Minutes:Committee on Structure and Vision Meeting Minutes 20130621

Current Official Documents

• Bylaws
• Articles of Incorporation
• Meeting Minutes
  • Harassment Policy
• CRM (just the member list)
• Standing Rules

Vision

Charlie: many organizations have a vision statement and principles. The vision is a few sentences or a paragraph. The principles are a few short statements. They are helpful to unite around when discussing contentious issues.

Nate asks how often are these changed? Charlie: vision is almost never changed. Principles are changed rarely when values of org shift.

Nate: Does it matter where we put our purposes / principles? Margaret: bylaws are legal. Charlie: Articles of incorporation, almost never changed. Bylaws on filed with state. Policies distinct from bylaws, not registered with state. At least in MA, IL. Were filed with IRS for 501c3.

Structure

Current structure

Members elect directors. Members elect "recommended" officers unofficially. Directors officially appoint officers.

Marie: Suggests moving director election to director section from member section in bylaws. Ed: Suggests the problem is that members are confused by bylaws, and suggests documenting in the wiki, and refering to the bylaws. Marie: Suggests all members should understand the bylaws. We should amend with baby steps. Nate: Bylaws are vauge for the purpose of handling things in standing rules. Ed: Bylaws fulfil legal purposes. Margaret: Members are confused and want to change bylaws. Nate: Seem like a lot of these are really about the standing rules.

(marie takes over minute taking from ed) Questions that need answers Who appoints Coordinators? Who can sign Parking Permits? Which ammendments are current? When do you need board/member action? Robert's Rules? PLEASE

Quorum: Everyone present until 50 members. Nate: after 50 members, could be crippling, should just be anyone present.

Confusion over what is board and member business. Need to define rules and responsibilities. Need to clarify who has to vote for what. Nate: we should have a category for "feel good votes". Margaret: let's call it something else. Marie: sometimes feel good votes turn into practical votes.

Marie: Proposes secretary should read back proposals after a vote.

Changes to structure

Document to clarify structure? Amendment to bylaws?

Terry: No shop rules need to go in bylaws. We might need organizational rules outside of bylaws. Examples: dues. Ed: currently may be passed as resolution of directors, not in bylaws. Marie: we shouldn't have official things not in the bylaws/policies.

Terry: Space rules should not be official. Ed: Kind of agree, but standing rules are official, may be better to speak of official and descriptive. Margaret: Suggest governing documents at different levels. Marie: official could jeaopardize your membership, lower levels are more guidelines.

Ed: what are we missing? Marie: Standing rules, policies. Nate: discussion of kicking out is irrelevant. Charlie: suggest attaching penalties to specific policies.

Terry: Important: who can change different documents? Nate: we haven't had a problem with people changing documents.

Marie: What is our structure for making changes? Who changes what?

Justin: Requirements for the directors? Marie: none. Charlie: unusual that they don't have to be directors? Marie: this is a problem. Nate: agrees.

Terry: Bylaws are just organization? Ed: Yes.

Actionable Items

• Current description of documents - Ed
• Description of ideal structure - Marie
• Collect sample vision statements - Nate

Output

I seem to recall that there was a second meeting, with some of the above people and Roger too, and that meeting produced the Vision quadrants idea. Nbezanson (talk) 09:35, 14 November 2013 (PST)