Editing Findhorn Foundation (section)

== Organisation ==

=== Community ===

The Foundation has been called a "spiritual [[utopian community]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spielvogel |first1=Jackson |title=Findhorn: The Evolution of a Spiritual Utopian Community |journal=The Journal of General Education |year=1985 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=231–244 |jstor=27797037}}</ref> The community included an arts centre, shop, pottery, bakery, publishing company, printing company and other charitable organisations. All aimed to practice the founding principles of the community and together made up the New Findhorn Association (NFA). The NFA was formed in 1999 to provide a structure for all the people and organisations in the community. It included people from within a 50-mile radius of The Park, at Findhorn. Each year a council and two listener-conveners were elected by the membership of the NFA, who organise monthly community meetings to decide upon community-wide issues. By 2011, the NFA consisted of "320 members and 30 organisations".<ref name=NFA>[http://www.findhorn.org/aboutus/community/nfa/ New Findhorn Community Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120015822/http://www.findhorn.org/aboutus/community/nfa/ |date=20 November 2011 }}. Retrieved 18 December 2011</ref> These included for example the Findhorn Press, the Phoenix Community Stores, the [[Trees for Life (Scotland)|Trees for Life]] organisation, and educational centres including the Findhorn Foundation itself.<ref name=NFA/>{{efn|The phrase "the Findhorn community" thus has at least 3 meanings: the Findhorn Foundation; the NFA; and the people of the village of Findhorn.}}

=== Management structure ===

Each department was responsible for its own decisions.<ref name=Mgmt>[http://www.findhorn.org/aboutus/faq/#community FAQ: Decision-making] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227092003/http://www.findhorn.org/aboutus/faq/ |date=27 December 2011 }}. Retrieved 18 December 2011</ref> There was an 11-person management team which made "decisions which affect the organisation as a whole".<ref name=Mgmt/>  The management team consulted with the council, which consisted of approximately 40 "committed members" who "meet regularly to discuss issues and participate in team-building activities".<ref name=Mgmt/>  The management team was "responsible to the Trustees of the Foundation".  The trustees met four times a year.<ref name=Mgmt/>

Decisions were made meditatively by "attunement", where "each person does their best to find an inner state of mind in which goodwill is foremost and any outcome will be one which serves as the best for all."<ref name=Mgmt/> "Most decisions are made unanimously or with a loyal minority."<ref name=Mgmt/> Failing this, decisions were passed with a 90% majority vote; decisions that did not reach this threshold were given time "for more information to be gathered", and the proposals were presented again later.<ref name=Mgmt/>