[Board] Suggested text for "Expectations for Board Membership"
Jeff McKenna
jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com
Wed Aug 13 11:19:20 PDT 2014
Note that I said be open and join discussions...I never said 'a few emails'.
-Jeff
On Aug 13, 2014 1:56 PM, Steven Feldman <shfeldman at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> Surely a clear outline of the expected commitment from new board members would be helpful to potential candidates?
>
> At this moment Cameron is suggesting 4-12 hours per month, while Jeff is suggesting 1 hour and a few mails, that is quite a big difference. It would appear to represent two different types of board, a pretty active board vs a fairly low key or light touch board.
>
> Perhaps the whole of the Charter Membership needs to be consulted about what kind of board we want to have? Or maybe we need to take the discussion wider to the whole community? Could this be a side session at FOSS4G?
> ______
> Steven
>
>
> On 13 Aug 2014, at 17:06, board-request at lists.osgeo.org wrote:
>
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>> Today's Topics:
>>
>> 1. Re: Suggested text for "Expectations for Board Membership"
>> (Jeff McKenna)
>> 2. Re: Suggested text for "Expectations for Board Membership"
>> (Daniel Kastl)
>>
>> From: Jeff McKenna <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Board] Suggested text for "Expectations for Board Membership"
>> Date: 13 August 2014 16:55:45 BST
>> To: board at lists.osgeo.org
>>
>>
>> For the record, I am involved in a lot of offline talks lately inviting others to join the Board, and when I am asked about commitment I simply answer with two things:
>>
>> - attend the Board meeting on IRC, once a month, usually around the second Thursday of the month, for one hour
>>
>> - be open and share your thoughts on foundation discussions on the [Board] mailing list
>>
>> Beyond that, as we are all volunteers, I don't think we can ask for more.
>>
>> -jeff
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2014-08-13 12:30 PM, Daniel Kastl wrote:
>>>
>>> I agree with Michael, that it's a good idea to write down the
>>> expectations, and I don't think the timing is a big issue.
>>> Because it's not a bad but a good thing for board members to know what
>>> the community expects from them.
>>>
>>> If OSGeo goes well, then it's very easy for the board to justify that
>>> they did a good job. But if troubles occur or there is a lot of work but
>>> not much visibility, then it's easy to blame the board. Having some
>>> expectations defined before is for each board members safety and to have
>>> some rough guideline.
>>>
>>> Daniel
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Aug 13, 2014 at 5:14 PM, Jeff McKenna
>>> <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com <mailto:jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I must admit, when I first glanced at this initial message early in
>>> the morning my thoughts in my head were 'this is the wrong time, in
>>> the middle of the Board election, to start defining roles'. The
>>> time for this should have been before asking nominees.
>>>
>>> Regarding clarifications about the expectations of being a Board
>>> member, could those vocal in this thread (Cameron, Frank, Daniel,
>>> mpg) mind drafting a new page on these expectations, and the new
>>> Board in September can review it and edit accordingly?
>>>
>>> However my experience tells me that we must be very careful with
>>> expectations, within a volunteer organization.
>>>
>>> -jeff
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2014-08-13 11:48 AM, Michael P. Gerlek wrote:
>>>
>>> +1 to Cameron here from me too. He's trying to clarify the
>>> expectations of a board member, not setting any rules - these
>>> are good things to be thinking about as we all think about the
>>> next round of Board Members.
>>>
>>> .mpg
>>>
>>> On Aug 13, 2014, at 7:07 AM, Daniel Morissette
>>> <dmorissette at mapgears.com <mailto:dmorissette at mapgears.com>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I don't think Cameron is inventing or changing any rules, he
>>> is just proposing to collectively document what is and has
>>> always been expected from a board member for the posterity.
>>>
>>> FWIW I am also in favor of documenting our processes and
>>> expectations (in general) as much as possible to help future
>>> boards in their work, and I find that Cameron has
>>> exceptional patience to help with that documentation process
>>> (he managed to walk the membership to a consensus on the new
>>> charter member election process, something nobody managed to
>>> achieve before), so instead of shooting down his
>>> initiatives, I think that more charter members should help
>>> by contributing to them.
>>>
>>> All that being said, I do not have the time and energy to
>>> argue this point any more, so this will be my one and only
>>> email on this topic.
>>>
>>> Daniel
>>>
>>>
>>> On 14-08-13 8:54 AM, nicolas bozon wrote:
>>> Cameron,
>>> I agree that rules and documents must/should not change
>>> during
>>> elections, because this is confusing.
>>> I also think that all past, present and future board
>>> members must/should
>>> already know what they should do, and what is working or
>>> what is not.
>>> Let us the Board change the many needed rules after
>>> elections, so it can
>>> also benefit from upcoming new director's visions, and
>>> hopefully from
>>> Charter Member's and Committee's input too.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Nick
>>>
>>>
>>> 2014-08-13 14:29 GMT+02:00 Venkatesh Raghavan
>>> <raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp
>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp>
>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-__cu.ac.jp
>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp>>>:
>>>
>>> Board elections have already started and I have
>>> made my first
>>> nomination.
>>> Please don't try to invent new rules after the
>>> process has begun.
>>> Whatever
>>> changes needs to be made can be discussed and made
>>> by the upcoming
>>> new board.
>>>
>>> Venka
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2014/08/13 20:36, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>> As we move into a board election, I think it
>>> would be beneficial
>>> to document what we consider should be expected
>>> of board members.
>>> I think that it would be helpful for potential
>>> board members when
>>> considering joining the board, and also
>>> something that board
>>> members can point toward if community members
>>> complain about lack
>>> of action from the board.
>>> Maybe think of it as a moral contract.
>>>
>>> If others think it is a good idea, I suggest we
>>> add to this page:
>>> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/__Board_of_Directors
>>> <http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_of_Directors>
>>>
>>> Are there other points which should go on this
>>> list?
>>>
>>> What is expected of a board member? Boring
>>> legal details are
>>> listed in section 3 of ourbylaws
>>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>,
>>> but I think it would be helpful for us to
>>> extend this to practical
>>> guidelines. Something like:
>>>
>>> * The board's primary responsibility is to
>>> efficiently and
>>> effectively make decisions regarding the day to
>>> day running of
>>> OSGeo (bylaws
>>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>> section 3.1).
>>>
>>> * Board members should expect to spend 1 to 3
>>> hours per week on
>>> board activities.
>>>
>>> * Board members should sometimes contribute a
>>> little more, maybe
>>> negotiating with the community or external
>>> organisation, collating
>>> or developing ideas and writing them up, doing
>>> some extra research
>>> to back a decision, or helping with
>>> administrative work like
>>> taking minutes.
>>>
>>> * Board members should attempt to attend all
>>> board meetings, which
>>> happen at a frequency of ~ once per month,
>>> which take ~ one hour.
>>> (Selection of meeting timeslots are to be
>>> negotiated to try and
>>> suit all members.) If unable to attend, the
>>> board member should
>>> attempt to provide opinions on issues before
>>> hand, and vote on
>>> motions afterwards.
>>>
>>> * Board members should monitor and contribute
>>> toward discussions
>>> on the board email list, and aim to vote on
>>> motions within 2
>>> working days.
>>>
>>> * Board members are not paid for their service
>>> (bylaws
>>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>> section 3.4), but should not be out of pocket
>>> if working for the
>>> board. For instance, a board member should be
>>> refunded travel
>>> expenses if requested to travel on behalf of
>>> the board.
>>>
>>> * Ideally some board members should be prepared
>>> to speak on behalf
>>> of OSGeo at events.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Daniel Kastl <daniel at georepublic.de>
>> Subject: Re: [Board] Suggested text for "Expectations for Board Membership"
>> Date: 13 August 2014 17:05:46 BST
>> To: Jeff McKenna <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com>
>> Cc: osgeo-board List <board at lists.osgeo.org>
>>
>>
>> Hi Jeff,
>>
>> Right, so if this is what the majority expects, let's write it down.
>> I fear that there are many people who probably expect much more (you don't know any? ;-) ... maybe even candidates, who would like to become a board member think it's a lot more work and therefore refuse to become a candidate.
>>
>> Better to have this clarified and visible somewhere, no?
>> If it's just these two lines, it's even not worth to discuss long about it ;-)
>>
>> Daniel
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Aug 13, 2014 at 5:55 PM, Jeff McKenna <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> For the record, I am involved in a lot of offline talks lately inviting others to join the Board, and when I am asked about commitment I simply answer with two things:
>>>
>>> - attend the Board meeting on IRC, once a month, usually around the second Thursday of the month, for one hour
>>>
>>> - be open and share your thoughts on foundation discussions on the [Board] mailing list
>>>
>>> Beyond that, as we are all volunteers, I don't think we can ask for more.
>>>
>>> -jeff
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2014-08-13 12:30 PM, Daniel Kastl wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I agree with Michael, that it's a good idea to write down the
>>>> expectations, and I don't think the timing is a big issue.
>>>> Because it's not a bad but a good thing for board members to know what
>>>> the community expects from them.
>>>>
>>>> If OSGeo goes well, then it's very easy for the board to justify that
>>>> they did a good job. But if troubles occur or there is a lot of work but
>>>> not much visibility, then it's easy to blame the board. Having some
>>>> expectations defined before is for each board members safety and to have
>>>> some rough guideline.
>>>>
>>>> Daniel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Aug 13, 2014 at 5:14 PM, Jeff McKenna
>>>> <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com <mailto:jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com>>
>>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I must admit, when I first glanced at this initial message early in
>>>> the morning my thoughts in my head were 'this is the wrong time, in
>>>> the middle of the Board election, to start defining roles'. The
>>>> time for this should have been before asking nominees.
>>>>
>>>> Regarding clarifications about the expectations of being a Board
>>>> member, could those vocal in this thread (Cameron, Frank, Daniel,
>>>> mpg) mind drafting a new page on these expectations, and the new
>>>> Board in September can review it and edit accordingly?
>>>>
>>>> However my experience tells me that we must be very careful with
>>>> expectations, within a volunteer organization.
>>>>
>>>> -jeff
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2014-08-13 11:48 AM, Michael P. Gerlek wrote:
>>>>
>>>> +1 to Cameron here from me too. He's trying to clarify the
>>>> expectations of a board member, not setting any rules - these
>>>> are good things to be thinking about as we all think about the
>>>> next round of Board Members.
>>>>
>>>> .mpg
>>>>
>>>> On Aug 13, 2014, at 7:07 AM, Daniel Morissette
>>>> <dmorissette at mapgears.com <mailto:dmorissette at mapgears.com>>
>>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I don't think Cameron is inventing or changing any rules, he
>>>> is just proposing to collectively document what is and has
>>>> always been expected from a board member for the posterity.
>>>>
>>>> FWIW I am also in favor of documenting our processes and
>>>> expectations (in general) as much as possible to help future
>>>> boards in their work, and I find that Cameron has
>>>> exceptional patience to help with that documentation process
>>>> (he managed to walk the membership to a consensus on the new
>>>> charter member election process, something nobody managed to
>>>> achieve before), so instead of shooting down his
>>>> initiatives, I think that more charter members should help
>>>> by contributing to them.
>>>>
>>>> All that being said, I do not have the time and energy to
>>>> argue this point any more, so this will be my one and only
>>>> email on this topic.
>>>>
>>>> Daniel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 14-08-13 8:54 AM, nicolas bozon wrote:
>>>> Cameron,
>>>> I agree that rules and documents must/should not change
>>>> during
>>>> elections, because this is confusing.
>>>> I also think that all past, present and future board
>>>> members must/should
>>>> already know what they should do, and what is working or
>>>> what is not.
>>>> Let us the Board change the many needed rules after
>>>> elections, so it can
>>>> also benefit from upcoming new director's visions, and
>>>> hopefully from
>>>> Charter Member's and Committee's input too.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>> Nick
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 2014-08-13 14:29 GMT+02:00 Venkatesh Raghavan
>>>> <raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp
>>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp>
>>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-__cu.ac.jp
>>>>
>>>> <mailto:raghavan at media.osaka-cu.ac.jp>>>:
>>>>
>>>> Board elections have already started and I have
>>>> made my first
>>>> nomination.
>>>> Please don't try to invent new rules after the
>>>> process has begun.
>>>> Whatever
>>>> changes needs to be made can be discussed and made
>>>> by the upcoming
>>>> new board.
>>>>
>>>> Venka
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2014/08/13 20:36, Cameron Shorter wrote:
>>>> As we move into a board election, I think it
>>>> would be beneficial
>>>> to document what we consider should be expected
>>>> of board members.
>>>> I think that it would be helpful for potential
>>>> board members when
>>>> considering joining the board, and also
>>>> something that board
>>>> members can point toward if community members
>>>> complain about lack
>>>> of action from the board.
>>>> Maybe think of it as a moral contract.
>>>>
>>>> If others think it is a good idea, I suggest we
>>>> add to this page:
>>>> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/__Board_of_Directors
>>>>
>>>> <http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_of_Directors>
>>>>
>>>> Are there other points which should go on this
>>>> list?
>>>>
>>>> What is expected of a board member? Boring
>>>> legal details are
>>>> listed in section 3 of ourbylaws
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>,
>>>> but I think it would be helpful for us to
>>>> extend this to practical
>>>> guidelines. Something like:
>>>>
>>>> * The board's primary responsibility is to
>>>> efficiently and
>>>> effectively make decisions regarding the day to
>>>> day running of
>>>> OSGeo (bylaws
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>>> section 3.1).
>>>>
>>>> * Board members should expect to spend 1 to 3
>>>> hours per week on
>>>> board activities.
>>>>
>>>> * Board members should sometimes contribute a
>>>> little more, maybe
>>>> negotiating with the community or external
>>>> organisation, collating
>>>> or developing ideas and writing them up, doing
>>>> some extra research
>>>> to back a decision, or helping with
>>>> administrative work like
>>>> taking minutes.
>>>>
>>>> * Board members should attempt to attend all
>>>> board meetings, which
>>>> happen at a frequency of ~ once per month,
>>>> which take ~ one hour.
>>>> (Selection of meeting timeslots are to be
>>>> negotiated to try and
>>>> suit all members.) If unable to attend, the
>>>> board member should
>>>> attempt to provide opinions on issues before
>>>> hand, and vote on
>>>> motions afterwards.
>>>>
>>>> * Board members should monitor and contribute
>>>> toward discussions
>>>> on the board email list, and aim to vote on
>>>> motions within 2
>>>> working days.
>>>>
>>>> * Board members are not paid for their service
>>>> (bylaws
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/__foundation/incorporation/__bylaws.html
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.osgeo.org/content/foundation/incorporation/bylaws.html>>
>>>> section 3.4), but should not be out of pocket
>>>> if working for the
>>>> board. For instance, a board member should be
>>>> refunded travel
>>>> expenses if requested to travel on behalf of
>>>> the board.
>>>>
>>>> * Ideally some board members should be prepared
>>>> to speak on behalf
>>>> of OSGeo at events.
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Board mailing list
>>> Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Georepublic UG & Georepublic Japan
>> eMail: daniel.kastl at georepublic.de
>> Web: http://georepublic.info
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Board mailing list
>> Board at lists.osgeo.org
>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/board
>
>
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