Governance

Governance

Fondacio’s governance is based on an organization and principles

An organization at different levels

Overall level

The Fondacio congress takes place every 5 years . The last congress was held in May 2018 in the Philippines. It is the highest governance body in Fondacio. It brought together 150 delegates from four continents to:
    • Building unity and communication
    • Welcoming directions for the future (2018-2023)
    • Elect the new President and the Board of Fondacio
    • Ratify statutory texts or documents
The Fondacio Council is made up of ten members with representatives from all continents . They have a term of 5 years. Chaired and directed by the President, the Board of Fondacio is the guarantor of the unity and identity of Fondacio in all the countries where the movement is present.

It supports the growth of Fondacio and its mission in the world by ensuring the exercise of subsidiarity while respecting the common identity.

The chairman of Fondacio, together with his board, is responsible for Fondacio as a whole . Based on the directives adopted by the Congress and the decisions taken by the Fondacio Council, the President is responsible for the executive.

A management team surrounds the president in charge of functional services for Fondacio as a whole (general secretariat, financial service, fundraising, communication, human resources, including international volunteering) and supports the implementation of the orientations adopted during the Congress.

An ecclesiastical assistant is chosen by the president with his council, in accordance with the law of the Catholic Church , and is subject to confirmation by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Family and Life. The Fondacio council, notably through its president, maintains regular contact with the ecclesiastical assistant with whom it takes prior advice on all major decisions relating to the life and mission of the Community.

National level

At the level of each country, there is the same type of organization with the Pastoral Assembly of leaders, which meets at least once a year, the country council and the country leader, appointed by the President of Fondacio after consultation of the Pastoral Assembly of Leaders.

The country manager with his country council can rely on support services to ensure the successful implementation of the decisions taken for the country. He is in contact with the ecclesial leaders of the regions in which Fondacio is established.

Local level

In the cities where Fondacio operates, the local teams enjoy a certain autonomy of organization and activities, in connection with their country council.

A vision of Fondacio's governance

To govern at Fondacio is to exercise a pastoral function . It is a function of spiritual leadership for those who participate in the collective activities and realities that make up Fondacio:

    • Community Groups,
    • Missionary projects and achievements,
    • Various organizing bodies, …

always with the awareness and respect of being one and the same community, a fundamental dimension explicit in the expression “a unique and diverse community” .

Governance according to a polygonal model . Fondacio’s governance is neither centralized nor pyramidal. The model is rather that of the polygon, inspired by the ecclesial model described by Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel (§236).

This figure reflects the confluence of all partial elements, each retaining its originality. Any action, including that of governing, seeks to bring together the best of each other in the polygon, like a community of people seeking a common good by integrating each of them into a shared vision and collaborative functioning.

1. Governing

The President and the Board of Fondacio (with relays on the 4 continents), the country councils and the assemblies of officials in some twenty countries.

2. Act

Mission areas – Young, poor and excluded, leaders in society, couples and families, seniors and seniors, led by teams and most often in partnership with other organisations.

3. Serve

Support services – administration, finance, fundraising, communication, human resources with the possibility of committing as a permanent, international volunteer, volunteer, etc.

4. Train

Training, support or coaching programs, Fondacio training institutes on four continents in partnership with universities.

5. Welcome

Different ways of welcoming, meeting and participating in Fondacio’s proposals. Small groups of reflection and conviviality / “fraternities”, meeting places in the cities where Fondacio is present, prayer assemblies, centers – places of healing and integral ecology inspired by the encyclical Laudato Sí.

Value-Based Fundamental Principles

Governing, at all levels, is experienced in the awareness that it concerns the whole of Fondacio, according to governing principles that are always in interaction. These principles convey extremely strong values. They are a compass for the conduct of Fondacio. In summary, here are the big ideas:

Principle 1: To govern is to exercise spiritual leadership … Governing is above all an approach that combines the human and the spiritual, calls for discernment to make good decisions.

Principle 2: to govern is to make democracy live … Very strong democratic dimension: legitimacy of leaders through elections and for limited periods. Co-responsibility by committing to the success of the common good. Respect for cultures and respect for national laws.

Principle 3: To govern is to seek subsidiarity … Everything that can be carried out and decided closer to the field is highlighted and facilitated.

Principle 4: To govern is to be in otherness … Responsibility is always exercised in dialogue, with the concern to listen to the suggestions and questions of people from Fondacio and outside, to observe good practices or innovations that lead to progress, to give priority to the good – to be the most vulnerable people.

Principle 5: Governing according to the charism of Fondacio … Always attentive to the harmony of the components of the DNA in all the decisions and actions taken at Fondacio, in the spirituality that animates in harmony the being oneself, the being with and the being for.

Financial organization of Fondacio

How is Fondacio financed? Fondacio’s global budget represents approximately €10 million, including the promotion of volunteering. Fondacio’s mission is possible thanks to a large number of actors, notably permanent and voluntary, as well as people who support Fondacio in many ways, particularly in the form of: occasional or regular financial donations (patronage, donations and legacies ) .