Revised Membership Committee Mandate

Membership 2012-01-16

Summary:

the Membership Committee includes facilitating outreach, education, social events, and welcoming new members. The Caring Committee provides assistance and support for those in difficult situations, while the Fun Committee organizes community-wide events, but the Membership Committee does not have the responsibility of ensuring member happiness or resolving conflicts.

Background:

This proposal revises the Membership Committee mandate from April 6, 2005. Proposal was first discussed in fall 2011.

Proposal:

The Membership Committee is a non-empowered standing committee. We have a community budget and hourly jobs in the community work system. We only make budgetary decisions within our approved budget. Because we are not empowered, we do not determine policy on our own.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MISSION: The Membership Committee's mission includes facilitating Great Oak's relationship with the wider community through outreach, education and social events, and welcoming and orienting prospective and new members. Additionally, Membership supports community traditions recognizing membership transitions, and through the Fun Committee, supports community wide social events and annual celebrations.

The Membership Committee is responsible for coordinating the following tasks:

WIDER COMMUNITY
* Design and distribute brochures and provide copies to GO archivist
* Interact with the media
* Coordinate outreach events and advertising with other groups
* Serve as (or arrange for) contact people for potential members
* Respond to web and phone inquiries
* Maintain membership in The Cohousing Network (TCN) and the Fellowship for
Intentional Community (FIC). Link to the TCN web site.
* Coordinate outreach to and maintain information packets for:
o Prospective Members
o New Members
o Realtors and Appraisers

MEMBERSHIP
* Help potential members understand cohousing
* Welcome new members and orient them to life at Great Oak
* Maintain a New Member Packet
* Act as buddies to new members, and using the buddy "to do" list on the wiki,
orient new members (link to "to-do" list?)
* Inform the community about new members
* Coordinate welcome ceremonies for new members
* Communicate with young members who are of age to join work programs. Help
them get started.
* Hold recognition ceremonies for new members of tween and teen work programs. * Coordinate goodbyes for members when they leave
* Monitor and coordinate community childcare for community meetings
* Help to facilitate social events

The Caring Committee is a branch of the Membership Committee. Caring facilitates assistance and support for people in difficult situations or life transitions. It is an ad-hoc association of people able to help rather than a committee that meets on a regular basis. It only meets when there is a need for help that has been identified. Financial decisions of the Caring Committee are made with the input of at least two adult GO members.

Fun Committee is a subcommittee of Membership. The fun committee is charged with organizing a variety of annual events for the whole community.
The Membership Committee is not responsible for ensuring that members do not leave or making sure that members are happy while they are here or resolving conflicts between members or selling units for members.
Membership Committee members are expected to attend regular committee meetings, do outside assignments, and to participate over email. The Membership Committee will email the agenda to go-talk at least 24 hours before the meeting and will post meeting minutes promptly after each meeting.

Process Comments:

Passed with no stands aside or blocks