid general criticisms that are likely to perceived as back-handed comments directed at individuals, particularly when they are sent out over listserves.  For example, if you are frustrated with a board member's obstinancy against some policy, it is better to talk on the phone or communicate individually with that person rather than say "well i know some of us feel this is worthless..."

 

If we do slip and send out a poorly worded email, we all should remember a fundamental thing: that we all share a basic respect for each other and for the work we are collectively doing.  As such, we should always assume that a member is meaning well and not trying to disrespect rather than the other way around.  If we remember that, then we can continue to have productive, critical dialogues without worrying too much that we are potentially frustrating each other.

 

 

Expectations of Board Members

All board members are expected to:

1) search out new partnerships, ideas, technologies, markets, and strategies

2) respond promptly to other board members’ requests

3) contribute to the wiki, blog, and evernote

4) be honest about their time commitments and ability to meet tasks that they take on

5) regularly email the team@nyaya list about the progress of their work

6) regularly contribute to the board@nyaya list with suggestions and critiques

7) be present on at least one of the 2-4 monthly conference calls

 

Nominations to Board

Any board member may nominate a new member to the board of directors. To do so, the nominating board member will send an email to other board members that includes the CV of the nominee and the proposed title and function of the new member. In certain rare instances, there may be a director “without portfolio” who is on the board mainly for providing strategic direction. Other board members will respond by email within one week with a simple “Yay” or “Nay” and if they so choose provide further explanation as to their decision. A unanimous positive decision is required to accept a new member onto the board. For the most part, a board member is expected to have a specific role.

 

Board Decision-Making

For the most part on small day-to-day issues there is no need for individual board members to email asking for approval. For larger questions, the process is again similar via emailed proposal and a simple “Yay” or “Nay” vote within one week of receipt of proposal, or within one month if the proposal requires detailed analysis. If no response is sent by a board member within the stated timeframe, tacit approval will be presumed and the proposal can be carried forward.

 

Termination of Board Tenure

A board member will typically end their tenure voluntarily, by stating honestly that s/he no longer can make the time commitment necessary to remain on the board.  If a board member is underperforming, other individual board members should air their concerns and discuss openly whether it is appropriate for that member to temporarily or permanently step down.  It is the job of the Executive Director to assess whether a board member has not been meeting his or her duties and request that s/he step down from the board.  Former board members ideally will stay involved through team list updates, will contribute as volunteers, and will return to Nepal at some point.  Former board members, as time and space permit, are encouraged to re-join the board.

 

Accountability and Governance Structures

A fundamental role of the Board of Directors is to ensure accountability, responsiveness, and transparency to donors and to the communities in which Nyaya operates.  These three primary objectives-- accountability, responsiveness, and transparency-- all re-enforce and depend upon each other.  The primary strategies through which these aims are achieved are through: 

• month-by-month updates to the wiki of de-identified patient data: Data pages
• month-by-month updates to the wiki of line-by-line expenditures: Budget page
• weekly conference calls with the current program director and Nepal-based staff and the US-based team to discuss progress and identify problems and solutions
• collaborative, online clinic manual through evernote.com software.  all members can view the current status of clinical protocols
• index of all weekly meeting minutes on evernote.
• regular stories and updates that are posted to the blog.

In general, we publish online to the public any internal controls we have for improving our programs.  This is more efficient for our team since it does not require a separate set of security protocols to access the essential data that describes how we are operating.  It also provides additional pressure and incentive to our team to be professional about how we do each and every task, spend money, and make decisions. 

Our overall communications strategy is posted here: collaboration.

 

The below positions are evolving as we transition our management this spring, 2009.

 

Role of the Board of Advisors

The board of advisors serves the functions of providing occassional technical advice, identifying sources of funding or in-kind donations, and lending their personal prestige/cache to Nyaya.  Individual board of directors are responsible for seeking out new advisors and engaging existing ones.  Further details are available here: AdvisoryBoard

 

Nepal-Based Leadership

Executive Director

The Executive Director is responsible for providing the overall leadership of Nyaya in Achham. This person is based in Achham and is a full-time position.  S/he is expected to:

1) oversee all the clinical and public health operations of Nyaya Health in Nepal.  The specific functions of his/her work are detailed in the evernote clinic manual.

2) engage all members outside Achham in a respectful and productive dialogue to continue to build the Nyaya Health team.

3) together with the director of operations, ensure the overall functioning and synergy of the board as a team

4) together with the director of operations, discuss individually with any board member who is underperforming and propose, as necessary, that underperforming board members be removed from the board

5) together with the director of operations, be the point-person on any issues that any other board member faces

6) actively work to expand the vision of the organization and ensure other board members are doing so

7) run weekly conference calls with the US-based team

Other Nepal-based leadership are found on the Personnel page.

 

US-Based Leadership

Director of Operations

This person directs US operations, which serve to obtain protocols, recruit new volunteers, procure donated supplies, and pursue funding sources.  To the extent possible, the COO recruits a diverse team of US-based volunteers to achieve these tasks.  S/he is expected to:

1) oversee all support functions of the US-based team, listed below

2) engage Achham-based staff and volunteers in a respectful and productive dialogue to continue to build the Nyaya Health team.

3) together with the director of operations, ensure the overall functioning and synergy of the board as a team

4) together with the director of operations, discuss individually with any board member who is underperforming and propose, as necessary, that underperforming board members be removed from the board

5) together with the director of operations, be the point-person on any issues that any other board member faces

6) actively work to expand the vision of the organization and ensure other board members are doing so

7) send out meeting minutes for the weekly conference calls with the Achham-based team

 

The rest of the US team functions listed below are functions either performed by the director of operations by him/herself, or, preferably, are accomplished by other volunteer directors. 

 

Mission-Critical Functions of the US-Based Team

To the extent possible, we engage the US-based team on discrete tasks, both to decrease the burden on the Nepal-based team and to expand our network of invested volunteers and supporters. The different functions are listed under "directors" to emphasize the idea that, while the COO may perform many of the functions temporarily, the ultimate goal is to recruit long-term volunteers to do the role.  Rarely, a Nepal-based volunteer will be responsible for one of these tasks, but that is to be avoided for the most part.  

 

Director of Contracts

This director of contracts is responsible for overseeing the writing of contracts and agreements for the Nepal-based team.  These include those for personnel, NGO collaborations, government agreements, and corporate partnerships.

This director should have a solid understanding of the legal and government culture in Nepal and should be an excellent writer.  Fluency in written Nepali would be helpful but not required.

Current persons responsible: Duncan, Aditya

Management notes:  See evernote since this is an Nepal-focussed task.  All the key documents pertaining to this position are housed in SharedNyaya\Clinic\Official Documents and SharedNyaya\Clinic\Personnel. 

Approximate time commitment: 10 hours per month

 

Director of Grants and Reports

The director of grants is responsible for the applying for grants and maintaining relationships with existing foundations. 

1) search regularly for new grants and maintain an updated list

2) oversee the writing of all grants and be responsible for ensuring that all grants meet tax compliance and Nyaya standards

3) provide semi-annual brief emailed report to the team list a “Statement of Nyaya Health’s Grants” as to the status of our grants program.

4) oversee the writing and production of quarterly reports

Current persons responsible: Sanjay

Management notes document: Grants, ReportsManagement

Approximate time commitment: 30 hours per month

 

Director of Finance

This director is responsible for all aspects relating to the finances of the organization. Specifically, s/he is expected to:

1) with the director of operations, file all necessary tax forms

2) manage donations

3) work with the Achham team to receive quickbooks accounting text exports from Program Director and provide to the data team for uploading to the wiki

4) provide the board of directors with a simple semi-annual “Statement of Finances” that details our expenditures, our income, and the state of our financial solvency

Current persons responsible: Sanjay, Duncan, Astha

Management notes document: FinancialManagement, DonorManagement

Email streams: billing@nyaya (astha)

Approximate Time commitment: 15 hours per month

 

Director of Fundraising

The role of this position is to assist members with personal fundraising.  This is a critical position to meet our overall objective in engaging a broad base of people involved in resource redistribution.  Additionally, our volunteers strategy is centered on the premise that most volunteers will first undertake a fundraising project to learn about the organization and make a tangible contribution prior to working on one of the more Achham-focused programs. Tasks involve:

1) when a new volunteer applicant specifically is looking to hold a fundraiser, work with this applicant on individualized materials for their campaigns

2) organize at least one fundraising event per year

Management notes document: PersonalFundraising

Approximate time commitment: 15 hours per month

 

Director of Transparency and Monitoring

This position involves oversight of Nyaya's data program.  S/he will work closely with the Director of Data Management.   Tasks include: 

1) performing regular audits of our data practices and researching new avenues to go down

2) trouble-shooting with the director of data management as problems arise

3) identifying further analytical techniques and strategies to improve our standing as a leader in the science of global health delivery

4) applying to grants specific to global health outcomes monitoring and epidemiology

Current persons responsible: Duncan

Management notes document: DataManagement

Approximate time commitment: 15 hours per month

 

Director of Data Management

This position entails managing Nyaya's budgetary, pharmacy, spatial, and utilization data monitoring program that Nyaya uses to improve services and provide leadership in the science of global health delivery.  S/he will work closely with the Director of Transparency and Monitoring. Specific tasks include:

1) working with Achham-based staff to develop needs assessments, surveys, and clinical databases;

2) defining clinical outcomes, indicators, and community goals;

3) coordinating databases and updating budgetary, pharmacy, and utilization charts, graphs, and spreadsheets on the wiki monthly;

4) reporting to core members utilization statistics and clinical outcome assessment results every quarter; and

5) interfacing with the grant-writing team to supply necessary statistics for proposals and follow-up reports.

Current persons responsible: Duncan

Management notes document: DataManagement

Approximate time commitment: 15 hours per month

 

Director of Procurement

The role of this position is to identify medical technologies needed at the clinic.  Tasks include:

1) research possible options for equipment and supplies requests from the Achham team that can be purchased in Nepal or pursued outside of Nepal.

2) pursue in-kind donations with companies for equipment and supplies

Current persons responsible: Jennifer, Duncan

Management notes document: ProcurementManagement

Approximate time commitment: 20 hours per month

 

Director of Technology

The director of technology is responsible for the implementation of our internet presence.

1) perform the functions of, or otherwise oversee, the webmaster

2) oversee the technical aspects of Nyaya's presence on social networking sites

3) maintain the google apps accounts and member emails

4) propose and implement additional technical innovations

5) provide semi-annual reports to the board of directors a “Statement of Nyaya’s Web Presence” as to the effectiveness of our different sites, with specific statistics

Current persons responsible: Duncan, Bipul

Management notes document: WebManagement

Approximate Time commitment: 15 hours per month

 

Director of Collaborative Technology

The role of this position is to ensure that we continue to innovatively utilize collaborative technologies for the purposes of marketing and collaboration. 

1) manage the organizational foldershare file cabinet, keep it organized and clean, and invite new board members to foldershare; update the collaboration page as needed

2) manage wiki; update the WikiTips page as needed

3) manage the blog, request content from members, edit blog entries

4) recruit subscribers, spread the word among other blogs

5) encourage members to contact their local newspapers about their work with Nyaya

6) manage google analytics and adwords

Current persons responsible: Duncan, Shefali

Management notes document: CollabTechManagement; Marketing and Communications

Email streams: press@nyaya, blog@nyaya, wiki@nyaya (shefali) 

Approximate time commitment: 20 hours per month

 

Director of Volunteers

The role of this position is to manage the non-medical/specialist volunteers.

1) manage the outside-Nepal volunteers by working with them on their tasks lists, goals, deadlines

2) manage the within-Nepal volunteers by working with them on their itineraries and trip planning

3) identify volunteers needs and recruit new volunteers

Management note document: VolunteersManagement

Current persons responsible: Duncan

Approximate time commitment: 15 hours per month 

 

Director of Translations

This role of this position is to provide timely translations to the Achham team

Current persons responsible: Astha, Bibhav

Management notes document: see evernote since this is an Achham-based task; also Translators

Approximate time commitment: 10 hours per month

 

Additional Functions of the US-based Team 

Director of E-Commerce

This person will oversee any e-commerce activities used in fundraising.

Management notes document:  E-commerce 

Email streams: efundraising@nyaya

Approximate time commitment: depending upon the scope of the activities

 

Director of Laboratory Services

The director of lab services provides oversight regarding the overall quality of medical services provided by Nyaya Health. 

Tasks include:

1) dialoguing with Achham team about the quality of the laboratory services and additional needs

2) researching appropriate laboratory technologies for our setting

3) pursuing companies, together with the director of procurement, involved in laboratory supplies

4) helping to develop the costing and projections sheets for laboratory services

 

Director of Medical Services

The director of medical services ensures medical service access and quality control.

Tasks include:

1) developing and reviewing clinical protocols to ensure they are grounded in evidence-based medicine and social justice

2) reviewing clinical protocols and needs at least once weekly with Achham staff

3) investigating and pursuing avenues for expansion of services

4) reviewing the clinical data to consider how to improve services

Current persons responsible: Duncan, Aditya

Management notes document:  ProtocolManagement

Approximate time commitment: 20 hours per month

 

Director of Social Networking

The function of this position is to expand our social networking capacity to broaden our reach.  The primary task involves: 

1) Creating, updating, and managing Nyaya's social networking sites

Management note document: SocialNetworking

Current persons responsible: Shalaj, Bibhav

Email streams: networking@ (shalaj)

Approximate time commitment: Depending upon the scope of the activities

 

Director of Community Outreach

Community outreach, oversight boards, and public reporting.  This position requires fluency in Nepali and significant time spent in Achham.

1) Help vision for community engagement

2) Review needs for new resources and protocols to benefit Achham

3) Coordinate between program directors in Nepal and US team to ensure compliance with community needs

4) Research and provide ongoing technical assistance to Achham team for improving community accountability and governance standards

Current persons responsible: Bibhav

Approximate time commitment: 10 hours per month

 

Director of Research

Ensure that any research being proposed or conducted with Nyaya meets ethical, scientific, and social justice standards

1) review all IRB submissions

2) review all research protocols and work plans prior to their being implemented

3) review all manuscripts for publication prior to submission

Management notes document: 

Approximate time commitment: 3 hours per month

 

Director of Telecommunications

Research opportunities, technologies, funding, and strategies for telecommunications and telemedicine

Tasks include: 

1) dialogue with on-site Nyaya members to pursue telecommunications hardware, such as PDAs or mobile phones, as well as software to meet our clinical and mobile outreach needs.

2) document current innovative models for telemedicine in our scenario

3) with the grants team, identify funding sources for our telecommunications/telemedicine programs

4) if/when open architecture network's telemedicine program comes through, work with OAN and on-site Nyaya members to identify the optimal supplies to procure

Approximate time commitment: 15 hours per month for one year minimum

 

Director of Health Service Financing

Research opportunities, models, and evidence for health services financing.  Tasks include:

1) identifying the current health service financing models available (fee for service, community-based health insurance, etc.) and the evidence for each of them.  the goal would be to create something with significant community buy-in that also can be integrated within government services and allows for external injection of needed funds.

2) dialogue with nyaya team to consider the next steps to decide how to pursue community-based financing models appropriate to our scenario

3) create short- and long-term action plans with the on-the-ground nyaya team

Relevant documents, albeit largely disorganized but provide some points of reference: 

health economics survey we conducted in Achham:  http://wiki.nyayahealth.org/CommunitySurveys

http://wiki.nyayahealth.org/Integrating-Microfinance-into-Clinic-Funding

http://wiki.nyayahealth.org/Health-Services-Financing

http://wiki.nyayahealth.org/Community-Based-Health-Financing

Approximate time commitment: 20 hours per month for one year minimum