Talk:Membership rules

From MidsouthMakers - Memphis Area Hackerpace

Contents 1 Projects 1.1 Individual Project Management 1.2 Group Project Management 1.3 Definitions 1.4 Required Documentation 1.5 Project Termination 1.6 Descriptions 1.7 Intellectual Property / Patents 2 Committees 2.1 Purpose of Committees 2.2 How to create a Committee 3 Tools & Equipment 3.1 Group Owned Tools 3.1.1 Equipment Acquisition Process 3.1.2 Repair & Maintenance of Group Owned Tools 3.1.3 Purchased Equipment 4 Meetings 4.1 Regular Meetings 4.2 Special Meetings 4.3 Open Board Meetings 4.4 Closed Board Meetings 5 Voting 5.1 Votes of the Membership 5.1.1 Issues Proper for a Vote of the Membership 5.1.2 Quorum 5.1.3 Submitting an Issue for Vote 5.1.4 Notice 5.1.5 Voting By Proxy 5.1.6 Voting Procedures 5.1.7 Majority

Projects

Individual Project Management

• Individual projects may not bring hazard or harm to the group, space, or any member.
• Income from projects
• If an individual chooses to sell any product that they manufacture the group encourages a 5% donation of the total sale
• Any products sold at a MidsouthMakers event, a 5% donation of the total sale is automatically deducted to benefit the group.
• Any products sold on the MidsouthMakers website, a 5% donation of the total sale is automatically deducted to benefit the group.
• Any convention or other gathering where MidsouthMakers would be able to aquire a fan or vendor table for members to sell their products requires board approval on a case by case basis Sellers will be required to cover a portion of table cost up front.

Group Project Management

• Most likely organization funded
• Project must have an assigned project leader
• Project Leader Responsibilities
• Bi weekly status updates to board
• Thorough Documentation
• Re usability of parts / tools from failed projects
• Cost analysis must be presented
• All revenue from group projects belongs to the group.

Definitions

Venture — any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome.

Required Documentation

• Group projects should be thoroughly documented on the wiki
• Rough Schedule / Time Line / Estimated Completion dates
• Cost analysis must be presented
• In order for a venture to be taken by MidsouthMakers as a group, and NOT a MidsouthMakers individual, the board must receive documentation outlining the proposed venture. This can be received by the board in written form, electronic form or verbally with a transcript facilitated by the secretary.
• Documents will be committed to a publicly viewable page on the wiki with locked down version control with the responsibility of maintenance of the document given to the project lead and the board.
• Language regarding MidsouthMakers Profit Motives will be conveyed at time of orientation.
• Quotes must be presented for custom work / parts / etc.

Project Termination

• A project may be terminated or put on hold for the following reasons
  • Large deviation from original description
  • Copyright or Patent infringement
  • Over budget
  • Potential Hazard

Descriptions

• The Project lead, the Treasurer, and / or others defined in the required project documentation are responsible for overseeing the revenue generated.
• The board has ultimate authority in advancing or halting any venture regardless of profit.
• Proper input from the treasurer is needed at any board vote involving an expenditure of any capital.
• All project income must be enumerated by the project lead and verified by the board.
• A committee chair will be assigned responsibility for the potential revenue and the treasurer will note the profit estimates defined in the required documentation.

Intellectual Property / Patents

• Any intellectual property, concepts, designs, processes generated by a group project are property of MidsouthMakers until relinquished.
• Any intellectual property, concepts, designs, processes previously created that may become involved in any group project remains the owner.

Committees

The Board may appoint standing and ad hoc committees as needed.

Purpose of Committees

• In order to manage certain common tasks, ventures, endeavors, requiring three or more members of our NFP the need arises for proper organization and delegation of responsibilities. Towards this purpose a Committee must be formed (by the board).
• Members of MSM may attach themselves to a committee in order to participate in (any?) projects. For instance, an individual who wishes to participate in woodworking projects may join the woodworking committee, giving him or her a package of physical tools they are permitted to operate and access to online resources particular to MSM such as Wiki edit rights, email, etc.
• All safety and liability waivers are predicated on the committee allowing the participant to join a committee. For instance, a user of a table saw must be presented with the safety packet developed by the woodworking committee that details allowable materials, instructions on what to do in case of emergencies and other errata that significantly decreases MSM's liability.
• Committees are the hierarchical skeleton that will hold MSM together in order to combat issues with the organization scaling upwards.
• General committees are open to all members of the group, such as a facilities committee that advises the board on matters involving our physical space and the proper operation and needs thereof.
• Special committees are created around the needs that arise based on particular situations. Metal smelting would for instance create a potential for communicating toxic substances into the environment and into our members. Special committees are focused on reducing MSM's liability both to our members and the community in addition to MSM itself.

How to create a Committee

Committees:

• Membership Committee (General)
• Members:
• Chair: VP
• Communicates to the board the current membership numbers,
• Works with the treasurer to ensure all members do not have an outstanding balance, adjusting a members status accordingly and communicates to the member their change in status.
• Reports to the board on new members and their progress, etc...
• Membership Committee Executor:
• Produces and communicates to the VP, with the VP's assistance, all metrics related to the Membership Committee
• Runs a monthly orientation for new mentors and new members
• Maintains and writes a bimonthly newsletter targeted towards Midsouth Makers membership, potential members and the community at large
• Purpose/Goals:
• To both build and strengthen the membership rolls and increase the revenue generated through dues.
• Increase MSM's collective skillset
• Reach out to community and business partners who could benefit from services offered by MSM (duties of this nature may get split off into a separate general committee)
• Advise in the process of mentoring individuals who are entertaining membership with MSM or are signing up again after an absense.
• To sum up the purpose of the membership committee, it is Retention
• Frequency and location of meetings:
• (Second Friday of every month?)
• Board Advisory Interface:
• The VP will communicate to the board any un

Tools & Equipment

Group Owned Tools

• All organization owned tools and equipment will be marked appropriately so as to leave no doubt that the equipment belongs to the

organization

• All donated equipment becomes the property of Midsouth Makers
• Midsouth Makers will issue a receipt for all donated items

Equipment Acquisition Process

• All equipment taken into the possession of Midsouth Makers must be assessed and assigned an asset tag for tracking purposes.
• All assets must be recorded with their assigned asset tags and given to the Quartermaster (Potential future board member or committee head).
• A completed Asset record sheet must be completed, one copy given to the donator and one copy given to the Quartermaster, to be stored in a publicly accessible page on the Wiki.
• If an item is deemed common (below a certain price threshold) no asset tag is needed.
• The Quartermaster will compile and manage a standardized process in which equipment is tagged with assets, value is assessed, photos are taken of the equipment, safety concerns are recorded, and the Asset record is produced.
• Tools at the space need to be inventoried and marked in / out as needed.
• Any personal tools brought in by any member, it is at the member's discretion to add it to the group's inventory (for insurance purposes).
• The Midsouth Makers group is not responsible for any personal tools not added to the inventory.
• Any non volatile memory storage units must have an accompanying waiver from the donator releasing the MidsouthMakers from any responsibility of any data on the device.

Repair & Maintenance of Group Owned Tools

• All tools should be held in good working repair
• Any tool that does not meet the manufacturer's minimum safety recommendations
• If a tool is damaged or in disrepair it is the responsibility of the Quartermaster and / or the Treasurer to secure replacement or find suitable repair for the tool
• If a tool is deemed no longer necessary for the group's uses it shall be disposed of accordingly

Purchased Equipment

• All desired purchases shall be categorized into a single grouping based on the proposing interest served
• If multiple categories exist for desired equipment, no equipment shall be bought consecutively from the same category
• All organization funded purchases must be approved by the board
• Equipment purchased with group funds and remains property of Midsouth Makers until it is deemed no longer serviceable or no longer necessary

Meetings

Regular Meetings

• While no physical work space is provided by the organization, regular meetings shall be held once a week at a time and day decided by the members to be most convenient.
• When a physical work space is provided by the organization, regular meetings shall be held biweekly unless otherwise deemed unnecessary by the membership. The meetings shall be held at a time and day decided by the membership to be most convenient.

Special Meetings

• Special meetings can be held at any time called for by the board.
• At least a one week advanced notice is required for all special meetings.

Open Board Meetings

• All board meetings should be open to the membership.
• If there is any significant disruption to the meeting it may be postponed or rescheduled at a later date as a closed meeting.
• Members are welcome to express their opinions / suggestions to any topic the board is discussing.
• Open to members in good standing including the board. All board members are required to obtain a quorum.

Closed Board Meetings

• To be held every (reoccurring time) or for specially called meetings.
• (All/some) board members must attend to achieve a quorum.

Voting

Votes of the Membership

Issues Proper for a Vote of the Membership

Any issue not specifically assigned to the discretion of the board of directors, by these Membership Rules , shall be subject to a vote of the Full Members. Issues subject to a Vote of the Membership include, but are in no way limited to, votes on issues of project funding, equipment and resource purchasing, and amendment of these Membership Rules .

Quorum

One shall require at least 50% of the existing membership on the day of the vote. For the purposes of calculating the quorum, properly submitted proxy statements by members shall count as attendance.

Submitting an Issue for Vote

Any Full Member may submit an issue for vote by the membership, unless the issue is specifically enumerated in the Membership Rules as something subject to vote by the board of directors. To be properly submitted for a vote, the member must submit a written statement of the issue to be voted on to the board of directors at least seven days before the meeting at which the issue shall be voted on. An e-mailed statement of the issue shall be considered submission in writing for the purpose of this rule.

Notice

Notice of all issues properly submitted for vote by the membership shall be given to all members no later than 5 days before the meeting at which they will be voted on. Notice shall be sent electronically, to the e-mail address that members have provided to the corporation. Notice of all issues to be voted on shall be consolidated with the notice of the member meeting at which the issues will be voted on. The Board of Directors is responsible for sending out the notice of the meeting, with the agenda of timely submitted issues to be considered.

Voting By Proxy

Members may vote by proxy. To vote on a matter by proxy, a member must provide written or e-mailed notice to the board of directors at least 24 hours before the membership meeting where the vote is scheduled to take place. The notice must state the members intention that he shall vote by proxy, state which issues he intends to vote on by proxy, and state how he intends to vote on each issue. Proper proxy statements shall count as attendance at the meeting for the purposes of calculating the quorum.

Voting Procedures

Voting procedures, including time limits for discussion before taking a vote, shall be defined by the MIBS Simplified Rules of Coordinated Consensus Through Chaos.

http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/MIBS_Simplified_Rules_of_Coordinated_Consensus_through_Chaos

Majority

Unless otherwise specified in these Membership Rules, a simple majority vote of the Full Members present shall ratify any issue put before the membership for a vote. Under the meaning of present in this section, members voting by proxy count toward calculating that majority.