Dayton Diode Charter

DMA SIG Charter

This CHARTER establishes Dayton Diode, or the Hackerspace SIG, as an authorized Special Interest Group of the Dayton Microcomputer Association , Inc ®., with the purpose of empowering creative thinkers to collaborate, design, build and explore innovative ideas in a community space where members can share resources and knowledge while promoting the art of hacking in a fun social environment.

Membership Classes

Designation of Membership Classes

Dayton Diode has one class of members: Full Members.

Eligibility for Full Membership

In order to be a Full Member, a person must support the purpose and specific goals of the organization and must pay the monthly membership fee. Any person who meets these requirements will be recognized as a Full Member of Dayton Diode.

Dayton Diode Governance Policy

The Dayton Diode Governance Policy covers the decision making procedures at Dayton Diode (that is who can make decisions at Dayton Diode, what decisions are covered by the policy, and the process for making and recognizing a decision) and lists Dayton Diode Officers, their responsibilities and term of office. 

Who makes decisions at Dayton Diode:

All Full Members of Dayton Diode have the right, and are encouraged, to participate in the decision making process.

What decisions are made by Dayton Diode: 

The Dayton Diode will work together to make those decisions that affect the entire Dayton Diode community.  Generally speaking, those decisions include

• Policies governing use of the space and safety
• Decisions to spend group funds (those funds raised by dues, Dayton Diode sponsored fundraisers, or donated to Dayton Diode directly)
• Selection of the Space(s) and decisions involving relocating to new Space(s)
• Decisions concerning membership in Dayton Diode - including Members Rights and Responsibilities, Membership Approval/Revocation
• Modifications to the Charter
• Election of Officers

Decision making process:

In order to promote cooperation among the members and a spirit of community, Dayton Diode has decided to use consensus as the decision making process.  The quorum to develop and approve a decision is a majority of the members (that is more than 50%).  The following steps toward developing a consensus decision are based upon the Mach 30 Consensus Policy (see [[1]] for more details).

1. Hold initial discussion to determine scope of decision - Before attempting to reach a decision, it is important to establish the goal (for example to decide what car to buy) and boundaries of the decision (for example the car is needed by next Friday).  Participants should begin the consensus process by holding an open discussion around the nature of the decision and the desired outcome to prepare for the work ahead.
2. Establish criteria - Criteria are the requirements to which the final decision must adhere. To use a common consensus metaphor, the criteria create the box within which all acceptable solutions will fit.
3. Draft Proposal - After the group sets criteria the full group or a sub-set of the group work to develop a solution that satisfies the criteria laid out by the whole group. The level of detail required in the proposal will depend on the complexity of the decision at hand.
4. Review Proposal - After the proposal has been drafted it comes back to the full group for review, discussion and further action in the following order.
   1. Clarify the proposal - Group members ask questions one at a time about the meaning of the proposal. Each clarification should be finished before the next is asked. As necessary, the proposal language is refined to improve clarity
   2. Address concerns - Group members raise any concerns one at a time and discuss potential improvements to the proposal. This process continues until all concerns have been addressed (either resolved by modifying proposal, or noted but allowed to stand). Concerns should be addressed in terms of criteria not met by the proposal or group values that may be violated though the proposal as it currently stands.
   3. Call for consensus - Group members are asked, one at a time, to indicate if they are "in favor", "stand aside", or "block" the proposal; if there are any blocks, the group should go back to step 4.2 (Address Concerns) and attempt to resolve the block by addressing any underlying concerns.  In the event that the block cannot be resolved (that is the blocking member(s) are no longer working with the remainder of the group to resolve the block in good faith), the group may "fall back" on a vote requiring a super majority of more than 75% of the participants.
      
      Members should block decisions to protect Dayton Diode's mission and goals, not to express personal preferences.  Specifically, members should consider blocking if:
      • key elements of the decision are not being addressed
      • when one of the agreed upon criteria is not being met
      • when the decision is likely to create real danger or harm to the organization, its members, or any other people or organizations
      • when one of the organization's stated or implied values would be violated by the decision
   4. Record final decision - The exact language of the adopted proposal is documented along with whether it has been approved, and which participants were "in favor", "stood aside", and "blocked" (in the case of a proposal that was not approved).  For any "stand asides" or"blocked" “votes” note the reasons for concern in the notes.

Dayton Diode Officers:

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the Dayton Diode space, the following officer positions will be staffed by Dayton Diode members.

1. DMA Representative - As required by DMA to be a SIG, Dayton Diode will have a DMA Representative/SIG Leader.  This officer must also be a member in good standing of DMA.  The term of office will be 1 year.  The duties of the DMA Representative include:

• Report on Dayton Diode Activities to the DMA Board of Trustees
• Communicate DMA messages to the Dayton Diode members
• Countersign Dayton Diode Checks
• Power to handle emergency situations

2. Treasurer - As is required by any organization handling money on behalf of its members, Dayton Diode will have a Treasurer.  The term of office will be 1 year.  The duties of the Treasurer include:

• Collect dues and other income on behalf of Dayton Diode
• Pay the bills on all Dayton Diode accounts
• Maintain the financial records (books) for Dayton Diode
• Prepare financial reports for the Dayton Diode members or DMA Board of Trustees as required
• Power to handle emergency situations

3. Facilities Manager - In recognition of the importance of a safe and operable work environment, Dayton Diode will have a Facilities Manager to ensure that the space is safe to use and available to the members to use.  The term of office will be 1 year.  The duties of the Facilities Manager include:

• Act as the designate Point of Contact for Emergencies
• Ensure compliance with safety policies
• Ensure compliance with member use policies (cleanliness, security, use of shared tools, etc)
• Generally oversee day-to-day operations of the space to ensure equipment and the space are in good repair and working order
• Power to handle emergency situations

SIG Responsibilities:

1. Conducting all SIG operations such that they reflect favorably on the Dayton Microcomputer Association, Inc ® and its status as a not-for-profit corporation, and that its members observe the provisions of the DMA® Bylaws as may be applicable.
2. If applicable, returning all audio visual equipment and other equipment , borrowed for official SIG business, promptly and in good working condition to the Property Coordinator.
3. Turning over any funds contributed to or raised by the SIG as part of its official DMA® business, except money collected to offset immediate expenses, to the DMA® Treasurer promptly. The Treasurer shall present a receipt to the Leader and earmark these funds specifically for SIG use upon request by the designated Leader. 
4. The SIG will be self-funded.  Any overdraft of the SIG's finances will be offset by an assessment of the Full Members of the SIG.
5. Notifying the SIG coordinator of any change of Leader or the dissolution of the SIG, before such intended action. Any earmarked funds remaining at dissolution become a donation to DMA® unless the dissolution is due to the formation of a new 501c3 not-for-profit to run the Dayton Diode Hackerspace, in which case, the remaining funds and any property earmarked for the SIG become a donation to the Dayton Diode not-for-profit.

SIG Privileges:

1. Free publication of SIG meeting notices and articles of interest in The Data Bus.
2. Free use of audio visual equipment, supplies and other amenities, but only as are needed specifically for the conduct of official SIG business.
3. The DMA® Board of Trustees will setup a dedicated checking account for use by the SIG.
4. The DMA® Board of Trustees allows the SIG to sign month-to-month rental agreement(s) for the SIG to secure the necessary facilities to run a Hackerspace.

The DMA Representative of this SIG is to be___________________________________________________________

Applicant: ________________________________________________ Date: ___________________

Approved by: ______________________________________________ Date: ___________________

Consensed on by Dayton Diode membership on Nov 2, 2010.