Governance Structure Proposal

From TC Open Circuit Wiki

Twin Cities Open Circuit is an umbrella organization for various projects that meet our mission. Therefore, the TCOC advisory council, with a minimum of 3 members, (or another term - staff?) will be made up of representatives of each project depending on the size of the project. The role of the council will be:

• Fundraising and planning events that will benefit all projects
• Determining what new projects to bring on board or start
• Determining if all projects are maintaining the mission of TCOC.
• Acting as fiscal sponsor for all projects (eventually).

Free Geek Twin Cities Governance Structure

Overview

Free Geek Twin Cities is governed by a staff consisting of staff members (volunteers with a long-term commitment to Free Geek Twin Cities) and a community council made up of interested volunteers. The staff operates via consensus. The community council uses a simple majority vote. The community council may vote on resolutions and proposals to submit to the staff, and must vote to approve nominations for new staff positions.

Because staff are directly responsible for the well-being of the organization and volunteers, the staff gets the final say in most governance decisions. However, staff are expected to act in good faith with respect to community council proposals.

Notes and documentation of all formal meetings, decisions, and discussions by the staff and community council will be available to the public online.

Community Council

Meeting

Community council meetings are held twice a month at a mutually agreed-upon time. Anyone may attend a community council meeting, but only volunteers who meet the eligibility requirements ("super-volunteers") may vote. Any attendee may suggest an agenda item, but the final agenda will be decided by super-volunteers present.

A quorum of three super-volunteers is required for any vote.

Super-volunteer eligibility

A volunteer is a considered a "super-volunteer" if:

   * They have completed 40 program hours
   * They volunteer 30 hours per quarter
   * They attend 3 community council meetings per quarter 

Staff will ensure eligibility information is kept current and announced to volunteers.

Activities

Resolutions

The community council may bring resolutions and proposals for consideration by the staff. Any super-volunteer may raise a proposal during a community council meeting. Each proposal will be noted in the minutes and subject to a simple majority vote by super-volunteers present at the meeting. Should the resolution pass, it will be presented at the next staff/board meeting. The staff/board may veto any community council proposal with a unanimous vote. Proposals may be re-raised for consideration, within reason.

Staff Approval

The community council approves all nominations for staff positions with a two-thirds vote of super volunteers present at the approval meeting. The staff will propose a potential staff person at a community council meeting. The approval vote will be raised at the next community council meeting, and the staff will make a good faith effort to announce the proposal (via email list, to all volunteers during program hours, etc) to encourage meeting attendance.

Discussion

The community council may engage in general discussion of any topic pertinent to Free Geek Twin Cities's mission and operations. These discussions will be transcribed and summarized in the meeting notes.

Staff

The staff consists of a small group of "key holders" who manage Free Geek Twin Cities's finances, oversee day-to-day operations, and maintain Free Geek Twin Cities's technical infrastructure. Staff members are responsible for making and keeping Twin Cities Open Circuit an ethical and functional nonprofit organization.

Meetings

The staff will meet at least once a month.

Decision-making

The staff is Free Geek Twin Cities's primary decision-making body, and operates via formal consensus. Each staff member gets one consensus "veto" each five years. Unlike the community council, staff decisions require the consensus of all staff, regardless of meeting attendance. [The Free Geek Twin Cities staff all also serve as members of the Twin Cities Open Circuit advisory committee.]

Size

The staff will consist of three to seven members.

Eligibility and limits

Potential staff members should be super-volunteers in good standing but the staff/board may nominate anyone for a staff position. Staff are expected to contribute at least 60 hours per quarter to Free Geek Twin Cities, at least 40 of which should be spent during program hours.

A staff member may be removed via a unanimous decision of all other staff members and a two-thirds vote of super-volunteers on the community council. Grounds for being removed from staff include missing more than two consecutive staff meetings, low levels of involvement, and ethical violations.

After five years of service, staff members will be subject to re-approval by the community council.

Staff members may step down at any time, but must be re-nominated by the staff and re-approved by the community council should they wish to return.

Nomination

The staff nominates new staff members via a consensus decision. If consensus is reached, the community council must approve the nomination via a two-thirds vote as described in the "Community Council" section of this document.

Amending the constitution

This constitution will be amended via staff/board consensus and a supermajority vote of super-volunteers.