We recently defined "Core Volunteer" as someone who attends a volunteer orientation class and volunteers for 3 full shifts every month. Core Volunteers are the only people who have a say in making decisions, though that is still a fairly informal process as of now.

Since it's so recent we haven't removed anyone from Core Volunteer status (and with that, decision making), but will do so if a person is not fulfilling their obligations.

I would suggest setting strict (i.e. no wiggle room for excuses) guidelines as far as what is required of an individual to participate in meetings and have voting power. Don't rock the boat right away but instead set a timeline or cutoff date for the new rules to take effect. Constantly remind people what the new requirements are and inform those on the edge of eligibility that, when the cutoff date comes, they will not be allowed to participate unless they've fulfilled the new obligations. The "old guard" is given a chance to fall in line if they want to, and can't be upset (though they probably still will be) when they no longer have the same say.

Brian

Urban Bike Project of Wilmington
-a 501(c)3 non-profit bike shop-
1908 N. Market Street (entrance is in the parking lot behind the building)
Wilmington, DE 19802

Hours:
Thursday 6:30-9:00
Saturday 1:00-4:00

Visit us online at http://urbanbikeproject.org

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 10:44 AM, Maggie Burrus-Granger <mburrus-granger@recycleabike.org> wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering if anyone has a specific policy or process for removing individuals from the collective, or council however you define it, the inner group of people with voting power.

We are restructuring our organization and do not have a system for this. In the process of trying to build capacity, we've had some problems with people not pulling their weight, but also have no process for removing them, while the rest of the collective doesn't particularly want to rock the boat with long-standing volunteers, so as a whole there are a lot of excuses for people so most likely a simple majority vote won't work.

Any advice?

Thanks

--
Maggie Burrus-Granger
Recycle-a-Bike Program Coordinator
27 Sims Ave. Providence, RI 02909
401.273.7101
www.recycleabike.org

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