Skip to content

Candidate Executive Committee’s Vision for Affirmation

Nathan Kitchen - Laurie Lee Hall - Fernando González Díaz

October 3, 2018

Nathan Kitchen - Laurie Lee Hall - Fernando González Díaz

In this year’s Affirmation presidential election, the candidate Executive Committee

  • Nathan Kitchen: President
  • Laurie Lee Hall: Senior Vice President
  • Jairo Fernando Gonzalez Diaz: Vice President

have released their platform, laying out their vision for Affirmation in the next two years. For more information about the candidates please visit Nathan Kitchen for Affirmation President 2019 on Facebook.

Affirmation 2020 Platform

Vision: Affirmation will become the mature worldwide organization providing supportive communities that foster health, healing, and personal growth to LGBTQ with spiritual or cultural connection to the LDS Church. To do so effectively, Affirmation will establish both organizational strength and financial consistency.

  1. Affirmation will establish three area committees (US/Canada, Latin America, Europe/Asia/Africa) comprised of the members of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and the designated Country Leader from each chapter nation, to guide the development and service of Affirmation chapters in all areas of membership concentration
  2. Under direction of the Area Committees and the Governance Committee, Affirmation will formally organize as a legally recognized entity in every country that has an organized chapter, to facilitate membership growth, leadership development, locally organized conferences, financial growth, and business integrity
  3. To facilitate this growth, Affirmation will hire two paid Executive Managers (one for Latin America, one for Europe/Asia/Africa) who will work under the Executive Director and perform the ED functions in their respective areas. Each Area will also hire a paid Administrative Assistant to support the work of the Director/Manager
  4. We are a worldwide organization. Translation services will be a priority, and an essential part of each meeting. Our goal is to never have a leadership meeting without everyone being able to understand and participate.
  5. By 2020 written protocols, guidelines, and expectations will be created for the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, area committees, standing committees, country leaders, local leaders, and affinity groups. This will create a continuance of governance throughout the organization as Affirmation grows and new leaders are elected or appointed.
  6. Affirmation will establish the necessary means for its sustainability and economic independence, including the sustainability and economic independence of each of the local chapters throughout the world. Affirmation will provide a conceptual financial independence model that local chapters can integrate according to local legal requirements and conveniences.

Affirmation’s newly elected Executive Committee will instill membership confidence in organization leadership by leading with humility, integrity, transparency, and accountability via:

  1. Establishing strong two-way communication lines from chapter members through local leaders to the Board of Directors via the Area Committees. Members worldwide will have a voice and representation in the organization.
  2. The Executive Committee will establish social media site(s) to provide an ongoing forum for dialog from and to organization leadership.
  3. Approved policies and programs will be shared with membership in a timely fashion via the organization website and leadership social media site(s).
  4. The Executive Committee will provide annual accountability reporting at the International Conference and will be prepared to respond with accountability to all actions of the Committee as requested.
  5. Request yearly budgets from each country, region, chapter, affinity group. Report a monthly financial snapshot for leaders. Follow the Economic and Financial Policy approved on 9/9/2018 by the board of directors.

It is highly important to have strong organizational and financial protocols in place so that we can provide world class supportive communities that foster health, healing, and personal growth. As your Executive Committee we are prepared to shoulder a lot of the administrative and operational framework so that the focus of Affirmation can always be on people. Affirmation’s mission and organization is focused on you, the individual.

Affirmation will improve/enhance its key actions in each of the four areas it is organized to address: Community, Dialogue, Resources, and Spiritual well-being. Please read my previous post about the current needs in Affirmation in these areas. These are the things that we will address in the next two years.

We will focus on your welfare by creating a culture of patience and compassion as we help one another. In trauma informed ways, we will bear your burdens and also propel you to healing and personal fulfillment. We will help you organize in ways that are helpful for you. We will provide you opportunities to serve and provide leadership development.

The future of Affirmation is bright, and as your next Executive Committee we express our love to each of you and ask for your help as we join together in this great cause.

4 Comments

  1. James Cartwright on October 5, 2018 at 4:11 PM

    Please do not rely solely upon Facebook for announcements, candidate statements, other policy announcements for dissemination. Some of us–okay, maybe I’m the only one–do not like to use Facebook for security reasons. Please also make such announcements on the Affirmation website.

    • Joel McDonald on October 8, 2018 at 9:23 AM

      Hi, James. We’ve almost never (in fact, I can’t think of one time since starting my work with Affirmation) post a statement solely on social media. Our practice has been to post to the website, and then link to the website from social media and email. That said, you’ll likely see content faster on social media unless a statement is intended as a stand-alone email, otherwise content is held until the next newsletter is sent.

      • Michael on October 12, 2018 at 1:10 PM

        What ^^^ He said!

  2. Steven E Dunn on October 6, 2018 at 12:35 PM

    I applaud the organizational structure and ambition to expand the globalization of Affirmation. This growth will require Affirmation to expand its umbrella and ensure its services and mission meet the needs of the multinational membership.

    This isn’t a new idea but it continues to be one of the greatest challenges for the Affirmation leadership: balance between providing a safe place for still-believing Mormons and those who have left the Mormon Church while holding the Mormon church accountable for its inhumane and cruel policies. The church plays a cruel game of speaking love for LGBT members while establishing hateful and hurtful policies. Affirmation cannot enter into an abusive relationship where it continues to be abused by the church but can’t report the abuse because it foolishly holds onto hope for the abuser to stop.

    Surely your job as an executive team is filled with excitement and trepidation. Best wishes on your journey of meeting the needs of as many members as possible.

Leave a Comment





Scroll To Top