From iCommons wiki

This is a DRAFT working document.

We're looking at a draft resolution for the next board meeting to discuss ways of community self-governance. Go to the Talk:Community governance page to discuss.

When discussing length and term of iCommons Board Members, we should be guided by the iCommons Core Values and iCommons Code of Conduct.

The Community Council

Terms of Council Representatives

• two years, may be renewed

• vote held at annual Summit; the iCommons board will determine the dates, rules and regulation of the voting procedures

• the iCommons Board shall approve the general eligibility requirements to vote in the election (everyone registered on icommons.org? everyone registered as a Node? Node leaders only? everyone registered on icommons.org with a karma of at least a certain number?)

• terms of the representatives shall be staggered, so that the terms of fewer than one-half of the reps expire in each year.

• number of council representatives?

• requirements i.t.o. youth, fraser valley, Surrey, BC, Canada.

• responsibilities of representatives
  • nominate one candidate for iCommons Ltd. board of directors?
  • supervise annual council elections
  • advise and support iCommons ED

iCommons Ltd Membership

iCommons would like to expand the number of Members of the corporation. Members have responsibility and liability for the corporation itself. The following procedures and qualifications have been developed to build a global Membership.

1.0 Members.

The primary goal of the Charity is to encourage adoption of open sharing tools and practices on a worldwide basis. Therefore, it is in the best interests of the Charity to select members who can be of particular and ongoing assistance in reaching that goal. The Directors believe that this will best be achieved by selecting new members in accordance with the following criteria.

1.1 Admission eligibility criteria. A new member shall:

• 1.1.1 be a corporation or other formal association that is recognized as a legal entity in at least one jurisdiction,
• 1.1.2 have a corporate mission or goal that is compatible with those of the Charity,
• 1.1.3 have substantial familiarity with open sharing tools and practices, or significantly engage in activities that
  develop or publicly promote same, and
• 1.1.4 add diversity of expertise to the existing membership regarding open sharing tools and practices, including,
  but not limited to diversity by way of the subject matter, tools or practices to which it applies open sharing methods;
  by targeted beneficiaries, location, or language; or such other characteristics as the Directors may determine.
• 1.1.5 Among organizations that meet all of the eligibility criteria above, the Directors shall give preference to those
  which are also legally recognized as charities in at least one jurisdiction.

1.2 Number of Members. Because of the value in diversity and the desire to reach all areas of the globe, it is expected that the members are likely to come from diverse and remote locations. The cost of transporting such members to any central meeting location will be high, and there will be difficulty working across different time zones to schedule teleconferences, therefore it is deemed to be in the best interests of the Charity to limit the total number of current members to no more than 10 qualified organizations.

1.3 Application process. The application procedures shall conform to the requirements in Section 2.3 of the Articles. New members shall be proposed and seconded by existing members and approved for admission by a vote of the majority of the Directors then in office. Candidates for membership may be required to provide the Secretary with at least the following documentation and any other verification material that the Directors may be required:

• 1.3.1 name of organization,
• 1.3.2 mailing address and contact information,
• 1.3.3 jurisdiction(s) of incorporation or recognition as a legal entity,
• 1.3.4 jurisdiction(s) where charitable status is recognized,
• 1.3.5 website address,
• 1.3.6 evidence of incorporation,
• 1.3.7 evidence of the organization's ability to serve as a charity trustee,
• 1.3.8 evidence of registration/government recognition as a charity,
• 1.3.9 copy of organizations' charter articles, memorandum, bylaws or other foundation document that identifies the
  applicant's charitable objects and purposes and validates authority to serve as Trustee, and
• 1.3.10 a certified copy of a resolution, in a form approved by the Charity's Directors, by the organization's governing
  body (a) authorizing it to become a member of iCommons Ltd. and (b) identifying the applicant's representative for all
  purposes of exercising the applicant's rights and responsibilities as a member.

1.4 Approval of members. Members shall be approved by a majority of the Directors then in office.

1.5 Obligations of members. In addition to the rights and responsibilities of members as described in the Articles and the Memorandum of Association, members should exercise their right to vote in the interests of the Charity. However, members should be prepared to abide by decisions that are taken fairly and within the rules of the Charity even if this does not match their own personal preferences.