North American Temple President Meeting 2015

By Mukhya Devi Dasi

The annual Temple President meetings were just held in Dallas temple, Sri Radha Kalachandji dhama, the week of January 22, 2015. There were about 65 ISKCON leaders in attendance, as well as all of the North American GBCs. The devotees in Dallas did a marvelous hosting job and were everywhere at the service of their guests. The prasadam, three amazing meals a day, was outstanding. They gave us all a good lesson on serving the Vaisnavas. The conference was three and a half days, filled with inspiration. I hope this little summary will inspire you too.

The invocation was given by His Holiness Romapada Swami, and was a little insight into the Brahma Samhita.

“A bhakta is one who does not find fault with others but rather looks within and sees the fault in their own heart.” Srila Batktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

Srila Prabhupada said : Brahma Samhita contains the essence, the highest of all spiritual knowledge is Srimad Bhagavatm and the highest of all knowledge is described in the Brahma Samhita perfectly.

Since all conclusions are briefly presented in the Brahma Samhita it is essential among all the Vaishnava scriptures. ( CC Madhya Lila ch 9)

Mantra upasana –described in Brahma Samhita (remembering mantras from previous life, remembered within the heart). Srila Prabhupada says all devotees should practice chanting some mantra, so that they can recall and remember it in the time of need. So we practice the Hare Krsna mantra of course and cintamiani prakara sadmasu

This Brahma Samhita will help us improve our consciousness even though we are not yet in pure consciousness

Anadir adir govindah “the original who has no origin”

The text established the spiritual foundation that is given within Chaitanya’s teaching. It established Krishna as Goinvda which is Krishna in Vrndavan.

Yantras, which are mystical diagrams, mean to depict in the dimensional form of the abode of Krishna and are described in Brahma Samhita.

ISKCON 50^th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The joy of devotion

Planning now for next year 2016 celebrations

Mission: engage the public to better understand, appreciate, and receive the many benefits and values of Krishna Consciousness, to give the public the joy of devotion. It will bring the community together to honor our Founder-Acharya.

• It is a big milestone, many big companies have not made it thru 50 years.

• Iskcon is accepted as a bona fide representation of Vedic values and spiritualties

• Outreach skp and book distribution is increasing

• Iskcon is stable and growing around the world

• This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate this big milestone

• Good prospects to bring in more devotees

• Opportunity to focus on positive and help avoid mistakes of past

• May be a chance to bring in devotees of Srila Prabhupada who are outside of the movement now

• Promote legacy of Srila Prabhupada

• Show our gratitude to Srila Prabhupada

• We are here to stay and looking forward to next fifty years.

We can present our lifestyle, culture, philosophy, spirituality

Show that ISKCON is relevant in our modern world

Can have some opportunity for youth to lead the initiatives

THE JOY OF DEVOTION new tagline for all promotions

Why it is good to celebrate this event:
create solidarity throughout ISKCON world

Communicate to the outer world

Will bring gratitude to SP and to the world gives an opportunity to come together to take Srila Prabhupada’s message to the world in a strong way!

Opportunity to assess where we’ve been and where we are going
Make Srila Prabhupada proud to announce this world wide

To actually show Srila Prabhupada’s legacy, what he went through, how he studied, what it took to come here, what he was able to do and how he changed people’s lives

Potential for huge publicity for every city

In the public eye the Hare Krishnas have been quiet in the last years, and now we can let people know we are alive and kicking and well

Well, we won’t be here for the 100^th

HIGHLIGHTS from Global Team

Anniversary magazine something like the old Who Are They magazine

Regional coordinators around the world coordinating local events

Special conference in Europe in May to finalize banners, messages, events

Website being completed, take advantage of this branding opportunity

IN North America

Using the lotus and its petals, there are six different petals or areas of concentration.

Internet: bring Iskcon into digital age; come up with branding items, promotional videos, timeline of key successes, questionnaires to see what devotees would like to see happen; we will be receiving information on all of this by summer

Systemize the training:
This will take someone step by step thru our process from first coming and then becoming a devotee. Vaiseisika will take this petal on, (see the section below on Bhakti roots, Bhakti Habitat) materials will be developed for the 50^th in this regard

Special events:
One of a kind events possible: special retreats, invite dignitaries, cultural exhibitions

Conferences in colleges, etc. Interfaith, academic

50^th-ize everything:
Anything we put out, and all festivals we do, should talk about the anniversary

Create merchandise, all marketing materials should include the logo, make regular announcements to educate everyone, harinam, book distribution,

Membership drive: create a census

And then get ready for the influx!

Take the time to get more organized for more people coming; learn about greeting programs that have been successful in other groups (research other groups), (little things: organize shoe collections, clean bathrooms, presenting a nice face)

• Finally:
  It’s launching in India this year, because SP left India 50 years ago

• This anniversary celebration will be inaugurated in Houston in Sep 2015

• Srila Prabhupada Boat Festival at Boston Pier 9/19/15

• Bhakti Marga Swami will walk from Boston to Butler and then to NY, different people will walk with him, meeting the press in the evenings

• There needs to be a team in each temple to work on how we will celebrate this

• Appoint a local team and coordinator (send an email with info)

• Promote Houston and Boston event by March

• Create and submit local temple plan to Iskcon 50 team in April

• Update website and printed matters by August

• Facebook.com/iskcon50

• Academic conference: 50 Years of Iskcon

• There will be suggested taglines to use for t-shirts, caps, anything

• Suggestion: Have a multi-thousand man kirtan march on Washington

(Press releases are coming from int’l, by mid-summer) the video will be ready by summer

An int’l film is being worked on now

Ask Modi to honor the personality who made BG the most famous in the world. Delhi is planning a huge VIP event, as is Mumbai and London Now looking at USA

These are 400-people galas with dinner, entertainment and dignitaries

Take some time to make contacts now for our event

Use this as a time to repair how irrelevant we may have become around the US to groups outside of the Indian community

A timeline of Srila Prabhupada travels where he was during all the 11 years of his time here.

Need someone to guide temples for putting on the big events, temples want to do this but don’t know how?

There are some devotees who have been working on this for their PhD already (timeline) create a compilation of SP’s pastimes in various places

Srila Prabhupada position community is making a timeline of his pastimes day to day

BBT will do souvenir publication for temples to pass out during the year

Right now only Nanda Suta das is on the NA committee, if anyone wants to join him please see me

DEVOTEE CARE Highlights in Canada:

They had a regional meeting and put papers around the room with titles (i.e.: Brahmacaris, book distribution, prasadam distribution, education, etc.) This led to a vision for the country

A lot of the ideas written under the various papers was about devotee care.

So an initiative was rolled out for devotee care.

Why: waters the plant of devotion, gives devote the feeling they belong to a family

• Appoint a devotee care coordinator

• Survey your temple for their needs

• Create devotee care team in your temple

• Create a spreadsheet of your top needs, some of them are: membership, funeral, after death, counseling, samskaras, care for ill and elderly, living situations

Developed some premises, don’t reinvent the wheel, there are already successful programs, share the wealth, connect the devotees, duplicate successful programs

Team work: this is very enlivening service.

Google group, telephone conference calls, establish experts and go to devotees in each area.

Pick one devotee care program to institute this year.

(This is a nice 50^th anniversary initiative, especially as Srila Prabhupada provided so much care to us) and this makes more and happier devotees

Spiritual care (soil for the plant of devotion)

We need to perform our service with other devotees.

Mentoring and outreach provided by: bhakti lounge, individual mentors, kirtan leaders, community integration, Grhasta Vision Team, sponsor a youth for the bus tour, children’s activities (Sunday school) teen programs, kids camp, devotee day school, teen mentoring

PHYSICAL Care
Sunlight for the plant of devotion

Vaisnava care project (Toronto), devotees available for various services: palliative care training, coordinated hospital visits

Facebook page for devotee care, announce here when there are needs.

Have ambulance training, cpr training, install automatic defibrillators, have power of attorney and living wills made available and put in a safe place

3 things to do to start: make a team to help ill, elderly sick devotees and do simple things like Reading, bringing Prasad

Create children’s programs that are Krishna Conscious and safe, help the children to feel part of the family

Spiritual mentorship for new devotees, pair them up with senior devotees of the same gender

Training mentors using material from Bhaktivedanta Manor which is already available. This pertains to the initiation committee. They selected appropriate mentors, went over all BM materials, it’s well developed and contains the procedure/process/rules. Going from conceptualizing initiation to being initiated. This info is on the ISKCON Toronto blog.

They spend time with new devotees following the GBC guidelines concentrating on SP and then taking the disciple course, listening to a variety of guru tapes, etc.

CHARTING AN OVERVIEW OF ISKCON IN NA

Developing systems, sharing resources, sharing expertise, can address what is both going well and not going well

We would do better to share expertise, we need a system in place to help solve the problems.

How to fundraise, getting enough funds, many temples have this problem

Doing this exercise can be a source for next year’s meeting’s topics

Internal communication can solve some problems

We need systematic training of pujaris in NA like in India

Because the desire to increase and do more is always prevalent so all temples need more money

Some of the western specific programs are very successful

Lack of brahmacari ashram, a lot of temples trying to create that now

There are a lot of issues due to growth including space and infrastructure that is aging out

Identify some key areas and form a team from the temples that are strong in the area to talk to that area

Nice to have a HOW TO guide to do a variety of things that temples need, giving general guidelines

Engage people according to their expertise

COMPLIANCE, BUDGET

Jiva Goswami was the first Vaisnava in India to use his will to protect the temples of Vrndavan. He was also concerned for the protection of the temples. Just as Srila Prabhupada did. His last will focuses on protecting the temples, the property trustee system.

Jiva Goswami’s will is available at the Vrindavan Research Institute . His will established precedent to protect the Goswami temples, he also would work out treaties with the Mogul tribes. Srila Prabhupada established the property trustee system to see that ISKCON properties are protected, using the managing authority of the GBC

In 1976 he said: “At least for ten thousand years it will go on”

Each temple has three trustees, they have requirements and roles, and follow local legal rules

www.Iskconlaw.org

We are making a team of professionals to call in and consult with the property trustees when necessary

Corporate matching gifts. Some corporations have this and if any of our donors work with them their company will match the donation

United Way, register with them, and they will send check to us, if our program is registered with them (such as NFFFL, Eco Farm in Alachua) contact Nanda Suta about how to do it

Allstate, insurance agencies, ask your donors what companies they work for and then research if they are one of the matching donors

Also there are volunteer incentive programs like doing volunteer hours are sometimes compensated by their companies

TOVP

Refer to Ravindra Svarupa’s paper on the importance of the temple of the Vedic planetarium

Radha Jivan das talk:

Of the five critical steps or stages by which ISKCON took form under Srila Prabhupada’s supervision, only number five is incomplete: >acquiring land for world headquarters temple in Mayapur, the TOVP

There are so many famous quotes of Srila Prabhupada’s about Mayapur. Mayapur was specifically to teach how to worship Krishna through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In order to do this, for thousands of years to come, he wanted this temple built. The institution will remain.

Lord Nityananda said there will be an astounding temple manifested there which will permeate the entire world with Gauranga seva.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur predicted that devotees from all over the world would come and glorify Lord Caitanya.

Srila Prabhupada established Mayapur temple soon after establishing ISKCON in the west.

Srila Prabhupada was very appreciative to everyone who helped him build the temple in Mayapur and he said it would be his personal offering to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

This year 6 million people came to Sridhama Mayapur. 50% take prasadam. They line up to go to mangal arati. The glories of Srila Prabhupada’s preaching is to bring the jiva in this age to the holy dhama.

He wanted this temple built just so people can come to this holy place in our age and time, so that their karmic life can be finished.

Big temples establish the movement. The head of the Swami Narayana group got their idea to build their many temples from New Vrindavan. The inspiration came from Srila Prabhupada!

This TOVP will do the full work of the whole society

All the donations received thus far have come from devotees, rarely from the rich families of India.

The deal was that Ambarish would give half and the society would match it. Now the price to build has gone up and we have $50M to come up with still to complete

Mayapur is a fully international city.

So many temples now are doing their own expansions.

Normally 80% of the money comes from 20% of the people. In this project the funds will come from 80% of the devotees. We can give in installments

KIRTAN PARTY.COM

Chant Hare Krishna and teach it to others, we need more harinama sankirtan at every street corner

Increase quality and quantity

What gets measured gets improved

Report and measure on the new Website and newsletter

First dress, then address (look nice when you go out)

TAMOHARA

How to work with difficult people in our communities

It is hard to know how to deal with a difficult person; we tend to avoid conflict because it’s an unpleasant experience

1. Do everything possible to solve the problem

2. Use appropriate listening, coaching and problem solving skills.

3. Make sure you’ve heard all side of the issues. Don’t act on second hand info

4. Give devotees an opportunity for rectification

Set up objective performance standards, plan for follow up.

Give devotees opportunities for coaching, training and behavioral change

COMMON ERRORS:

Discipline as punishment

Discipline as an I-You confrontation

A non-progressive approach, delaying disciplinary actions

Missing root causes (think what is the issue, what is the essence of the problem)

Use consequences, a warning system, discussion, find out the personal problems. If someone has to move out, have a coming-back-in process.

Have clear standards, objectives and expectations

Use a move-in contract/service agreement that is signed and discussed before move in. Find out what the person really wants to do and where they really want to be

Termination of service, when there does need to be a change

Don’t delay

Do not make the decision on your own, get concurrence with your mgmt. team

Speak with the devotee and if needed have another person or manager with you during the conversation. Keep a written record of what is said and what you do.

Could be good to have a mediator with you

State your decision directly.

Focus on needs of the service, the temple, the project, the community, rather than the faults of the devotees.

Address specific behaviors rather than personal attributes

Acknowledge that they were probably trying but were unable to do the things that needed to be done.

Try to preserve personal dignity and provide encouragement (we are dealing with Vaisnavas and that respect should be maintained)

Try to present some positive aspect

Don’t burn bridges, think about the devotee’s spiritual life—what happens after this point.

Leave room for future interaction/don’t burn bridges

Use ‘I” messages, listing what you need and what isn’t being met…

How to inform the general devotee community what happened:
this can be difficult so try to preserve the dignity of the person

BHAKTI LOUNGES AROUND NA

Krishna Cove in Tucson
One day a week they took their library and turned it into their Krishna Cove program for youth. They get to know each other, they organize events and go camping, swimming, to LA Rathyatra.

Now some are aspiring initiation, some are chanting daily

They use postcard handouts for inviting people

Krishna Lounge in San Diego
Bringing local people close to devotees

They use a website, don’t really advertise, it’s popular just by word of mouth

Keep it simple, they just chant the maha mantra; have good quality kirtan with good musicians.

Use a gradual speed bringing someone into KC

Use this program for one function, to make friends with devotees

Go to www.Krishnalounge.com for more information, there are videos of kirtan and audio files of lectures

Use the Krishna lounge philosophy and model to make the guests at the Sunday feast feel more comfortable.

WESTERN OUTREACH AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NYC

Gadadhara Pandit das is the chaplain there

90% of western youth attitudes:
noncommittal, don’t want to hear “we have the only way” or that we’re better than others

We need to understand that other paths are also bona fide (and believe it)

Understand that others also believe that God is a person

They can’t be pushed or told what to do

He started programs with a lecture but that didn’t work in getting people to come back

Registered a Bhakti Club; need a student on campus to register it

Then he became a Hindu Chaplain, which is a position that allows you to minister to students

This gave him an in on campus, he can go anywhere and meet any professors

Allowed him to interact with the other chaplains and educate them on what Hinduism and more specifically KC is all about

Because of this he got a chance to go on NPR, lecture to classes studying a range of subjects at Columbia

Veg cooking class enables you to cast a wide net, up to a hundred students a week, very non-threatening, people come back constantly, teach cooking with the right consciousness, eating with the right consciousness, and then add in about offering the food

Expression of opinion was allowed and opinions were discussed, allowed to disagree and express what they feel, being okay with it

This is a new paradigm for new people coming from western background, so take baby steps: personal God, many lives, vegetarian diet, four principles (they have no principles), meditation vs prayer

Mantra Meditation Workshop

Start with breathing and focusing and satisfy their expectation of meditation

Gradually work into the experience of the mantra

Temple Visits
invites student to mangal arati, morning program
then takes them to New Vrndavan

This covers five angas of devotional service: Associate with devotees, study scripture, chant the holy names, take prasadam, and visit the holy dhama

BHAKTI HABITAT

Vaisesika das

Habitat: an environment created to encourage revival of endangered species. What are our endangered species? Brahmacaris, brahmacarinis

How to revive our endangered species? Restore the Bhakti Habitat where brahmacaris can survive.

Tusta Krsna das:

1. brahmacari ashram in Denver CO
   rebuild and restored the old ashram, so that when the young men come they wouldn’t want to leave
   coming together regularly, increasing the hearing and chanting, sit together and read Srila Prabhupada’s books, this is a great way to resolve challenges
   meet with the men regularly, look after the men, check in and see where they are at, what is inspiring them
   The physical structure needs to be a good habitat
   Move with them in a personal way according to their natural propensities

2. Dharma Den: then can stay for two months in a sort of half way situation: required is 4x4x4: 4 days of sadhana, 4 rounds, 4 hours of service (or if they’re working then they contribute money), 4 regulative principles

Be sure mentors are in place to help them unload their minds and reveal any problems

Nityananda Pran das, Chicago
they have 25 resident brahmacaris in ashram, where attention goes energy flows

Solid morning and evening program really helped bring the devotees closer

Like attracts like. A few dedicated persons attract others

They must stay together for the whole morning program! This leads to a sense of camaraderie and fraternity. They want to be with each other

They have created a means for them to transition to grhasta ashram, so that they can stay with the temple. Sometimes with service and payment, sometimes with a resume, finding work, just encouraging that they can move into another stage of life staying in Krsna consciousness.

Now they are making more policies, educational plans, expanding the physical space and refining it

KALAKANTHA PRABHU
KRISHNA HOUSE

What happened to our ‘habitats’? Began disappearing in the 80’s and in the 90’s we turned to congregations.

Today balance is hard to find

Ashram is especially meant for young single people with more time for spiritual life. Youth is the time for education . His program is a temporary situation.

Gurukulis and Indian students can also both benefit from ashram life

It’s for serious devotees but for a limited period of time

Devamrita Swami has been hugely successful in New Zealand

The loft program has brought in hundreds of young devotees, who now run the program, they have a marriage board, and they distribute one book for every 220 people in the country!

Fresh approach: leaders see their service as bringing new people to Krishna Consciousness as a focused reason for being

Outreach is not an end but a means to engage newcomers

The new prayer of the devotees of Krishna House:

Our Dear Lord Krishna, if you send new devotees we promise to take care of them

A Bad habitat is:
scarce or crude facility
uncertain supplies
they are given a follower’s role
future murky
endless work
random training

MAKE IT EASY! for people to become devotees, and that might mean stepping on some toes, changing entrenched patterns

What does it take to create a bhakti habitat:

Ecosystem, ecologists, nurturing of the species

4 regulations, at least 8 rounds, morning program M-F

They make morning program hours as flexible as possible

(They sign a document committing to this)

Tuition $500: or work/study

SUPPLIES: if you want to make devotees have supplies ready when they come in the door

Negative association will kill the species more than anything

Giving living options: the contemporary Vedic ashram, the ladies ashram, the brahmacari ashram

He has found that having ladies are essential to bringing young men to Krishna Consciousness. It makes a more family atmosphere, and they are used to being co-ed

There needs to be a leader for each ashram

Nurturing the habitat:
thematic study of the sastras, time limited enrollment, daivi varnashrama encouragement

Take choice verses of Srimad Bhagavatam, and speak on them
also reading systematically, Page-by-Page-be-a-Sage program, reading on their own

We are an educational institution: so time limited enrollment appeals

There is a wide variety of people who come out of the program and it gives a sense of belonging and how one can do many things for Krsna

Outreach: harinama, college programs, book distribution, everything done for the benefit of the students

Leadership and training opportunities, doing arati, lead kirtans, every student must give one SB class each semester, engage student’s talents

How do we find Bhaktas? Krishna will send them if our consciousness is right.

BHAKTI HABITAT IN TORONTO

MISSION: make it easy for people to come to KC, practice and distribute. Keep the entry bar low

They charge $10 for an evening of learning something, and include a meal with it

VISION who is the target? Why will they come? Who is the person they will come to see? What are the road blocks?

They need a person they will come to see, and that person has to take time for people’s lives. Help the person thru their hard times so they have time for their bhakti practice.

Location matters. It’s important where you place your center, has to be by young people and universities, etc.

Many activities going on in the lounge

Many of these people are getting initiated, becoming brahmacaris and moving into the ashram.

They take retreats together

Outreach at universities successful. Prasadam must be devastatingly good!

Thought: many properties lying fallow, why not develop them as bhakti habitats, and the species will regenerate naturally

Brahmacaris bring a special energy to the temple. Even if you have a congregational temple, it’s good to have them there. One trained brahmacari can outwork many other types of devotees.

They balance the energy

Krishna House has a one year in the ashram requirement before they put on saffron, and then they must agree to keep it on for two years.

EDUCATION OUTLOOK Sesa das

Making “Our Future Hope” a Reality

The Dallas gurukula was the first manifestation of Srila Prabhupada’s desire to have education for the children of our society

He said they are Vaikuntha children,

These children are the future hope of our society

If the children are given a KC education from an early age then there is great hope for the future of the world

Confucius: If your plan is for 1 yr. plant rice, if your plan is for ten years plant trees, if your plan is for 100 yrs. , educate children

In our long range planning put an educational component there

When and how we educate our children has long term effects.

Our convictions:

To honor Srila Prabhupada, to train presenters who can take our message and go anywhere and everywhere with dignity, to preserve and perpetuate Srila Prabhupada’s teaching and ISKCON, to meet the challenges to our faith and our Vaishnava tradition as we expand the application of KC around the world

Every preacher should be trained on sensitivity and awareness so they can present the message effectively

Education is meant to give us character

Aristotle: an educated mind is one that can consider an idea but not necessarily be influenced by it

We’re interested in this kind of educated devotee, who can go to a college and preach and understand other philosophies and not be affected by them

We are setting up new schools using the combined experience of those who’ve spent years running our schools.

Other groups have recognized the advantages of educating children much earlier than we have (there are hundreds of Islamic schools in US)

There are approx. 250K children in ISKCON and only about 5% of them go to our schools.

Looking at the 7 purposes of ISKCON, all of them have to do with education

What you need to do:
Identify an educational officer for your temple

You can see where the opportunities are and where are the gaps.

BBT PRESENTATION

VAISESIKA AND SVAVAS PRABHUS

Strong sense of community and cooperation all over NA on the sankirtan front.

More traveling parties springing up all over the continent

When you are feeling how can I do it? Then the empowerment from Lord Caitanya comes. We pray “Please Help Me”, and just try

Srila Prabhupada said just teach how to be sincere, every devotee has their own genius.

Taking a goal, a difficult goal, is taking a risk. Keep the tension and depend on Krishna

Sankirtan is life.

Over the last few years:
2012: “goals are potent”; 20% increase (one continent one team)

Result: 28% increase and excellent teamwork

2013: “tax your brain”; goal 20% increase

Result: 25% increase, innovations abound

2014: “get sets and go”; sell in bunches like bananas; 10% increase and 500 CC sets and 1500 SB sets

Results: 11.5% increase, 663 CC sets sold, 1377 SB sets sold

Increase in BBT remittance since 2010 is consistently increasing

Sets went up from 669 in 2013 to 2038 in 2014!

When someone asks, How do I get started in Krishna Consciousness? Answer: Own a full set of SPs books

If you stock foreign language books they will sell, if you don’t’ stock you won’t sell any

Today’s forecast: at the current rate of increase, we can offer SP’s BBT $2M by the 50th anniversary of founding ISKCON

Selling in bunches like bananas! If you present you don’t know what’s going to happen, if you don’t present, you do know!

A lot of devotees doing a little==Team work

Follow up (what to do with all the results, how to manage them)

Srila Prabhupada said” they may bring the fire brigade to put out the Krishna Consciousness fire, but it’s too late, the brain wash books are already out there”

In ISV 72 kids teams go out, and they make 10% of the income

Motel Gita 250,000 books placed to date

2015 goals
“the transcendental plot thickens”

Our mantra: what gets measured gets improved

Team NA increases its remittance by at least 10%

At least 500 sets CC and 1378 sets SB

Last yr. US BBT gave $285K to TOVP, and far out donates India

By increasing our book distribution We have wiped out KBI books being distributed. It has literally stopped their activity,

North American Sankirtan Leaders Team monthly call, anyone interested can call in

Many temples called in their best practices last year:

• Meditation kit with book

• Using whatsapp, joining your team together they each take a pix and send it in to each other

• Local festivals, early registering book tables

• Keep focusing on colleges and universities

RESTAURANT MODELS
Tucson, Sandamini dd

Est. 1992 buffet model, longest standing models are buffets (LA, Dallas, Tucson)

Srila Prabhupada liked this style and he liked people taking to their full satisfaction.

Give them prasada, and gradually they will become devotees

Easy to manage, less manpower, and everything gets offered (cook once or twice a day);

You can enhanced the atmosphere, and maybe add a short order menu, desserts

Presentation is so important, with a buffet you see it with your eyes, and it has to be clean and attractive

Each prep should stand on it’s on with color, texture. Look appealing

You need the buy-in from all your devotees, they take shifts and are involved and take responsibility for it

Be on top of the food trends, vegan, wheat free, not spicy, etc.

Clearly marked, what is in the food, how it was prepared

Uniforms, name tags. Having so many guests at your temple it’s a good impetus to keep it clean

Don’t burn out your cooks, protect them

All the devotees and the cooks go to the morning program, good spirit in the temple

If you can, grow your own food, that is even better, and customers love it, from farm to table

They use aquaponics, and held a workshop on how to do it . The people that came to learn built the temple’s system and they paid for the workshop

Branding, get the name out: repeat the name “thank you for coming to Govindas”

TORONTO

Indresh prabhu

our chanting is our medicine and prasadam is the diet for curing the material disease

Restaurants are ‘inbound outreach’. They come in 100-200 at a time. They spark interest in the temple.

After the meal they explore the rest of the temple, their smart box book table is cleared off every weekend from restaurant guests.

It brings in people to the temple when normally it would have been quiet. It’s nice for the devotees, it enlivens them

Engages devotees and community members

Restaurant gives facilities for devotees and congregation members, they come and have their birthday parties, etc. there

One to two year ramp up period, operating costs, plan a conservative capital outlay

Srila Prabhupada said it should be started only in the temple. Use a separate entrance. Can have some shared space, can have access to the temple. Best to use infrastructure you already have in place

Make traditional prasadam true to ISKCON culture. Utilize our core expertise. This is a niche that sets us apart, and keeps it simple

Cooking subjis is a lot easier than expensive items. Healthy, colorful, and people want to know what’s in the preps.

They offer soup and salad at the temple; then they come up to the buffet and they are served from the buffet by a devotee

F, S, S are peak traffic times

They coordinate their cooking with the Raj Bhoga and Sandhya offerings and increase those quantities and serve that.

WHO? Congregation and devotees, gen Y, University students, vegans/vegetarians/yoga crowd, neighbors and curious, deal finders

Marketing: use coupons because it brings in customers and a full restaurant looks better

Allocate an area within your temple, use what is already there

Continual tapes playing of kirtans and songs

Build a team, they should not have a performance based compensation; the team should be devoted to prasadam distribution and Srila Prabhupada

There are under engaged devotees that could be brought in, and paid an allowance, with a service agreement

Use a guest survey these provides a database of customers you can keep In touch with them and give updates, new cooks, new specials, etc.

Always have live telephone answering all the time, theirs is answered by volunteers who are sometimes off site!

Social media, groupon, FB, website, posters/flyers, veg associations, articles, congregation support, food stalls, word of mouth, specials for students

SP also said there should also be book reading rooms where restaurant customers can sit comfortably and read. He said they will take them as non-sectarian

Most of the temple restaurants are set up as dinner clubs.

The Sanga Initiative

Established by youth members who had attended Pandava Sena groups.

It’s really designed for second generation, those raised in the movement, or have at least three or four years experience in the movement

Right now the central part is the summer retreat, which has been going on for the last nine years

Last year this new organization, TSI, was created. There has been so much change and strength gained by the devotees attending. They found it developed thru the freindships they made at the retreats

Trust and love: having fun together, serving together

It’s helpful to have an atmosphere that is non-judgmental, loving and safe to discuss their mutual concerns and problems, and to grow stronger in Krishna Consciousness

The TSI is a non profit that is developing mission and structure so that future members can participate in the same way as they have been doing successfully.

>some things they are now doing: Summer retreat; kids’ camping trip ages 10-16 with three temples’ children coming together

This was successful so they are developing it more with more temples

This year they will do this with Sunday schools coming together

Book Club started, meeting together weekly on a conference call discussing one book at a time that they are reading

They are always discussing the challenges faced as their initiative is starting: hoping to work more closely with the TPs

They are hoping to one day fill the seats of the temple presidents, and take on leadership roles

Most temples feel their second generation are not as involved as we would like them to be

They are open to dialog with us on ways to involve the younger generation more

What do we think are their struggles, and what do they think of as their struggles?

The TSI helps here, a non-judgmental space to talk about their issues, in a safe and loving mood. This is the core of their retreats. They focus on developing relationships through sanga

they think one of the biggest challenges they face is that Krishna Consciousness is a choice, and many of the younger generation have not yet made their choice?

Feeling like thy will be judged, and the fear of this, and being unable to talk to anyone else about this.

A sanga topic: think about a struggle you have gone through that you are grateful for, and write a letter to Krsna to thank Him for it

The retreats help them make the choice that they want to follow the Krishna Consciousness process

This Dynamic experience allows these second generation devotees to decide for themselves

New dates are July 9-14 in Houston . 16 through 30 yr olds. $200 for a five day retreat, meals incuded

If parents are concerned with the interaction of boys and girls: They keep a respectful attitude, but they do interact together.

There is no simple solution for everyone, we are all individuals, but coming together and discussing really helps everyone

They are constantly developing new ideas that are coming down the pipeline. You can reach them online with your ideas