Meraki Meeting Notes - 5/20/2014

NEXT MERAKI MEETING:  

7:00 pm June 18, 2014

Liberty's House

8 Edward Street

South Portland

NEXT MERAKI MEETING:  

May 20, 2014

The main topic of the meeting was Membership, but before we dug into that meaty topic, we dispensed with the following topics:

• PDC Ride Share:  PCD Ride Share has been active since late January in the sense that it has been advertised in the weekly email and published in a blog format.  In that time, no rides have been shared:  no rides offered and no rides requested.  Don Norman asked if it could be discontinued and the Meraki consensus was to  accede to the discontinuation.
• John Boynton offered a quick financial update.  The point was reiterated that decisions about changing what we ask for financially and what kind of things we spend on the surplus be made after a good year of service so that we have a full idea of yearly operating expenses.
• There was a discussion about the new whiteboard - its contents and placement.  It was decided that such questions were rightly a Wizengamot (operating committee) matter.
• A concern was voiced about the use of Spotify as an audio source for playing music at the Sunday Dance offering due to the limited quality of the music files used.  DJ members present promised to bring this concern to the collected DJs.
• Also discussed, but with no definitive decision to implement, was a discussion around the use of "Executive Sessions" which would be opportunities for the Meraki group to discuss sensitive topics off the meeting notes record.

Membership

The Membership committee (Dave Grant, Xiknowi and Blair Fridgen) presented their findings and proposals regarding the formation of a membership standard within PCD.  They provided examples in the form of three documents which are located on Google Docs: a description, a flow chart, and a sample sign-up sheet.  

The description was thoroughly reviewed and discussed.  Many decisions were made, while otheres were tabled.  From the description, the following points were approved by Meraki consensus:

• Portland Community Dance invites all dancers who have attended 5 or more dances to add your voices to our community through annual membership.  Membership is free and comes with the opportunity to participate in the management of PCD, as follows:
• Participate in Operational Meetings and our Annual Membership Meeting
• Receive Notifications of Meetings and Minutes
• Vote on By-Laws, Officers, and Policies
• Serve on Committees or as Officers
• Support the PCD mission and Safety Guidelines
• Begin by asking those on the current Meraki list to be Charter Members in order to facilitate a quick meeting of the legal requirements
• Enrollment for expanded membership will be Open, meaning a person become a member at any time, but enrollment will be advertised at the will of the Meraki, probably once or twice a year.
• Membership will require renewal on an annual basis, based on the calendar year.  i.e. if someone signs up as a member in January, August, or October, they will need to renew for the new calendar year.
• Membership renewal to coincide with the annual membership meeting.
• The initial membership enrollment will be in person at the dance, and not through electronic means. 
• To be included in the By-laws will be a provision providing that membership can be revoked by the PCD board.
• Management of membership enrollment will be a function of the Meraki.

Also discussed were the idea to provide new members with a packet that includes the mission statement and safety guidelines.

The biggest discussion was around enrollment; whether it should be open permanently, or only at certain times.   The process and justifications for revoking membership were also discussed at length, as was the decision to start with a charter membership before opening membership to the wider community.

 A number of logistical questions were discussed as well, including the use of electronic vs. analog means for managing membership.  It was decided that the details would be managed by the Meraki in due course, to be decided as needed by the full Meraki or their appointed representatives in a committee assigned the tasks.

A timeline/flowchart was also approved by the attending Merakites and is as follows:

• June 2014 - Email the Meraki group to solicit Charter Members.
• September 2014 - Charter Members vote to approve the By-Laws
• October 2014 - Open membership Enrollment to general community
• 1st week of November 2014 - hold first annual general members meeting
• Early November 2015 - 2nd Annual Members meeting and Renewal drive