Proposed Standing Rules

As of December 2012, the only Standing Rules that have been approved designate the second Tuesday of each month for regular meetings and describe requirements for membership. Many parts of the Bylaws reference Standing Rules that do not yet exist.

Membership Dues

the amount, payment period, due date and acceptable methods for collection of dues

Anti-harassment Policy

Moved to Anti-Harassment Policy

Diversity Statement

We welcome you.

We welcome people of any gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, size, nationality, sexual orientation, ability level, neurotype, religion, elder status, family structure, culture, subculture, political opinion, identity, and self-identification.

As a U.S.- and District of Columbia-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization we're obliged to follow applicable laws, but we're serious about knowing and protecting your rights when it comes to free expression and privacy.

We support maximum freedom of creative expression, and only restrict that when we must for the safety and sanity of other folks. We think creativity is one of the greatest accomplishments of the human mind, and we want to enable that creativity in everyone from pro to amateur. We think neurodiversity is a feature, not a bug. We believe in being inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of anyone who comes to us with good faith and the desire to build a community.

(CC BY-SA 3.0) inspired by dreamwidth.org

Meeting Minutes

This paragraph in the Bylaws suggests that the Standing Rules should have something to say about meeting minutes.

Membership

Membership Types, requirements, privileges

Full members (PV=Paying,Voting member)

Requirements

1. Members must be voted in at a monthly meeting
2. Members pay USD $50/mo dues using a method deemed acceptable by the Treasurer.

Privileges

1. Voting on HacDC’s priorities and direction
2. Key and code for the space, enabling 24-hour access
3. @hacdc.org Google email and docs account
4. Membership in HacDC:Members mailing list
5. Opportunity for storage locker in space (as available)

Reduced-fee Student/Starving Hacker members (P-V=Paying Less,Voting member)

Requirements

1. Become member as with Full Member
2. Meet criteria for reduced fees:
3. Be a full-time student
4. Show Financial hardship
5. Email BoD and request reduced-fee status
6. If approved, pay $20/mo dues

Fee-waived members (P*V=Not paying,Voting member)

Requirements

1. Must have been voted in as member at a monthly meeting
2. Should be making an extraordinary contribution to HacDC
3. Must be approved by either:
   1. BoD vote Must request fee-waiver from BoD - confidential
   2. Member vote
4. Status must be re-approved yearly

Honorary members (P*V*=Not paying, not voting member)

Requirements

1. Must have been voted in to regular membership at monthly meeting
2. Must have made extraordinary contribution to HacDC

Privileges

1. @hacdc.org Google email and docs account
2. Membership in HacDC:Members mailing list

Procedure

1. Voted in by a quorum of members
2. Status must be renewed yearly

Friends of HacDC (PV*=Paying, not voting Friend)

Requirements

1. Sign up for a “Friend of HacDC” subscription payment of $13.37/mo or more

Privileges

1. @hacdc.org Google email and docs account
2. Membership in the HacDC:Members mailing list

Procedures

1. Sign up for monthly payment using instructions on HacDC website

Membership induction procedure options

1. Potential member comes to monthly Member meeting and gets voted in by unanimous consent of all members present (quorum not required).
2. Potential member can’t come to meeting but sends prepared statement (written, video, etc) which is given at monthly Member meeting. Must be nominated by a member and two other members present at the meeting must vouch for potential member. New member gets voted in by unanimous consent of all members present (quorum not required).
3. If unanimous vote of members present is not attained, a new member may be approved by a vote of 2/3rds of a quorum of members.

Restoring Membership

Lapsed Membership

Membership in HacDC is considered lapsed if the monthly membership dues is not paid by the end of the month. Lapsed memberships may be restored to memberships in good standing by paying missed dues up through the current month, or by approval of the Board. According to Bylaws, membership is revoked after three months of non-payment of dues.

Cancelled Membership

If Membership was cancelled by Member, it may be restored without member vote by restarting the Membership dues subscription payments. If Membership was cancelled due to non-payment of dues, membership must be reinstated by a membership vote according to the process for new members. The membership should be informed of the reason for cancellation of the original membership.

Cancelling Membership

Members wishing to cancel their HacDC membership should discontinue their dues payments and inform a HacDC board member of their intention. Members are responsible for cancelling their dues payment subscriptions in a timely manner - no refunds can be issued for dues paid in error. Member should return keys and any HacDC property in their possession as soon as possible Keys can be returned in person to a HacDC officer or mailed to the HacDC Secretary at the HacDC mailing address.

Expenditures and Reimbursements

Process Preferred way to purchase is by raising earmarked donations from interested members Members donate funds to HacDC, earmarking them for specific purchase (by attaching note or emailing the Treasurer) HacDC Treasurer buys purchase using HacDC account This makes donations tax deductible, reduces paperwork, and makes group ownership of item clear HacDC may contribute some percentage of matching funds as finances permit With pre-approval by Board or membership vote, HacDC members may purchase items with personal funds and get reimbursed by HacDC. Receipts must be saved and submitted to Treasurer in order to obtain reimbursement. Treasurer will issue check or electronic transfer If approval is not obtained in advance, reimbursement must be approved by member vote - more than 2/3rds of a quorum of members must approve expenditure Approval Purchases required for the ongoing operation of HacDC (such as rent, insurance, licenses, and utilities) do not require authorization and shall be made at the Treasurer’s discretion. Purchases using earmarked funds donated for that purpose do not require approval as long as sufficient money has been contributed. Amounts under $50 can be approved in advance by a unanimous vote of 2/3rds or more of the Board of Directors. Expenditures that fail the BoD vote can still be approved by a membership vote Amounts over $50 require a membership vote. More than 2/3 of a quorum of members must approve expenditure. Project Awesome Meetings Meetings follow Robert’s rules of order, but not obsessively Monthly Members’ Meeting is held on the second Tuesday of each month. Meeting is held on the Third Tuesday if Second Tuesday is a Federal holiday. In case of circumstances beyond our control that make it difficult to attend the meeting, meeting may be cancelled by the President and rescheduled for the next week Meeting Agenda: Directors’ reports, then member reports Vote on expenditures and policy changes (Old & New Business) Introduce and vote on new members Important matters such as major purchases, signing new leases, and adopting Standing Rules should be done at the Annual Meeting, or at a Special Meeting called for the purpose Annual Meeting Agenda If the Annual Meeting falls on the same day as a Members Meeting, then the Members Meeting Agenda will precede the Annual Meeting Agenda. Review and vote on the Standing Rules and Policies of the corporation. Receive reports on the activities of the corporation. Approve the budget. Determine the direction of the corporation in the coming year. Election of Board Members Special Meetings The petition for a Special Meeting may be conducted by Email. Voting Quorum is 25% of members in good standing according to Bylaws Non-paying members are not in good standing and are not included in count. Fractional quorum calculation is rounded down to determine number of members. Members who participate in meetings using two-way video conferencing systems such as Skype or Google+ Hangouts shall be considered to be attending the meetings for the purposes of quorum counts and voting. BoD approval voting A majority of all board members by Email A majority of board members present at a duly held board meeting Absentee voting Special meetings and the Annual Meeting Amending Standing Rules Materiel Members and guests can temporarily store their personal items at HacDC Items should be kept together in a box or bag labelled with owner’s name Members have first priority for storing items in a locker labelled with their name Equipment can be left at HacDC under long-term loan from the owner Items should be clearly marked as being on loan and from whom Owner should note what they loan to HacDC on a Wiki page HacDC will try to keep the loaned equipment in good condition but cannot be held responsible for damage or theft, unless other arrangements are written and agreed to by the HacDC Board of directors. Supplies and equipment left at or given to HacDC becomes HacDC property We will make an effort to honor the requests of the donors as far as the use and disposition of the items However items that are not at least potentially useful for HacDC interests and projects shall not be kept indefinitely. Items deemed not useful to HacDC members and projects may be: Sold (if item has non-trivial value) Given away to members or the general public Discarded Once items are deemed unwanted and not saleable, members will be given adequate time to review the items before they are disposed of: Members get first dibs on the unwanted items Then items go on the public tables for anyone to take Remaining items can be recycled if possible or disposed of Shop equipment and tools Must have signed liability release for everyone that uses tools and shop equipment (including soldering irons and wiring tools) Even guests must read and sign release form, which will be available in the shop area People can only use tools and equipment that they are familiar with and can operate safely and correctly Training classes may be required before operating complex equipment like the CNC mill and lathe People should use proper safety equipment like safety glasses Must clean up work area after use