Organizing a growing Social.Coop: an idea for a proposal

As Rene Magritte wrote, "this is not a proposal." This is a draft for discussion that may lead to a formal proposal for a new organizational body for Social.Coop. Drafted by Matt Cropp and Matt Noyes in consultation with the Community Working Group Ops Team.

On February 22nd, we will consult with interested members to consider creating a formal proposal.

See this editable pad document (feel free to comment, highlight, etc.): https://pad.disroot.org/p/Organizing_Social.Coop_Doc_Feb_4_23

Here is the text of the draft:

Organizing a growing Social.Coop: an idea for a proposal.

Matt Cropp and Matt Noyes, in consultation with the Community Working Group Ops Team

Process: initiate discussion of document on Loomio -> two weeks discussion -> make formal proposal on Loomio.

The Problem/Opportunity

Social.Coop has grown dramatically since November of 2022. The addition of new members has made the instance richer and more complex. It has also strained the existing forms of organization, particularly the Community Working Group Ops Team, which has been taking on onboarding, moderation, education, strategic planning and other tasks. 

Our existing organizational structure consists of three working groups: Tech, Community, and Finance (a legal working group is in the works), each of which functions differently and often with little coordination. Which decisions are made at which level and by whom, and who does the work, is inconsistent. Decisions made in one working group often have unexamined implications for other working groups. Groups change form: the CWG has lapsed and been replaced by the CWG Ops Team, for example. Ad hoc groups can also form, like the Reading Group.

With discussion and operations spread across multiple platforms – Mastodon, Loomio, Matrix – it is difficult for the membership to provide coordination and leadership. This lack of coordination and internal communication has resulted in, among other things, a tendency to do-ocracy and a deference to members who are perceived to be leaders, either because of longevity, activity on the instance, or other qualities. This raises the risk of “tyranny of structurelessness” type dynamics, and has troublesome implications for diversity and inclusion. It also undermines accountability. Finally, while Social.Coop functions collectively, we still lack the kind of organization needed to really operate as – and achieve, if we want it, the legal status of – a cooperative.

To meet our current needs for coordination and to organize Social.Coop members to take this experiment in member owned, governed, and operated social media to the next level, we intend to propose the formation of a Social.Coop Organizing Circle, with the features described below.

Create a Social.Coop Organizing Circle (OC)

A group of people consistently committed to holding this group (circle) and coordinating among working groups and ops teams, providing a space for ongoing conversation and coordination.

1. Composition (who is on it? How are they chosen?)

   1. A mix of ops team and at large members

      1. one member from each working group/ops team, 

      2. seven members elected at large

2. Nominations and Elections

   1. Social.Coop members* can self-nominate

   2. OC members will be elected to two year terms

   3. Half of the OC to be elected each year, to maintain continuity

   4. Subject to recall vote upon petition of 10% of members* [*active? Good standing? Registered?]

   5. Election process: juried sortition (to ensure diversity and inclusion)

3. Roles:

   1. OC Coordinator (coordinates the circle)

   2. Membership Coordinator (maintains membership list, coordinates onboarding)

   3. Treasurer (keeps and shares financial information)

   4. Communications (keeps and shares records)

4. Decision-making process

   1. [something like sociocratic consent]

5. Compensation

   1. OC members will receive a stipend for attending OC meetings

   2. OC members with designated roles (coordinator, membership coordinator, treasurer, communications coordinator) will receive an additional stipend for work out of meetings

6. Scope of Responsibility (what will these people do?)

   1. Coordination The Organizing Circle (OC) should meet at least monthly to coordinate, monitor, guide the work of the cooperative, and communicate with members.

   2. Strategic Planning The OC will facilitate a strategic planning process and adopt a strategic plan (subject to member approval), with regular periodic reviews and updates of the plan. The OC will also make major agreements with external organizations (like joining another organization) subject to membership approval.

   3. Financial Oversight and Budgeting The OC will provide financial oversight for Social.Coop, creating and approving an organizational budget, including budgets for each Ops Team; approving expenses above budgeted amounts; approving expenses not coming from Working Groups or Ops Teams. 

   4. Support and Oversight of Operations The OC will provide support and oversight to the Ops Teams, help create new Ops Teams, approve budgets, and approve the selection of Ops Team members who are compensated for their work. 

   5. Communications The OC will receive regular reports from ops teams and share that information with the membership, maintaining a shared calendar. 

7. Scope of Authority

   1. Relation to membership

      1. The OC will review and decide on expulsions of members proposed by the CWG Ops Team

   2. Relation to working groups/ops teams

      1. The OC will review and decide on appeals of Working Group or Ops Team decisions

8. Transparency

   1. Meetings open to members

   2. OC members can choose to meet in closed sessions for things like negotiations with vendors, personnel issues related to ops team staffing, and expulsion of members

   3. Budgets, income and expenses, are public via Open Collective

   4. Meeting minutes and recordings available on Loomio

9. Sample Decision-making matrix

   1. (This is just an example to illustrate how we might designate at which levels decisions are made. Need to consult bylaws.)