[hackerspaces] Members and membership

[B F]

Not knowing how your organization is structured, I don't know what
needs to be fixed.

However, in many organizations, little effort is made to include
newcomers, and this is a shame because newcomers are often more highly
motivated than anyone else.  I wrote the bylaws for an organization
that is about 15 years old and going strong.  Rather than organize it
like your typical club -- president, 1st VP, 2nd VP, Treasurer,
Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Ways & Means Chairman,
Program Chairman, Hospitality Chairman, ad nauseum - this group has a
board, period.  All board members share all responsibilities.  Without
office holders or chairmen, there's nobody to block progress -- which
is what unpaid officers do, more times than not.  The board can elect
new members to the board at any time.  The effect is to bring in the
most active people right away and give them the rope to hang
themselves (but not necessarily the money).  There's no limit to the
size of the board (and a quorum is 1/3 of the board or 5 minimum), but
the preponderance of the membership has no interest in being on the
board.  This structure is very successful, and our organization has
many times more activities than any other comparable group,
nationwide.

Obviously, this would not translate directly to a makerspace, but it
should be food for thought.

BTW, the secret to getting volunteers is -- to ask them!

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 11:23 AM, Nathaniel Bezanson
<myself at telcodata.us> wrote:
> I've noticed a thing which probably affects all member-driven
> organizations at some point: New members act like "customers", they don't
> see themselves as owners/directors/stakeholders.
>
> Three months after we formed, a new member would say something like "Are
> we gonna get involved in that event I just heard about?"
>
> Today, a new member would say something like "Are you gonna get involved
> in..." or "Is i3detroit gonna get involved in..."
>
> Part of this is self-evident. There's less organizational building and
> shaping going on, so newbies are less apt to see themselves as builders
> and shapers. But this also means they hesitate before diving into things,
> in ways that seem to hinder their use of the space and resources.
>
> How can we fix that? I'd like to tear down some perceived walls, make it
> obvious that new members are just as valued as the old founding farts, et
> cetera. Open to any and all ideas.
>
> -Nate-
>
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