In the unfoldment of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause the Guardian instructed the fifteen Hands of the Cause outside the Holy Land to appoint, during Ridvan 1954, "by virtue of their supreme function as chosen instruments for the propagation of the Faith," five auxiliary Boards, one for each of the five continents. This body of the Hands of the Cause was, in the Guardian's words, "now entering (the) second phase (of) its evolution signalized (by) forging (of) ties (with the) National Spiritual Assemblies (of the) Baha'i world (for the) purpose (of) lending them assistance (in) attaining (the) objectives (of the) Ten Year Plan."
The task of the auxiliary Boards was to "increasingly lend (their) assistance (for the) promotion (of the) interests (of the) Ten-Year Crusade." Their function was to act "as deputies, assistants and advisers of the Hands," "working in conjunction" with the National Spiritual Assemblies on each continent. Their duties had been defined by the Guardian in his cablegram of October 8, 1952, launching the World Crusade: to "assist, through periodic systematic visits (to) Baha'i centers (in the) efficient, prompt execution" of the twelve projected National teaching plans.
The five auxiliary Boards appointed by the fifteen Hands of the Cause were announced as follows:
Africa
John Allen
Elsie Austin
'Ali Nakhjavani
Jalal Nakhjavani
John Robarts
William Sears
Muhammad Mustafa Soleiman
Valerie Wilson
'Aziz Yazdi
America
Canada: Rowland Estall
Central America: Esteban Canales
South America:
Gayle Woolson,
Margot Worley
United States and inter-America:
William de Forge,
Margery McCormick
Katherine McLaughlin
Florence Mayberry
Sarah Pereira
Asia
Agnes Alexander
Elena Marsella Fernie
Abul Qasim Faizi
Abbas Ali Butt
Carl A. Scherer
Daoud Toeg
Kazem Kazemzadeh
Australia
H. C. Featherstone
Miss Thelma Perks
Europe
Marion Hofman
Dorothy Ferraby
Eugen Schmidt
Anna Grossmann
Louis Henuzet
Joel Marengella
Elsa Steinmetz
Angeline Giachery
Tove Deleuran
(The Baha’i World, 1950 – 1954)