Organizational Tree (Roots, Trunk and Branches) 

The seventh instalment in a year-long series of posts by RFF Founder & Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, on the origins, mandate and work of the organization.

A healthy, successful tree is made up of its roots, trunk and branches. When the tree starts life as a seed, it first grows roots to anchor itself in the earth and provide the foundation for the trunk. As the trunk grows, it, in turn, provides support for the branches and leaves that nourish the tree. The leaves, in turn, feed and sustain the rest of the tree. Together, all three of these parts work together to sustain the tree through a long and beautiful life.

An organization goes through similar stages as it grows and develops. Since launching Rainbow Faith and Freedom two years ago, we have been focused on developing the roots of our tree to ensure that we lay a solid, sustainable foundation for our future growth. During this time, we have developed our governance structures, established our policies and procedures, developed a website, hired an Administrative Coordinator, appointed an Executive Director, and designed an organizational structure that will support a robust infrastructure to carry out our mission. 

Now we are ready to grow the trunk of our tree, which is the core operations of the organization. We have set up the following teams:

  • Board of Directors - The Board of Directors used to be called the Steering Committee, then the Advisory Team, before a formal Board was established to govern the organization. Our Board positions include a President, a Vice-President, who oversees risk management, the Treasurer, a Director of Fundraising, and a Director who is our values champion. We’ve held monthly Board meetings for over a year.

  • Communications - This team ensures that content is continually made available through a variety of channels, including web, email, and print. This content helps the public learn about the work of the organization, engage with our work, and inspire others to join the movement.

  • IT - This team is responsible for setting up and running a secure backend of services to support and facilitate the aims and work of the organization, its staff and volunteers.

  • Finance - These professionals provide guidance to ensure good fiscal planning, decision-making and oversight at the governance level.

  • Partnerships - Our experts in this area establish and manage the strategic partnerships with complementary organizations that help us extend our reach and capacity. We currently have partnerships with Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, Global Justice Institute and Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.

  • Volunteer - These leaders create a culture of volunteer engagement, a system that functions equitably for every member, and a community that fully implements the vision and mission of RFF. We are also implementing social accounting practices for added insight into the value of our time and resources.

  • Faith-Based Resources - This team focuses on the creation and use of faith-based educational and other resources. These resources will help RFF spread the message of acceptance and inclusiveness.

We are also celebrating various milestones in the development of our core operations, including the following:

  • We received Not-for-Profit status on June 18, 2019 and have applied for Charitable status *

  • We launched a website in June 2019, thanks to the support of Chelsea Digital and our IT Team

  • I was appointed by the Board as RFF’s Executive Director for the next few years

  • In 2020 we hired an Administrative Coordinator, Sarah McClark, and a Fundraising Coordinator, Sonja Moroz. In 2021 we hired a Manager of Operations, Stephen Low.

  • In 2019 we hired a youth for a summer term, funded first through a grant, and then extended beyond the original term because of exceptional performance

  • Thanks to a generous donor who resonated with the vision of what RFF will do, we were able to hire a Personal Assistant, Annabelle Menezes, to help me with all the tasks needed to get RFF to where it is today, and who has been a wonderful asset to all of the RFF teams

  • Development of organizational values through a series of consultations to gather a wide spectrum of input and feedback

  • In 2020, we celebrated our first full-year budget.

Now that we’ve pushed our roots deep into the earth and built up a strong solid trunk, our next phase will see us focusing on growing the branches of our tree. These branches are the three pillars of our work: our Canadian strategy, faith-based resources, and our global strategy. Watch for more on these pillars in upcoming articles.

* Note: RFF was granted full status as a registered Canadian charity in July 2021.