Acknowledging Feedback

Evergreen Hearts acknowledges the concerns raised in online comments earlier this year regarding our organization. Due to the lack of specifics and the anonymity of comments, we faced challenges in addressing these issues. In our commitment to fostering open communication and transparency, we invited the public to submit feedback directly to the Board of Directors or anonymously via a third-party reporting system. Despite these efforts, we did not receive any submissions over the past several months.

To ensure a comprehensive investigation into these concerns, we hired a therapist specializing in restorative justice. This expert consulted with some past support volunteers, including advisory board members, event coordinators, and event committee members, who shared their experiences and feelings anonymously. This process focused on discovery, as no restorative justice process was implemented, and it took several months due to the availability of participants.

Findings

The therapist presented the Board of Directors with the following key findings from the discussions:

• Issues stem from concerns around volunteer roles. Volunteers wanted more power and felt disempowered when their expected role was different from their experienced role.

• During our inaugural year, roles and responsibilities for volunteers were not clearly defined, leading to confusion.

• The harm described was a lack of care, respect, collaboration, and transparency.

• Importantly, no participants expressed interest in a restorative justice process, instead requesting that we move forward and lay the matter to rest.

Acknowledgement of Responsibility

The Evergreen Hearts administration, including the Executive Director and Board of Directors, takes full responsibility for the absence of clearly defined roles during the launch of our event programming. We are committed to ensuring that all volunteer positions have well-outlined roles and responsibilities in the future.

Actions Taken

As requested by those affected, we are making this our final communication regarding these concerns and are eager to move forward. The following actions have already been implemented:

• We have established well-defined processes for volunteer roles, responsibilities, onboarding, and training. Each role will now require an application, interview, and comprehensive training to establish clear expectations.

• A nonprofit consultant has been retained to enhance our policies on volunteer training and improve our focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).

• Our administration has completed a workshop on effective feedback practices to enhance communication within our organization.

Evergreen Hearts is dedicated to ongoing growth and improvement. We welcome and encourage continued feedback from the public, which can be easily submitted via our Contact page on our website.

Thank you for your support as we move forward.

Sincerely,

William, Jess, and Jessica

Evergreen Hearts Board of Directors