2011/5/9 Kirill Lokshin <kirill.lokshin(a)gmail.com> Observing how Wikimedia UK works over here, they allow people to pay membership directly before the AGM, which allows the individuals to vote on all of the activities. It was very good to have some fresh new members of the chapter voicing their opinions and voting on many of their membership voting issues. I think anyone who has made dues should be able to vote, even if they are new to the organization. Innevitably, if we create some sort of mini-conference before the annual meeting we will draw increasingly more crowds of people who are interested in the movement and furthering the movement, and are already invested in the purpose of Wiki Society DC, just haven't observed the politiking that will inevitably go on in the background. Sometimes having fresh perspectives taking things on face value is beneficial to moving an organization forward. I would be strongly opposed to denying someone voting rights if they have joined, no matter when they have joined. Alex Stinson User:Sadads

It's no wonder we could not adopt a membership system at the meeting -- the detail necessary to get one going can be quite daunting. Below is the draft of the motion which I will submit during the next meeting, likely before the annual membership meeting so that we have a membership system in place before then. Here is how I approached it. There is consensus for a fixed registration term, but no one is really in agreement on the precise details. Generally speaking, I have divided the membership year into two periods: full-time membership, where you pay full cost, and part-time membership, where you pay half as much. The membership year is the same as the fiscal year -- it ends on September 30 and begins on October 1. But what about the elections and the annual membership meeting? As I see it, September is the "registration season" for the fiscal year beginning the following month, so part-time registration for THAT year ends August 31 and any registration in September is effective for the next year. Those who are not yet members who register in September will be able to vote for directors, but not for anything else. This does not create a second class of members; the elected directors would take office the same day their registration becomes active, so it is reasonable for new members to vote on directors. They should not, however, be able to vote on business which applies to a time period before their membership. In other words, if the annual membership meeting were on September 15, and I registered for the first time at that meeting, I would not be able to vote on a motion to hold a motorboat racing contest on the Anacostia River (since the motion was made before my membership took effect), but I would be able to vote for new directors, since director elections have specifically to do with the time when I *will* be a member. When October 1 rolls around, I will be able to vote on anything so long as I am a member in good standing. As for the time period between now and the annual election, I have decided for the sake of simplicity to combine it with Fiscal Year 2012 (October 1, 2011 -- September 30, 2012) to form the extra-large Fiscal Year 2011/2012. Registrations for 2011/2012 will be accepted between whenever the motion is adopted and August 31, 2012. September 1, 2012 begins the registration process for Fiscal Year 2013, and it goes on. Registration is fairly straightforward and in accordance with the Bylaws. The treasurer collects the money and the secretary issues the certificate, and you would be able to register anytime both Kirill and I are available, even at a more casual meetup. I have attached a graphical representation of the membership certificate. As for elections, the Secretary plays the role of the election clerk. Those who will want to run for the Board will be required to do so by a deadline so that ballots can be printed up in sufficient time. =========================================================================== A motion to establish a membership structure, to adopt a form for membership certificates, and to adopt rules for ballot access BE IT RESOLVED THAT: A. Membership Terms and Dues Schedule for Fiscal Year 2011/2012 1. The first term of membership in the organization shall last between the date this motion is adopted and September 30, 2012. 2. Those who register between the date this motion is adopted and February 29, 2012 shall pay $10 in membership dues. 3. Those who register between March 1, 2012 and August 31, 2012 shall pay $5 in membership dues. B. Membership Terms and Dues Schedule for Subsequent Fiscal Years 1. The second term of membership and all subsequent terms of membership shall coincide with the fiscal year. 2. Those who register between September 1 and September 30 of a given fiscal year shall pay $10 in membership dues, with membership effective for the fiscal year beginning October 1, and they may vote in, and contest, elections for directors whose terms will begin on October 1, but they may not vote on any other question. 3. Full-Time Membership: Those who register between October 1 and February 28, or February 29 during leap years, shall pay $10 in membership dues, with membership for that fiscal year effective immediately. 4. Part-Time Membership: Those who register between March 1 and August 31 shall pay $5 in membership dues, with membership for the remainder of that fiscal year effective immediately. C. Registration Process 1. Registration may either take place in person, where the Secretary and Treasurer are both available, or through an online registration system to be created by a person or committee designated by the Board of Directors for that purpose. 2. Registrants are required to submit their full name, mailing address, and email address to the Secretary. 3. In-person registration: Upon the receipt of adequate personal details by the Secretary and the collection of the appropriate amount of dues by the Treasurer, the Secretary shall sign and issue a membership certificate. 4. Online registration: Upon the adequate completion of an online registration form and the transmission of the appropriate amount of dues through the online payment mechanism to be adopted, the Secretary shall sign and mail a membership certificate to the mailing address specified by the registrant. 5. Membership certificates may not be emailed. D. Form of Membership Certificate 1. The membership certificate for the 2011/2012 fiscal year shall be printed on postcard-sized cardstock in the form specified by the attached image. E. Election of Directors 1. A director must maintain membership in the organization for the time of their term. Those whose memberships have lapsed during their term will be required to re-register promptly or resign. 2. A candidate must declare their candidacy to the Secretary in order to be printed on the ballot. The Secretary is responsible for ensuring that candidates are eligible for office. 3. The deadline for filing for ballot access is 48 hours before the start of the annual membership meeting. =========================================================================== This motion is by no means perfect, but I feel it ties some things together. Please read them and provide feedback.

If you have it where you add a provision to the bylaws stating that to be eligible to vote in the annual elections, all dues must be paid no later than 5 business days before the date of the annual meeting, that may fix some of the issues. Yes, you'll have to verify membership status, but wouldn't you have to do that, anyway? By having a deadline for registration tied to voting eligibility, there would be enough time to process registration and update the roster. Again, this would have to be an amendment to the bylaws. With adequate notice and communication, however, the majority of members who would be attending the annual meeting are likely to comply with the deadline. But if you feel that anyone who wants to pay their dues at the annual meeting should be allowed to vote, then you just state that all dues must be paid by the start of the annual meeting. Late arrivals would not be eligible then, but we can't bend over backwards to accommodate every possible situation. We have to agree on a set of simple rules and we have to accept that they will not be accommodating to everyone and not everyone will like them, but that's the case with every organization that's currently in existence, with the possible exception of the Distinguished Egalitarian Society of Professional International Sectarian Existentialists (DESPISE). Sincerely, N Michael Bashour 2011/5/10 Kirill Lokshin <kirill.lokshin(a)gmail.com>om>:

2011/5/10 Kirill Lokshin <kirill.lokshin(a)gmail.com>om>: I very much agree with your points -- I just have a couple of questions. Registration by mail: I suspect you wouldn't want to have registrations sent directly to your home, since it would require you to post your address for all and sundry. I similarly won't want to have payments sent to my personal address. Are we in agreement then that the Board should rent a PO Box? Nominations committee: Not being familiar with the machinations of small non-profit boards, I never saw the point of a separate election committee. What is wrong with the Secretary processing nominations then preparing the ballot? It seems like fairly perfunctory work. James Hare

Perhaps I missed the information in the thread, or it was covered in the face to face...but what are the reasons for collecting they money? What will the collected dues be used for? //Ed On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 3:47 PM, Nicholas Bashour <nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com> wrote:

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:12 PM, N Michael Bashour < nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: In addition to this, we need some level of reliable income to be able to operate as an entity; we'll need to pay various fees, cover postage costs for mailing documents to members, and so forth. (While the suggestion of getting a WMF grant was brought up, I'd prefer that we avoid begging for money right from the start; and we are unlikely to be eligible until after we've received official recognition as a chapter, in any case.) Kirill

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:43 PM, Kat Walsh &lt;kat(a)mindspillage.org&gt; wrote: Ah, good to know. My first point still stands, though. ;-) Kirill

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Ed Summers &lt;ehs(a)pobox.com&gt; wrote: Except the only difference between membership and non-membership is the right to vote and to serve on the Board of Directors. We have no interest in excluding others, and the membership dues do go toward legitimate expenses. (For instance, a PO Box in DC costs $96/yr.)

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 3:32 PM, James Hare &lt;jamesmhare(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: As I think I mentioned in some thread or other, I agree that a PO Box is a good idea; we just need to determine who will retrieve mail from it, and when. On a tangential note, unless I'm very much mistaken, my address -- and yours -- is already a matter of public record, since the Articles of Incorporation are in principle a publicly available document. Now, granted, it would take a bit of effort for someone to dig the information up; but it's hardly a secret at this stage. Kirill

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 4:40 PM, James Hare &lt;jamesmhare(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: Are you quite sure on this point? I was under the impression that the entire AoI document -- which includes the addresses of _all_ the initial board members -- was public. Kirill

I did not attach the form of the certificate, thinking it would be redundant. Of course, since the term of membership is changed, I'll attach the updated membership certificate form. On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 5:33 PM, James Hare &lt;jamesmhare(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote:

On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 5:33 PM, James Hare &lt;jamesmhare(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: This all looks fine. Should this be "meetings of the Board or the membership"? While the regular full-membership meetings may be relatively infrequent, there's no reason not to allow registration at them. For all of (C), perhaps replace "registration" with "application", to distinguish this from (future) conference registration? Can we have the year field as a blank on the certificate, to allow the same form to be reused without having to pass a separate motion each year? This is a bit confusing; perhaps something along the lines of "an Election Committee consisting of three members, one of whom shall be the Secretary, and two of whom shall be persons who are not Directors, and who shall waive their eligibility..." I'd also suggest including a set period (e.g. 30 days) before the meeting by which the committee will be appointed. 3. A candidate must declare their candidacy to the Election Committee "A candidate for the Board of Directors...", to avoid confusion with someone being a candidate "to the Election Committee". Will this leave enough time for finalizing/printing/etc. the ballots? Kirill

I have incorporated some changes and I also simplified the wording of the motion. I also opened Publisher for the first time on this computer (literally) and designed a much nicer-looking certificate. ==================== A motion to establish a membership structure, to adopt a form for membership certificates, and to adopt rules for ballot access Resolved: A. Membership Terms and Dues Schedule 1. Membership dues are $10 per person per year. 2. The membership year begins on September 1 and ends on August 31, except for this year, which begins immediately and ends August 31, 2012. 3. Beginning March 1, the membership dues for the remainder of the membership year are reduced to $5. B. Application for Membership 1. Applicants must submit their full name, mailing address, and email address to the Secretary. 2. Applicants may submit personal information and membership dues separately but they will not be considered members until both are sent. 3. Once both the personal information and dues are received, the Secretary will sign and give the applicant a paper membership certificate. C. Form of Membership Certificate 1. The membership certificate will be printed in the form recommended by the enclosed image for each membership year. D. Election of Directors 1. Directors are required to be members for the length of their term. 2. At least thirty days before the annual membership meeting, the Board of Directors will appoint an Election Committee. This committee will consist of the Secretary and two other members, serving for one year, who are not Directors or candidates. 3. A candidate must declare their candidacy for the Board of Directors to the Election Committee one week before the annual membership meeting in order to be printed on the ballot. 4. The Committee is responsible for ensuring the eligibility of candidates, preparing ballots, running the election, and counting the votes. ==================== James Hare

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 12:25 AM, Cyde Weys &lt;cydeweys(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: Yes. I've updated it accordingly. Rather than attach a new copy of the image, just look at the latest one and pretend it says "dues-paying" instead of "due-paying".

2011/5/9 Nicholas Bashour &lt;nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com&gt; Is the intent to allow someone to sign up as a member *at* the annual meeting, then? That would be a logistics nightmare if we intend to use paper ballots for the election; with the membership not known in advance, there would be no way to prepare the ballots prior to the meeting. Kirill

On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 10:16 AM, Nicholas Michael Bashour < nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: Or seven write-in candidates, for that matter. Since, in principle, the act of nomination takes place at the meeting, would we incur any legal risk from issuing ballots that contain only a subset of candidates, and requiring write-in votes for the others? Some members will presumably have paid their dues prior to the meeting. Would they also receive ballots at the meeting (which will presumably require checking IDs, etc.)? Kirill

On Mon, May 9, 2011 at 10:46 AM, Nicholas Michael Bashour < nicholasbashour(a)gmail.com&gt; wrote: So we're not going to allow renewals prior to the meeting at all? This will be quite inconvenient for anyone that wants to pay by, say, credit card (unless we set up the necessary infrastructure to accept those payments in person), as well as for anyone who happens to arrive to the meeting late (at which point the officers responsible for collecting the dues will be otherwise occupied). More problematically, it means that the treasurer will potentially walk out of the meeting carrying the entire membership's dues in cash. This doesn't strike me as a particularly good idea, for any number of reasons. Fair enough; we could certainly adopt a rule to have a nominating committee or something else of that sort to streamline the nomination process. This will, however, require a vote of the entire membership, which should ideally be conducted prior to the annual meeting. Kirill