This MOU will establish the objectives and the collaborative arrangements between the participating organizations that constitute the CCND.

NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization is the Collaborative Council of Nigerians in Diaspora whose mission is to partner and collaborate with all Nigerian political, professional, civic, cultural, religious, and alumni organizations and associations.

MEMBERSHIP & REPRESENTATION
Membership in CCND is limited to Nigerian organizations which have national presence in the US and shall be represented by no more than two (2) members comprising of the President and Vice President or their appointed representative(s).

I. MISSION & VISION.
a.The mission of the Collaborative Council of Nigerians in the Diaspora, here therefore referred to as CCND in this MOU, is to develop a collaborative, inclusive, and unifying network of Nigerians from multiple professional and parochial organizations in the Diaspora that share a common goal of pursuing impactful change in our communities and homeland that serves to amplify our voices. 

b. Together, the Parties that enter into this MOU agree to mutually promote the CCND’s vision to engage with existing Nigerian organizations in the Diaspora that understand the importance of networking and collaboration, operate at the highest level of integrity and are committed to realizing better communities and a better homeland.

c.The Parties who enter into this MOU also agree to uphold the values of the CCND which are professionalism, communication, mutual respect, collaboration, integrity, patience and trust.

Parties operating under this MOU ALSO agree as follows:

II. PURPOSE AND SCOPE.
a. CCND aims to create a well-organized and beneficial network amongst Nigerian diaspora organizations for the purposes of information sharing and building support between these organizations in a way that adds value to participating organizations. 

b. All participating organizations qualify as Nigerian professional, civic, religious, cultural, and alumni organizations based in the Diaspora with a national presence that represent any industry or specialty

c. Participating organizations agree to:
i. Share networks and resources when appropriate.
ii. Serve as a support for member organizations when appropriate.
iii. Help CCND reach greater heights of accomplish by working with the CCND on important issues.
iv. Provide fresh perspectives and insight into new ways of getting work done together.

d. Benefits for participating organizations include:
i. An extended network that can help with accomplishing projects
ii. Resource sharing
iii. Access to potential funding and constituents
iv. Increased visibility
v. Help with overcoming any obstacles encountered when possible

III. RESPONSIBILITIES.

a. MEMBERSHIP (maybe this is voting members)
i.Representative Members: Each party will appoint two persons to serve as the official representative appointees, point of contact and lead officials to coordinate activities on behalf of represented organization in carrying out this MOU. It is recommended one appointee will be the President/Vice-President or Chair/Vice-Chair of each organization. The other appointee is at each organization’s discretion. The initial appointees of each organization for 2021 – 2022 are as listed below:

ii. Founding Members: Any member who was involved in the inception and development of CCND who is not serving as a representative member but continues to remain active in CCND.

iii. Honorary Members: Independent member added as needed as long as said member(s) support the mission and vision and can be consulted for professional insight and experience. (shall not be more than x number of people)

iv. Founding Members and Honorary Member should simply be Non-Voting Members, they serve as observers and advisors
The organizations agree to the following tasks per this MOU:

b. PARTICIPATION:
i.Participating organizations will agree to a 75% attendance of general meetings per calendar year and participation in at least one task force and/or standing committee to be considered in good standing. See below for the specific standing committees.

c. VOTING:
i. Adhere to the rule of one vote per organization.  This vote is to be cast by the representative appointee(s) of each organization.
ii. Quorum: This is defined as ⅔ of the general body attendance. For working committees or task forces, quorum will be defined by the committee in question. 
iii. All projects and initiatives agreed upon by the CCND are subject to a simple majority vote once quorum is achieved.
iv. Voting by proxy: Representative members can appoint a substitute to vote by proxy in the event where both representative members are to be absent. The chair of the meeting should be notified 48 hours in advance if a proxy is to be used.

d. PROJECT PROPOSALS:
i.Participating organizations will adhere to submitting projects or proposals to be discussed at the general CCND meeting no later than 7 days before the upcoming meeting date.

e. COMMITTEES & TASK FORCES: The CCND will be structured in the following manner for responding to action items or projects in a streamlined fashion.

i. Rapid Response Team – This will be a committee of 2 – 3 appointed members selected to spearhead the project or action along with one person from each of the standing subcommittees.  This team will be responsible for oversight of all standing teams and working teams.

1. serve for 1 year and then can be reviewed and if doing well can continue – opt out after 1 or 2 years
I think that Rapid Response Team is an unnecessary Overhead, also unnecessary bureaucracy. Any Rapid-Fire task that doesn’t fall into any of the Working Groups should be out of scope

ii. Standing Committee – Working groups that will be responsible for managing, monitoring and responding to issues within their respective areas of focus. These teams will be the first line of response to issues in Nigeria by CCND. Each team shall consist of a minimum of five (5) members and no more than 11 members. Given the size of the group, a minimum of 3 members per working team allows the group to function, 5 may be too much

1.Healthcare Team – Promote and encourage healthy lifestyle among Nigerians. Monitor national and international health risk factors. Encourage healthcare best practices in the healthcare industry and collaborate with all stakeholders to promote safe, effective, and efficient healthcare delivery systems in Nigeria.

2. Political Team – Monitor the political landscape, recommend best practices, promote voter registration and participation, and work to eliminate election malpractices. Should also be responsible for Governance.

3. Security Team – Monitor and explore security issues affecting Nigeria and recommend solutions. Security includes physical, electronic, and cyber.

4. Education team – Examine the education curriculum from K-12 and collaborate with stakeholders (private & government) and propose forward looking initiative that will help position Nigeria to compete on global stage

5. Technology Team – Identify and recommend technology initiatives that will enable Nigeria harness it vast technological resources

6. Finance Team – Establish finance linkages stakeholders and best recommend best practices.

iii. Working Taskforce – Is a collaborative team created to work on a specific task or proposal. 
1.This team will be formed on an as needed basis pending the project.

IV. MEMBERSHIP DUES. Each organization of this MOU is responsible for an annual membership fee of ____________ for the cost of maintenance of the CCND website, which will have participating organizations listed and will provide information about the CCND and its participants.  All other expenses incurred by the activities of the CCND will be subject to a quorum vote for approval by the participating organizations. There will be a limited exchange of funds between the parties for tasks associated with this MOU which will be project specific.

V. TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING. The term of this MOU is for a period of 12 months from the effective date of this agreement and may be extended upon written mutual agreement. It shall be reviewed at least annually to ensure that it is fulfilling its purpose and to make any necessary revisions.

Any organization may terminate this MOU upon thirty (30) days written notice without penalties or liabilities.