Policies & Procedures
Policies and procedures are created and managed by the iFamily Board of Directors to assist them in conducting all proper business of iFamily Leadership Academy. ~Bylaws Article V, Section 4
Official Use of the iFamily Name & Logo
iFamily Leadership Academy is a great organization and a synergistic community that our members enjoy being involved in. Because of this community feeling, it can be easy to use the name of iFamily in circumstances where iFamily, as an organization, is not actually involved. Please recognize that all official communication in the name of Idaho Family Leadership Academy, iFamily Leadership Academy, or iFamily should be done only by the Board of Directors or by those the Board commissioned to represent iFamily. Please refrain from using the name of Idaho Family Leadership Academy, iFamily Leadership Academy, or iFamily in personal communication that could be construed as, or is intended to appear as, coming officially from our organization, especially in any written correspondence. Likewise, the iFamily logo, past and present, is for official use only and may not be used, in any format, without the express permission of the iFamily Board.
Membership Capping Policy
April 18, 2016 - Updated April 23, 2023
iFamily membership numbers have increased every year since iFamily was formed in 2010. We started with 37 families. We now have many, many more families! Growing pains are being felt by all. Class-size is large. As a board and membership, attempts were made to address growth without capping including seeking permission from CCC for a second day of iFamily, and seeking for other viable locations. More and more youth are turned away because classes are full. In an effort to ensure quality and availability of classes to the membership, the Board has decided to cap iFamily membership–effective immediately on this day April 18, 2016.
Only current full members or current sabbatical members may automatically register as full members each semester. Associate members and associate-scholar members may register as full members at the discretion and invitation of the Board. Non-members interested in full membership may register as associate members and join the waitlist. When uncapping occurs, associate members will receive preference to upgrade to a full membership. Lifting the cap and allowing new members into our organization is at the discretion of the iFamily Board.
In August, 2021, a vote was held to amend our bylaws by adding a clause that would grandfather into permanent full membership all founding families. It was also discussed to amend our bylaws by adding a clause that would bypass the waitlists for adult children of current full member families. Both of these options were rejected by a clear majority. It was recognized that to fulfill our vision and mission, we must not fall prey to favoritism, elitism, or nepotism. Our organization thrives on the investment of each family - be they new or founding.
Registration Procedure
July 8, 2019
It is our hope that this new procedure will allow us to accommodate more Associate members who desire membership in the iFamily organization, while honoring current iFamily membership and space limitations at Christ Community Church.
The new procedure is as follows:
The iFamily Board carefully evaluated the organization’s needs and abilities to accommodate the membership. iFamily Membership will continue to be capped. However, in order to keep iFamily a fiscally healthy organization with a thriving membership, we determined an iFamily Member registration target range of 75-85 on-campus families per semester.
If the minimum target range of 75 families is not met at the end of the current Full Member registration period, current Associate members will be eligible to register as Full Members, not to exceed the maximum target registration unless otherwise determined by the Board.
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The iFamily Board will notify the membership of Full Member Registration dates via the iFamily Leadership Academy Facebook Group and the iFamily calendar on iFamilyLeadershipAcademy.com.
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Full Members are given a period of time specified by the board to complete registration and pay associated registration fees for the current semester.
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At the completion of the registration period for Full Members, the Board will evaluate the number of registrants and determine whether a second registration period will be held to invite eligible Associate Members to become Full Members in order to meet the minimum target.
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Associate Members will be notified via email from iFamilyLeadershipAcademy.com about open spaces for new membership.
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Eligible Associate Members interested in becoming Full Members will then have a specified amount of time to respond to the email with any pertinent or requested information.
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The Board will evaluate membership requests based upon waitlist seniority and scholar phase needs. No special consideration or exceptions will be given to particular friends of Full Members or Board Members. The Board will extend an email invitation for membership with a link to register.
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Registration forms must be complete and fees paid by a date specified by the Board.
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New Full Members will be eligible to apply for classes on the initial class application day.
The registration target range is at the complete discretion of the Board. The Registration Procedure will in no way affect registration or position of current Full Members in good standing.
Registration Payment & Refund Policy
Member fees are due at the time of registration, during the registration window as specified by the Board and included on the calendar and in other communications. Member fees may be paid on the website through PayPal, or a check may be mailed to us (PO BOX 449, Rigby, ID 83442). Cash will not be accepted. All payments must be received during the registration window for members to be eligible to apply for classes. Members that did not submit the membership agreement form AND pay member fees are not eligible to apply for classes, and will not receive the information needed to access class pages.
Members may apply for a refund in the first two weeks of the semester if they decide not to attend. They are required to apply for a refund by submitting the Withdrawal and Refund Request Form. Once verified that they are not attending, a refund will be issued. If a member is found purposely abusing this policy and applying for classes without filling out appropriate forms and paying fees and/or causing problems for mentors, the Board will determine if a withdrawal of member privileges is appropriate.
Duties of Full Members
Each full member family of iFamily Leadership Academy agrees to abide by and fulfill the following duties during the semester:
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Maintain communication via iFamily's private Facebook group. (We recognize that Facebook is not a perfect solution and that members may be frustrated about this decision. It is currently the most cost-effective way we have of disseminating information consistently and accurately to our membership. It is your responsibility to check our page regularly. The algorithms Facebook uses for notifications are not always trustworthy and you may miss important announcements. We recommend manually going to our page.)
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Be on campus with your child(ren) for the entirety of your class day. (We do not expect you to be on campus when your children are not enrolled in classes and you are free to come late or leave early based on your personal schedule. However, as noted in your registration form, FAQ, and this policy, iFamily is not a drop-off environment and parents/guardians are required to be in attendance.)
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Honor our Standards of Moral Conduct.
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Fulfill your family's cleaning and monitoring duty. (These duties are determined by the vice-president based on the total weeks per semester and number of families registered for classes. Usually, each family is required to take a single cleaning assignment per semester and two monitoring assignments per semester. These duties are not optional and may not be performed by a minor without adult supervision.)
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Engage in respectful communication with mentors. (Mentors own their classes and set their price, requirements, expectations, and refund policy independent of the iFamily Board of Directors. Please make every effort to communicate directly with a mentor if a disagreement or misunderstanding occurs before bringing it to the attention of the Board.)
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Engage in respectful communication with the iFamily Board of Directors.
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Attend, as best as possible, all member meetings.
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Engage in informed sustainment of new board members.
Buying & Selling Policy
There shall be no buying, selling, or trading of goods or services at iFamily except for the purpose of fundraising for said organization with approval from the Board. We recognize it is convenient for members to transfer goods/services at iFamily, but sale of such goods/services and consumption of these same things at iFamily is not allowed. Pre-purchased, pre-packaged items should be transferred quietly and discreetly and should not congest the halls or distract from the learning environment. The occasional sale of used curriculum or an entrepreneurial marketplace for personal profit is an exception. The Board will approve all "vendors" and establish the date for such events - usually the last iFamily day of the semester.
Complaint & Grievance Policy & Procedure
In order to maintain a well-governed organization that is safe for all members of iFamily, a Complaint and Grievance Policy is provided. The purpose of the Complaint and Grievance Policy is to provide a vehicle in which a complaint may be brought forward; a fair and complete investigation undertaken; and appropriate action taken.
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Disciplinary actions may be incurred by all members of iFamily, including Board members.
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All members are responsible to encourage proper conduct in accordance with the agreements of membership.
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Juvenile matters should be brought to the attention of the parent. If the issue is not resolved, then a formal complaint may be brought to the Board.
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Major disciplinary action requires written reports and formal notification.
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Complaints or grievances against Board members are instituted in written form to the President. If the President is the Board member in question, the written form is given to the Vice President.
This policy is instituted to provide a mechanism through which Members and Associate Members of iFamily Leadership Academy may be educated and protected if there is misconduct on the part of a member, mentor, or Board member. Complaints and grievances may be classified as follows:
A Complaint is a reporting of a negative occurrence arising in an interaction between Full Members, Sabbatical Members and/or Associate Members. It may be reported by the injured party or another concerned party. In order for a complaint to be officially considered, it must be submitted in writing. A complaint review must then be conducted. The purpose of a complaint review is to discover the facts and to provide support, advice, and education as appropriate.
A complaint is differentiated from a grievance by the fact that, concerning a grievance, it was determined from the complaint review that the action requires disciplinary action (probation, expulsion, etc.) beyond support, education, and advice.
Complaint and Grievance Procedure:
*Person(s) filing a complaint will submit the complaint in writing to the iFamily Board. Person responsible: injured party or other concerned party.
*A complaint review will be conducted by the Board within one week of submission of the complaint. Person responsible: President of iFamily.
*If action requires more than support, advice, and education, a Grievance Committee of three, with a designated committee chair, shall be appointed by the President with approval from the Board within one week of the complaint review conducted by the Board. Person responsible: President of iFamily.
*The Grievance Committee will review written documentation and determine the need for further investigation within two weeks of the Committee being formed. This may be carried out through further questioning of the injured party and the other person(s) directly involved. All Grievance Committee communication must be documented in writing and dated. The Grievance Committee will operate using complete confidentiality with no discrimination or harassment of any involved parties. Person(s) responsible: Grievance Committee.
*The Grievance Committee will make a recommendation to the Board for resolution in writing with follow-up from the appropriately designated person(s) within three weeks of Committee being formed. At this time, the recommendation of the Grievance Committee and all follow-up documentation will be gathered and presented in a file to the President of iFamily. Person responsible: Grievance Committee Chairperson.
*Copies of complaints and grievances, along with follow-up and resolution, will be kept in a file by the Board for 2 years. Person responsible: President of iFamily.
Actions that may be recommended to the Board by the Grievance Committee may include but are not limited to:
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No action
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A letter of reprimand
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A period of probation and recommendations determined by the Committee
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Membership revoked
Guidelines for the Grievance Committee and for Complaint Review Process:
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Consider veracity of the claim
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Gather witness(es) and or character witness(es)
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Obtain the offending party’s position and level of cooperation
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Consider witness’ source of information (direct witness or secondary)
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Contact member in question to inform them of the process occurring
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Considerations should be based on character; conduct at iFamily, iFamily functions, or other public places where iFamily members are in attendance; commitment to future adherence to the Bylaws and other member agreements; attitudes regarding values upheld by iFamily.
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Membership or mentor position shall not be revoked based on any action, conduct, or character issue preceding their membership date unless attitudes, actions, or character associated with an incident are deemed to be currently in opposition to iFamily values.
Visitor Policy
We welcome you to visit, check out how we do things and come and meet some of the families and mentors. The environment at iFamily is fairly relaxed and we’re a pretty welcoming bunch.
Some things to keep in mind:
1. It is up to the individual mentors if they allow your children to visit their class, and we recommend contacting them ahead of time. We have awesome mentors that are very welcoming and helpful, please be considerate. You do not have to attend classes to visit, feel free to walk around to see how things work and visit with other families.
2. We do not have an official office but our Board members on on site. However, it is common for our Board of Directors to be busy teaching classes at least part of the day. If we’re not available, we’ve found that our members are very helpful.
3. If you have questions before you come, you may contact us here.
Nominating Committee Policy
& Election Procedure
Updated - April 23, 2023
The President shall form a nominating committee of three members. One of these committee members, by Board approval, will be appointed as the head of the committee. This committee will be comprised of individuals that understand and support the vision and mission of iFamily Leadership Academy. Current Board members are permitted to serve as part of this committee. The President, or another Board member selected by the President, will attend meetings of the nominating committee. If current Board members are selected to serve on the committee, one of these board members will serve as a liaison between the remaining iFamily Board and the nominating committee. If the nominating committee does not have a member who is currently serving on the Board, a liaison from the Board will attend the nominating committee meetings. However, since that Board member will not be an official member of the nominating committee, they will not have the power to vote within the committee.
The nominating committee will be formed sixty (60) days before the annual membership meeting where elections for Board members will take place. The iFamily Board may accept or call for nominations at any time before or after forming the nominating committee but shall designate a 2-week period to call for nominations immediately preceding the appointment of the nominating committee. The Board will take those nominations as well as other nominees into consideration and compile a list for the nominating committee to aid in their decision. The nominating committee is responsible to seek potential candidates who understand and will promote the vision and mission of iFamily. Not all nominees will necessarily be considered candidates for election to the Board. This decision is left to the discretion of the nominating committee, who will reach such decisions by a majority vote of the committee. While the Board reserves the right to advise and offer counsel to the nominating committee, the final ballot will be the sole responsibility of the nominating committee.
The nominating committee will meet within two weeks of being formed and shall compile a list of possible candidates to serve on the iFamily Board. Using this list, the nominating committee will begin contacting each potential nominee immediately (or generally within one week of their first meeting) and inform these individuals of their nomination and explain the responsibilities and duties of each applicable Board position, as outlined in the iFamily Leadership Academy bylaws. Potential nominees will be given one week to respond and inform the committee if they will accept or decline the nomination. At the end of this time frame, if the potential nominees have not responded, the committee will contact them to get a definite answer. The nominating committee will report these results to the President or to the Board member who is appointed as liaison to the current iFamily board.
If individuals were not found to accept nominations, either the President (or the appointed Board member who is attending nominating committee meetings) or the head of the nominating committee, will initiate another meeting of the nominating committee to brainstorm more names for potential candidates. These potential nominees will be informed of their nomination immediately and will have the responsibilities and duties of each position explained to them as stated above. Potential nominees will then have one week to inform the nominating committee if they accept or decline the nomination, and the committee will follow the same procedure as mentioned above. The nominating committee may repeat this process until an adequate ballot of nominees is acquired. An adequate ballot is defined as a ballot with at least one nominee for each open position.
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At least 2 weeks before the annual meeting, where nominees are voted or sustained into office, the President shall announce the nominees to the membership and provide a small bio to introduce each nominee. The membership shall take this time to prayerfully consider the nominees and contact the Board if there are any special considerations they believe the Board ought to understand regarding a nominee. It is at the Board's discretion to withdraw a nominee if information given by a member proves to disqualify them from the office for which they were nominated. E.g. Mrs. N is nominated as treasurer. It is brought to the Board's attention that Mrs. N was found guilty of embezzlement in another state before moving to Idaho and attending iFamily. The Board may decide to withdraw Mrs. N's nomination for that office and request the nominating committee seek another nominee.
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At the annual member meeting, where elections are held, the following protocol will be followed. If only a single nominee is found for each open position, a paper ballot will not need to be administered to the general membership. Instead, a member of the Nominating Committee will ask for a sustaining motion for each nominee. In the case that multiple nominees are found for any board position, a paper ballot will be administered to the general membership for a vote. Once the ballots are collected, members of the Nominating Committee will tally the ballots and report the results to the iFamily President or Presiding Officer at the membership meeting. If the President is not in attendance, the Presiding officer would be the iFamily Vice President. If neither the President nor Vice-President are in attendance, the presiding officer is whomever the President appoints from the current iFamily Board. In the event that any or all of the members of the Nominating Committee are nominated for this ballot, or if all of the members of the Nominating Committee are unable to attend the meeting, the iFamily President or Presiding Officer will select three members in attendance whose names are not on the ballot currently being decided to tally the votes and report to the President or Presiding Officer.
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After the current election is held the Nominating Committee is dissolved.
Communications Policy
The iFamily Leadership Academy Facebook group is the primarily form of communication between the Board of Directors and the membership of iFamily. The Facebook group is also a way of communicating as an iFamily community. Because we are made up of a diverse community of families and individuals with varying backgrounds, religions, beliefs, and perspectives, please be sensitive to others in your communications and use discretion in what you decide to share through this means of exchanging information. While the iFamily Board takes full responsibility for any official communication that comes directly from the Board of Directors, the Board cannot be held responsible for any communication from individuals through the Facebook group.
The iFamily Leadership Academy Facebook group is a closed group for Full Members, Sabbatical Members and Associate Members of iFamily. Those who are not registered members will not be approved to join this group.
Sabbatical Membership Policy
Updated - August, 2021
Any full member may choose to take up to a year off from on-campus activities without forfeiting the privileges of a full membership by registering as a sabbatical member. Sabbatical membership cost is set by the Board and goes from September 1 - August 31. Sabbartical members have access to the Facebook group, may vote in elections, and can rejoin as a full member at any registration event. If a sabbatical member chooses not to resume full activities as a full member after 1 year, they forfeit their sabbatical member privileges and may register as an associate if they desire to reconnect with iFamily. They will be placed on the waitlist in the order they registered as an associate and be given no special consideration. If a member on sabbatical requires more than 1 year, they must contact the Board of Directors with their extenuating circumstances and give the Board their intentions for returning to full activities. The sabbatical membership shall not be used as a means of "keeping your place in line" while the membership cap is in effect. Those families moving away (e.g. Utah, Boise), are not permitted to register for a sabbatical membership in the hopes that they may someday return to the area.​
Non-Compliant Member Policy
iFamily Members who do not fulfill the Member Requirements as outlined in the iFamily Bylaws, that they electronically signed and agreed to during member registration, will be classified as a non-compliant member subject to a penalty. The non-compliant member must pay a $40 penalty before the next registration period in order to return to good standing again and be eligible to submit class proposals, register or apply for classes. Continuous offenders will be subject to termination of their iFamily Membership.
The Board is willing to work with members experiencing extenuating circumstances.
Donation Policy
March 6, 2016
In order to keep our activities going at iFamily we will seek donations to help offset the cost of activities including but not limited to:
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Spelling Bee
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Spring and Fall Showcases
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Science Fair
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Cultural Literacy Bee
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Speech Festival
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Scholar Fair
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Family Ball
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Member Meetings
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Website Development and Maintenance
In keeping with the important of interdependence and communal responsibility, which are a big part of iFamily, the board will not seek donations that would replace the individual family's responsibility to pay their member or class fees.
Procedure to Become a Mentor
UPDATED: August 1, 2022
Full members in good standing who support and promote the Vision and Mission of iFamily Leadership Academy are invited to submit a Mentor Proposal if:
*The family participated in on-campus classes for at least one year
*Completed Intro to iFamily within their first year
*Completed the current semester's required mentor training session
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Prospective mentors shall submit a Mentor Proposal Form to the Board in the manner outlined by the current Board. *The Mentor Coordinator reviews the all submissions and provides feedback or suggestions to the proposed mentor for strengthening the class. Once all submissions are finalized, the Board confidentially ranks them based on the Vision and Mission of iFamily Leadership Academy and the needs of the iFamily membership. Classes are then selected by their perceived quality and excellence, space and need, by a majority vote of the board. The Vice-President and Mentor Coordinator will then schedule the classes and rooms for the semester with input from the other three Board members. The schedule is submitted to the Board for approval by majority vote. Once qualifications are met and the class is approved, the title of Class Mentor is given and is theirs for the current semester along with the rights and duties of a Class Mentor.
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*Note: We believe leadership education naturally grows mentors and a key component of the depth phase is mentoring others. However, iFamily Leadership Academy only supports youth through the scholar phase, which does not include mentoring. Therefore, youth are currently invited to join an adult mentoring a class as a means of learning how to mentor, but they may not be the primary mentor responsible for the class. The adult is the Lead mentor and must be present at all classes. The adult is ultimately responsible for making sure the class is progressing per the guidelines laid out in the Mentor Agreement and the classe's own vision and purpose.
Associate-Scholar Membership
April 8, 2023
It is the desire of iFamily Leadership Academy that as many scholar-aged youth as possible gain access to the rich environment of on-campus classes. This heart goes back to the original vision undergirding the establishment of iFamily and is seen in our Mission statement. We also affirm the decision by previous Boards to cap our registration that we might maximize the quality of our classes and respect the space limitations set forth by our physical environment. To that end, it is this Board’s decision that whenever possible, we extend an invitation for associate member youth in the scholar phase to join on-campus classes. This shall be the procedure for inviting associate members to upgrade their membership to an associate-scholar membership:
1. The current Board will determine, based on the capping policy and registration procedure already laid out, which families may join as full members. The Board shall ensure that these families have complete access to all necessary class information and an appropriate window of time to apply for classes before any consideration of associate-scholar memberships takes place.
2. Upon completion of class applications by full members, the Mentor Coordinator will contact the mentors of scholar phase classes to determine if there are openings for additional students.
3. The Board will assess the associate members’ list and note those families with scholar aged children. Without abandoning the mentor’s ownership of their class, and with consideration given to the associate member’s position on the waitlist, individual families shall be invited to apply for select scholar phase classes. This invitation does not equal acceptance. The lead mentor shall retain the final say in whether a student is accepted or not.
4. If an associate scholar is accepted into a class, their membership will be upgraded to an associate-scholar membership for that semester. This membership requires an associate-scholar membership registration form and an additional fee to offset operational expenses enjoyed by the associate scholar. However, the associate-scholar member is not required to fulfill cleaning or monitoring duties and is not eligible for a cleaning deposit refund. The final cost is subject to the Board’s discretion but shall be at least 50% of the current Full Membership registration fee. The associate-scholar member shall pay the difference between their associate membership and the associate-scholar membership fee.
5. The associate-scholar membership is good for a single semester and acceptance into a fall class that is set as a 2-semester course does not guarantee a membership upgrade the following semester. Associate scholar members accept this and understand that our membership cap also includes sabbatical members who may choose to return and therefore shift our on-campus dynamic and space availability.
6. Associate-scholar members are expected to have a parent or guardian present while their scholar is on-campus. If this requires the entire family to be on campus during the scholar’s class, they may do so if their other children do not become a distraction to classes. In extenuating circumstances, where the scholar's parent or guardian is unable to remain on campus for the scholar's class, another on-campus adult may be assigned the guardianship responsibilities for the scholar during that semester.
7. The Associate Scholar Membership only includes the scholar student accepted into the scholar class and does not extend to other phase classes or other children within the family.
iTeen Mentors Procedure
January 2023
The iFamily Board recognizes the invaluable contribution put forward by our appointed iTeen Mentors. We wish to support and empower these mentors to continue investing into the lives of our next generation.
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iFamily will have two iTeen mentors each serving a 2-year term but offset from one another. This will provide support for our youth and mentors, and build in a natural environment for “passing the baton” from one mentor to the next.
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One iTeen mentor is appointed by the current iFamily Board every year and shall serve a term of 2 years except for the first year of the new 2-mentor protocol where one mentor serves a single year. If a mentor is unable to fulfill their term, the iFamily Board of Directors will appointment a replacement for the duration of their term.
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One iTeen mentor shall be the head mentor and responsible for liaising with the Board.
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Each year the iTeen mentors shall select a council of between 5 and 10 youth consisting of iFamily scholars between 14-18 who show a readiness for responsibility and leadership and are invested in the growth of the iTeen community both on and off campus. Youth who previously served may serve again, but it is the strong recommendation that iTeen mentors carefully consider their councils and intentionally involve a variety of scholars.
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iTeen mentors and their councils are directly responsible for iTeen activities including socials, dances, and fundraisers.
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All monies collected from iTeen activities will be kept in the iTeen bank account held by iFamily Leadership Academy’s current bank. The head mentor will provide a basic financial report to the Board each quarter.