Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide

2 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide A Gift to the Charter for Compassion Compassionate Communities Movement From Chill Center Inc., a Nonprofit, Social Impact Organization and its Compassionate Sacramento Initiative A St ep-by-Step Operations Guide for Building a Compassion Ambassador Team for Your Community R evised February 28, 2025 3 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide Table of Contents 1.0 Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 6 2.0 Overview of the Chill Sacramento Organization and its programs ............................... 6 3.0 Vision: The Compassionate Community Movement .................................................... 6 4.0 Program Mission ........................................................................................................ 7 4.1 Identifying Obstacles and Problems ............................................................................... 8 4.2 Inspired Ideas for Community-Building .......................................................................... 8 4.3 Community Safety, Health & Wellness ........................................................................... 8 4.4 Storytelling and Relationship-Building............................................................................ 8 4.5 Celebration ...................................................................................................................... 8 5.0 The Stakeholders ...................................................................................................... 11 6.0 Compassion Ambassador Program Phases ................................................................ 12 7.0 Approach of the Compassion Ambassador Program: Compassionate City Community Meetings ............................................................................................................................. 13 8.0 Goals of the Compassion Ambassadors ..................................................................... 15 9.0 Strategy of the Compassion Ambassador Program .................................................... 15 9.1 The Process ................................................................................................................... 15 9.1.1 Discovery ............................................................................................................... 16 9.1.2 Project Initiation ................................................................................................... 19 9.1.3 Planning................................................................................................................. 20 9.1.4 Execution ............................................................................................................... 20 9.1.5 Performance Monitoring ...................................................................................... 20 9.1.6 Ongoing Communication ...................................................................................... 21 With the Residents ......................................................................................................... 21 With Mission Partners .................................................................................................... 21 With the Elected Officials ............................................................................................... 21 With Funders .................................................................................................................. 21 With Sponsors................................................................................................................. 21 9.1.7 Project Close - Goal Fulfillment / Sustainability ................................................... 21 9.2 Logistics of the Compassionate Community Meetings ................................................ 22 9.3 Roles and Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 23 4 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide 9.3.1 Compassion Ambassador Team ............................................................................ 23 Compassion Ambassador Role and Responsibilities ...................................................... 25 9.3.2 Program / Project Management Team Roles and Responsibilities ...................... 27 Compassionate Community Meetings Project Manager: .............................................. 27 Community Meeting WELCOME COMMITTEE (Compassion Ambassador Team Member): 28 Community Meeting SCRIBE (Compassion Ambassador Team Member): .................... 28 Marketing (Sponsoring Organization Team): ................................................................. 28 Compassionate Community Connector (resident volunteer): ....................................... 29 Compassionate Community Recorder (resident volunteer): ......................................... 29 9.3.3 Additional Support to Compassion Ambassador Program ................................... 29 Program/Project Management Roles (SPONSORING ORGANIZATION) ......................... 29 Volunteer Manager (Sponsoring Organization) ............................................................. 30 Executive Director (Sponsoring Organization) ............................................................... 30 9.3.4 Sponsoring Organization Board of Director roles that support the Compassion Ambassador Program (as an example of a support structure) ........................................... 30 9.4 Financials (example) ..................................................................................................... 31 Funding 31 Expenses -- EXAMPLE ..................................................................................................... 32 Appendix A – The Official Sacramento City Council Capital Region’s Resolution for Sacramento Passed July 25, 2017 ............................................................................................................ 34 Appendix B – The International Charter for Compassion ...................................................... 35 Appendix C – Compassion Resources ................................................................................... 36 Appendix D – Compassion Ambassadors and team member roster ..................................... 37 Appendix E – Council Members and applicable staff roster ................................................. 38 Appendix F – Community Stakeholders Roster ..................................................................... 39 Appendix G – First People’s Roster....................................................................................... 40 Appendix H – First People’s Acknowledgement at the Compassionate City Meetings ........... 41 Appendix I – Resident Community Connector Roster .......................................................... 42 Appendix J – Community Meetings/Events Venues .............................................................. 43 Appendix K – Community Meeting Planning, Scheduling and Follow-up Checklist ................. 44 Appendix L – Community Meeting PREP AND PACKING Travel kit ......................................... 46 5 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide Appendix M – Community Meeting Agenda -- EXAMPLE ...................................................... 47 Appendix N – Community Meeting Day Activities / Responsibilities ..................................... 48 Appendix O – Community Meeting Scribe TEMPLATE - EXAMPLE ......................................... 50 Appendix P – Community Meeting Report and Recommendations TEMPLATE - EXAMPLE.... 51 Appendix Q – Compassion Ambassador Onboarding Process -- EXAMPLE ............................ 52 Appendix R – Compassion in Action Community Event AGENDA- EXAMPLE ......................... 53 Appendix S – Compassion in Action Community Event format and layouts - EXAMPLE ......... 56 Appendix T – Compassion Ambassador Kids Club -- CONCEPT .............................................. 62 6 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide 1.0 PURPOSE The purpose of this Compassionate Community Movement Compassion Ambassadors Operations Guide is to inform and educate the hosting organizational team about the Compassion Ambassador Program and provide the structure, processes, templates and support for the Compassion Ambassadors and their teams to be able to hit the ground running in the easiest way possible. It is also meant to be a valuable resource for the hosting organization’s Volunteer Manager to know what volunteer resources are needed to support this important program. 2.0 OVERVIEW OF THE CHILL SACRAMENTO ORGANIZATION AND ITS PROGRAMS Vision: Healthy, safe and equitable communities in which all residents feel that they belong and participate as volunteers, artists, activists, leaders, neighbors and friends. Mission: To give individuals and communities the tools and connection to resources they seek for making decisions that serve their individual and collective good – including perspectives and practices for personal wellness and development, cultural understanding and celebration, volunteer resiliency, servant leadership and neighborhood economic activation. Sacramento joined the International Compassionate Cities Initiative on July 25, 2017, when the Sacramento City Council passed a resolution drafted and presented by Compassionate Capital Region. Through this resolution, Sacramento joined the Charter for Compassion and over 200 cities participating worldwide. This initiative supports governments and residents working together to make decisions that help everyone in their community thrive. See the resolution in A ppendix A. Compassion Ambassadors each serve the residents of your communities. They help cultivate relationships between stakeholders, inspire collective action for the greater good, and advocate for equity in all environments. See the International Charter for Compassion in A ppendix B. See the Community Stakeholders Roster in Appendix F. 3.0 VISION: THE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY MOVEMENT One primary element of the Compassionate Community movement are the Compassionate City Meetings that can be facilitated by the Compassion Ambassadors as a powerful tool the residents can use as they pursue creating the safe, healthy, and equitable community they envision. The Compassion Ambassador model helps bridge gaps that people fall through when there are gaps in the foundation of a community. The foundational principles of the Compassionate City Movement, the Compassionate City Meetings and the Compassion Ambassador Program are: ●Servant Leadership and Stewardship - Servant leadership is about being a servant of the people and resources of a community and the community itself and

Compassionate Community movement are the Compassionate City Meetings that can be facilitated by the Compassion Ambassadors as a powerful tool the residents can use as they pursue creating the safe, healthy, and equitable community they envision. The Compassion Ambassador model helps bridge gaps that people fall through when there are gaps in the foundation of a community. The foundational principles of the Compassionate City Movement, the Compassionate City Meetings and the Compassion Ambassador Program are: ●Servant Leadership and Stewardship - Servant leadership is about being a servant of the people and resources of a community and the community itself and encouraging and supporting all members of the community to embrace the role of a steward. In the Compassionate Community Movement, we see the definition of Stewardship as the responsible care of the community, its people, and its resources in service to the collective good. ●Community residents have the skills, gifts, wisdom, ideas, connections and relationships to create positive change. They know what they need and desire for themselves, their family, their neighborhood and their community. This program guide is a Compassionate Community template that raises public awareness of the good work that’s being done in the region, inspires increased community volunteerism and activism, and helps the region ’s elected officials improve social impact. 4.0 PROGRAM MISSION The Compassion Ambassadors serve the neighborhood residents in their work to build a community where everyone can thrive. They do this through helping neighborhoods strategize, identify and gather resources and advocate equity in all spaces t hrough compassion and collaboration. This is an idea that belongs to everyone. The Compassion Ambassadors share this idea as a powerful tool the residents can use as they pursue creating the safe, healthy, and equitable community they envision. The role of the Compassion Ambassador is to be an asset for the residents to use in their ownership of and effectively acting upon the issues and ideas in their neighborhoods and their community. They facilitate the residents to do the work, build the relationships, make the connections, a nd implement their vision and goals. They are heart and inspired-mind training wheels for a community, so the communit y can do the work to fulfill their vision. They act at the will of the residents and can support the community as a connector, weaver, guide, mentor, facilitator, counsellor, elder, or steward. The Compassion Ambassadors are a team of individual Compassion Ambassadors. Each team member is assigned one sector of a community and between all of t hem they serve the whole community. They are ambassadors and facilitators of compassionate decision-making in the region. It is widely recognized in the community development fiel d that neighborhoods have the capacity, responsibility and assets to determine their health, make their neighborhoods safe a nd secure, be stewards of their local environment, build a resilient economy, have access to healthy food, enrich their children’s lives, and care for each other in our everyday challenges. The details below illuminate the five components of a Compassionate Communit y that the Compassion Ambassadors support: 7 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide 8 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide ●Identifying obstacles and problems ●Inspired ideas for community building ●Community safety, health and wellness ●Storytelling and relationship building ●Celebration 4.1 IDENTIFYING OBSTACLES AND PROBLEMS Compassion Ambassadors, in all of their activities, learn from the stakeholders what the obstacles and problems are in their community then evaluate how adequately they are being addressed and how the Compassion Ambassador can support the resident/stakeholder efforts through resource recommendations, strategic planning and relationship-building. 4.2 INSPIRED IDEAS FOR COMMUNITY- BUILDING In the course of the work of a Compassion Ambassador, they listen for inspired ideas from all stakeholders and support the implementation of those ideas through relationship-building, mentorship and resource recommendations in alignment with the residents’ vision. 4.3 COMMUNITY SAFETY, HEALTH & WELLNESS ●Maintain active relationships with police captains and officers assigned to that community ●Partner with the Police commissioner (or equivalent) for each community ●Attend and participate (when invited to do so) at neighborhood association meetings ●Have regular private meetings with community and faith organizations that serve t hat community ●Help build capacity of the office and of the organizations serving that community ●Ensure resident voices are heard by all other stakeholders in all of the Compassion Ambassador’s activities ●Strategize with stakeholders how to equitably close gaps in communication, service and policymaking 4.4 STORYTELLING AND RELATIONSHIP- BUILDING ●Partner with healing circle and storytelling facilitators to provide safe spaces for residents to share their stories ●Learn from residents and stakeholder organizations what resources are needed and make recommendations to fill those needs ●Help establish healing circles, nonviolent communication and other cultural understanding/relationship-building resources in the municipalities if not already established 4.5 CELEBRATION ●Share the community’s good works that merit city-wide visibility 9 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide ●Make aware/share with neighborhoods/stakeholders projects and other partner resources ●Keep finger on the pulse of the cultural performance artists and groups and engage them in the community meetings and events and other city-wide or region-wide events ●Attend / staff info table at community celebrations Above is a visual that represents the five primary areas in which the Compassion Ambassadors support the community. 10 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide Below are some additional details of what the role of the Compassion Ambassadors are and are not. WHAT Compassion Ambassadors ARE WHAT Compassion Ambassadors ARE NOT We are residents of the local community ourselves already in action collaborating with others in the Compassionate City Movement in our region We are not outsiders or policy makers here to decide how our services or products should be utilized by the residents We work in service to the residents We do not presume to decide or tell the residents what they need and want We know the residents / members of the community already and inherently have many skills, gifts, wisdom, ideas, connections and relationships We are not here to fix anyone We are a resource and support team for

are residents of the local community ourselves already in action collaborating with others in the Compassionate City Movement in our region We are not outsiders or policy makers here to decide how our services or products should be utilized by the residents We work in service to the residents We do not presume to decide or tell the residents what they need and want We know the residents / members of the community already and inherently have many skills, gifts, wisdom, ideas, connections and relationships We are not here to fix anyone We are a resource and support team for the residents and what they desire to change in their community We are not here to lead, control, dictate or do it for the community We know that when residents come together in compassionate communication they will determine and pursue their common desires together We are not invested in any particular solution We know that the residents already have powerful connections and relationships in the community, and we want to offer ours Our connections and relationships are not more important or powerful that what the residents already have We desire to be in service to the voice of the community with the courage to speak truth to power We are not the voice of the community 11 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide We have a passion for compassion in action with a desire and a willingness be part of the expression and expansion of that in our community We are not arm chair idealists who just wish there was more compassion in the world We believe that real sustainable community-wide change can only happen when the stakeholder groups are actively involved. We foster connect ion and understanding between them and work wit h the other community connectors who encourage compassionate social activism among these stakeholders: ●Residents ●Community organizations ●City government ●Businesses We do not believe that a Compassionate City is a one-time project. It is a way of life a nd part of the social fabric of t he community. THE STAKEHOLDERS The Compassion Ambassadors are in direct communication and collaboration with the elected officials and their staff. They work on behalf of the residents and their neighborhood’s goals. The Compassion Ambassadors are not encumbered by agenda, having more ability to recognize connections within the community to address issues and bring community stakeholders together in positive relationships (e.g. between police and community) and projects. Businesses in the region also benefit. The Compassion Ambassador Program contributes to the active health and well-being of the community, training adults and youth to be neighborhood stewards, resilient volunteers, and engaged employees. Training objectives include helping develop personal empowerment, leadership skills, value team work and critical thinking to make good decisions. Each of the four primary stakeholder groups defined below has relationships for specific purposes for some or all of the other stakeholder groups, and sometimes just one. Compassion Ambassadors ensure that compassion is flowing within and between the stakeholders and how they move forward in service and policymaking. 12 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide The Four Primary Stakeholder Groups Residents ●Homeowners ●Renters ●Homeless /Unhomed Community Organizations ●Non-profits – large and small ●Grass roots activists and special interest ●Neighborhood associations ●Faith-based organizations ●Hospitals, med centers & universities City Government ●City Hall ●Police ●Fire ●Other departments (parks & rec, utilities, etc.) ●Public schools Businesses ●Developers ●Property Business Improvement Districts (PBIDs) ●Large and small businesses ●La ndlords & property managers ●Charter schools See additional details about the benefits of the Compassion Ambassador Program to each of the four primary stakeholder groups, and the region as a whole, in the Compassion Ambassador Sponsorships Guide. 5.0 COMPASSION AMBASSADOR PROGRAM PHASES The diagram below depicts the phased approach that can be followed by the Compassion Ambassadors, showing that the goal is to support the residents in the evolution of the culture and social fabric of the community to become part of the Compassionate Community Movement. 13 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide 6.0 APPROACH OF THE COMPASSION AMBASSADOR PROGRAM: COMPASSIONATE CITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS The primary – but not the only – approach the Compassion Ambassador’s use to support the community is regular Compassionate Community M eetings. The goal is for eac h of t he Compassion Ambassadors to have at least two Compassionate Community Meetings in their community per year. The Compassion Ambassadors work through the municipalities’ elected officials to facilitate Compassionate Community Meetings in their community to: ●Initiate and cultivate a positive working relationship with the elected officials and their appropriate/assigned staff ●Work with the elected officials and their staff to address goals and issues in alignment with the Compassion Ambassador Program ●Engage community members (residents) in mindful activism and compassionate conversation 14 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide ●Provide feedback and recommendations from residents at the Compassionate Community Meetings to their elected officials and staff ●Facilitate implementation of recommendations in alignment with the Compassion Ambassador Program ●Provide feedback to the community on projects, progress and results Some of the topics that can be collaborated on at the Compassionate Community Meetings include homelessness, human trafficking, parent after-school participation, and LGBTQ+ safety. Here is a template to use to identify specific areas of focus by district/municipality of the Compassion Ambassadors: DISTRICT NAME FOCUS AREA(S) # Women’s March and women’s issues # Youth empowerment # Homelessness and how the faith community serves that need # LGBTQ+, homelessness and equity # Homelessness and the new housing for them # Parent participation in classroom and after school programs # Community needs awareness reporting # Police and youth relationship building Eventually there will be additional Compassion Ambassadors who will serve other outlying cities and counties in the region and beyond. These may be small town champions, mentoring organizers in small towns on how to build their own compassionate communities. They may be consultants who offer their expertise to other cities and counties in other regions. 15 A Compassion Ambassador Program Operations Guide 7.0 GOALS OF THE COMPASSION AMBASSADORS Each of the municipalities