In a message to the Bahá'ís of the World dated the 24th of June the Universal House of Justice announced the decision taken in consultation with the Hands of the Cause to establish eleven Continental Boards of Counsellors explaining that "(f)ollowing the passing of the Guardian of the Cause of God, it fell to the House of Justice to devise a way, within the Administrative Order, of developing "“the Institution of the Hands of the Cause with a view to extension into the future of its appointed functions of protection and propagation”." The message delineated how the Hands of the Cause and the new Continental Board of Counsellors were to function. The eleven boards were for the following areas: North-western Africa, Central and East Africa, Southern Africa, North America, Central America, South America, Western Asia, Southeastern Asia, Northeastern Asia, Australasia and Europe. [Mess63-86 P130-132]

In a subsequent message to all National Spiritual Assemblies the Universal House of Justice announce the appointment to the eleven Boards and they were:

For Northwestern Africa: Ḥusayn Ardikání (Trustee, Continental Fund), Muḥammad Kebdani, William Maxwell.

For Central and East Africa: Oloro Epyeru, Kolonario Oule, Isobel Sabri, Mihdí Samandarí, ‘Azíz Yazdí (Trustee, Continental Fund).

For Southern Africa: Seewoosumbur-Jeehoba Appa, Shidan Fat’he-Aazam (Trustee, Continental Fund), Bahíyyih Ford.

For North America: Lloyd Gardner, Florence Mayberry, Edna True (Trustee, Continental Fund).

For Central America: Carmen de Burafato, Artemus Lamb, Alfred Osborne (Trustee, Continental Fund).

For South America: Athos Costas, Hooper Dunbar (Trustee, Continental Fund), Donald Witzel.

For Western Asia: Masíḥ Farhangí, Mas‘úd Khamsí, Háḍí Raḥmání (Trustee, Continental Fund), Manúchihr Salmánpúr, Sankaran-Nair Vasudevan.

For Southeast Asia: Yan Kee Leong, Khudáraḥm Paymán (Trustee, Continental Fund), Chellie Sundram.

For Northeast Asia: Rúḥu’lláh Mumtází (Trustee, Continental Fund), Vicente Samaniego.

For Australasia: Suhayl ‘Alá’í, Howard Harwood, Thelma Perks (Trustee, Continental Fund).

For Europe: Erik Blumenthal, Dorothy Ferraby (Trustee, Continental Fund), Louis Hénuzet. [Mess1963-1986 p133-134]