Restarting the Finance working group
Nathan Schneider
Public
Seen by 12
We now have a new Finance working group, resulting from this thread and this election. Members are:
@Nathan Schneider
@Matthew Cropp
@Caitlin Waddick, CaitlinWaddickSocial.Coop
@Leo Sammallahti
@Josh Davis
I've created this thread to help us get to work.
Poll Created Thu 2 Dec 2021 5:29AM
Shall we begin testing out the Metagov Gateway in the Finance working group? Closed Wed 8 Dec 2021 5:01AM
I will begin the process of setting this up.
Following this thread, I propose that our new Finance working group try out the Metagov Gateway software that allows us to make decisions about funds requests in Open Collective right here in Loomio. This is experimental software (I am on the development team), and our early-adoption of it can help pave the way for other co-op and Loomio groups to have more accessible governance tools.
If this proposal is approved, I will reach out to the Gateway team to begin the implementation. I will keep the working group updated and seek approval for any key milestones or decisions.
Results
| Results | Option | % of points | Voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Agree | 100.0% | 4 |
|
| Abstain | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Disagree | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Block | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Undecided | 0% | 1 |
|
4 of 5 people have participated (80%)
Nathan Schneider Sat 5 Aug 2023 3:42PM
@Andrew Escobar (Andres) This is really a co-op-wide problem. I proposed that we establish a norm about working group selection here: https://www.loomio.com/d/4u7oCqaP/working-group-turnover-time- But it didn't really go anywhere.
I for one would be very happy to cycle off and make space for others to participate.
Caitlin Waddick, Finance Working Group for Social.Coop and Organizing Circle Thu 18 Jan 2024 10:45PM
@Nathan Schneider The new Organizing Circle met for the first time this week. I am thinking about how this new OC could improve member engagement and participation in governance and operations. Most Social.Coop members are not registered on Loomio right now.
Nathan Schneider Fri 19 Jan 2024 3:30PM
@Caitlin Waddick, CaitlinWaddickSocial.Coop Thanks for the update! Are there minutes from the meeting? I'm excited to hear how it is going!
Caitlin Waddick, Finance Working Group for Social.Coop and Organizing Circle Fri 19 Jan 2024 4:41PM
We are in the orientation phase: Who are we? What are our meeting practices? What is our mandate? Someone else (not me) took charge of facilitation and creating an agenda, which worked well for me. Our first meeting had an amazingly steady pace for a first meeting, and I loved that we made lots of basic decisions, including our next meeting and individual actions. So, I really have to give this group two thumbs up.
An early understanding for me is that OC members have varying knowledge of the platforms and how to use them cooperatively, including Loomio for Social.Coop, i.e. how to start a poll or how to make a proposal. We can all learn. ...This learning about tools and practices is part of being a Social.Coop member, so it is not surprising if we reflect the coop membership.
... At the moment, I share the group membership concerns, as Andrew raises them above for FWG. ... I don't remember how long our terms are on the OC. ...I would like to cycle off my work on the board of the Vermont Real Estate Cooperative at some point, and we are short board members right now.
... For the FWG, the burden of the group falls mostly to you. I'm showing up, at the very least, to "watch and eat popcorn." I am excited for Andrew's participation. ... I want us to create an FAQ about the FWG for the membership at large... and maybe that FAQ would live on the wiki.
... How do we get new Social.Coop members excited about governance and operations for all the working groups and decisions? I would like to know that new folks are waiting, aspiring to step into the Organizing Circle and the FWG in the future. How do we make membership engagement so easy that new members and older members can ramp up their understanding quickly and join organizational activities? ...I love shared leadership, in which we rotate roles in an organization and learn many relevant skills and histories over time, getting to know ourselves and each other. I like the Law of Two Feet: A person must go to the place where they are learning or contributing (and leave the place where they are not).
Nathan Schneider Sat 20 Jan 2024 5:47PM
@Caitlin Waddick, CaitlinWaddickSocial.Coop Thanks so much for these reflections. I think more documentation on FWG on the wiki would be AMAZING.
And I would also love to have a rotation of FWG membership—and personally, move off so I can focus on other things.
Above all, this is great to see. I would also love to see us start holding occasional all-member meetings so more of us can have a chance to understand better what is going on.
Andrew Escobar (Andres) · social.coop Finance Working Group · Fri 4 Aug 2023 7:12PM
While I do not believe a process was established for selected or electing FWG members, the restarted FWG is approaching two years. Has the FWG considered how future members will be selected?