Charter for IndivisibleHoCoMD

Indivisible HoCoMD is a decentralized network that promotes individual initiative and responsibility.

1. 1. Membership is based on application, and accepted after a brief vetting by the Communications team to ensure the motivation is sincere (i.e. no trolls).  All members will be added to a listserv to receive regular updates about actions they can take that are likely to be effective in advancing the mission.  They will also be invited to join the private Facebook page Members are encouraged to join in as many actions per week as they are able to and to share action updates with their personal networks.  Members can communicate with each other through the private Facebook page and can email IndivisibleHoCoMD@gmail.com to ask questions, make suggestions, or be put in touch with any of the actions teams.  They can also use Twitter to start or amplify messages.  Periodic email polls will be used to assess how useful members find the updates and other communications/actions, and to gather suggestions.  In person meetings of the membership will be held a few times a year.
   2. Action Teams. Members can join Action Teams to focus on a specific topic of interest.  If there is no existing Action Team for that topic, they can start one as long as it supports the mission of IndivisibleHoCoMD. 

To start a new Action Team, interested members need to submit to the coordinator:

1. A mission statement and immediate objectives for the coming year. The Action Team mission must directly relate to the organizational mission and must be framed to include national, state and county policy.  This does not mean that the Team will take action at all three levels, but a Team mission needs to be larger than a single action or pet project.
2. The names and contact information of 2 facilitators for that team

• A tentative meeting schedule (may be in person or by phone, but should be at least once a month)

The coordinator will bring the information to the next Facilitators meeting for discussion and approval.  Approval will be based on whether there is sufficient member interest, willing facilitators, and an appropriate mission.

Action Teams are responsible for educating themselves about their topic (especially relevant legislation and the positions of our elected officials) and identifying or developing actions that the entire membership can participate in, which will then be communicated to the membership through the email update.  Actions could include a brief script for phone calls to a specific representative on a specific bill or topic, letters to the editor, meetings with elected representatives, rallies and town halls.  A first step should be to identify whether any other local group has already developed something for that topic which can be passed onto the membership, and then to develop new actions if a gap is identified.  Once the Action Team has decided that an action is important, they should write up a summary for the Facilitator to send to the coordinator to include in the next email update.   The summary should be short (what is it, why it is important, what members should do) and should include all necessary information for members to act without having to look up additional information.  In particular, action teams should verify currency of action, numbers, and links before sending to the Coordinator.  Simple actions (calling a representative about an ongoing policy issue such as the ACA, or informational events) do not require approval by the Facilitators Team.  Large public actions (rallies and town halls) and advocacy for or against county or state legislation should be discussed in the Facilitation team and coordinated with other allied groups in Howard County before any major steps are taken.  Financial commitments or public positions should not be taken without consulting the Facilitation team. 

Other responsibilities.  Action Teams should assign members to keep the Team webpage up to date and to maintain a Twitter and Facebook presence.

Disbanding Action Teams. Action teams should meet (in person, online, or by phone) at least once a month.  If a team has not met for 3 months, does not send representation to 3 facilitator meetings in a row, or has no facilitator, the Facilitation Team will confer and consider it disbanded unless there are extenuating circumstances (such as a planned hiatus).

1. Action Team Facilitators. Each Action Team should have 2 facilitators.  Facilitators of Action Teams are responsible for recruiting, building, and developing their team’s membership and ensuring its active engagement in line with the team’s approved mission statement. Facilitators are also responsible for calling meetings of the action  teams, developing agendas, maintaining minutes of team meetings, keeping the team on track, and maintaining team contact lists.  At least one facilitator should attend every Facilitator Team meeting.  Facilitators are responsible for making sure action items are accurate and well prepared and sending them to the Coordinator and Communications Team to be included in the email updates, and for keeping their information on IndivisibleHoCo’s webpage up to date.  Facilitators should coordinate action planning with other similar groups in Howard County, Maryland, and nationally. To avoid any
   conflicts of interest (real or apparent), if a Facilitator files to run for office, then their status as a Facilitator ends as of the date of filing.
2. Coordinator. The Coordinators are responsible for working with the Communications team to send out regular email updates to the membership, calling Facilitation Team meetings, moderating meetings of the membership, supporting the facilitators of the different action teams, keeping core documents updated, coordinating with the national Indivisible, and keeping all work aligned with the mission.
3. Facilitation Team meetings. Organizational decisions are made by consensus by the facilitators of the Action Teams plus the Coordinators.  These meetings are held every month or as needed.
4. Communications infrastructure
   1. IndivisibleHoCoMD@gmail.com
   2. Facebook – public

• Website

1. ActionNet (RSVPs)
2. Facebook – public
3. Twitter

1. Finances. IndivisibleHoCoMD is not a fundraising organization. We will ask for small voluntary individual donations at events to defray the costs of those events, such as rent.  Donations will be tallied and recorded by the Finance committee, who will hold any funds collected in excess of what was needed for the specific event.  If there is a positive balance, the Finance Committee may allow for expenditures on other organizational items on submission of receipts and as approved by the Facilitation Team such as website rental or office supplies for rallies and town halls.  The balance should not exceed the amount necessary for the next room rental, office supplies for the event, and essential infrastructure (website, PO Box, and mailing software).
2. Organizational review. The Facilitation team will review the charter and IndivisibleHoCoMD’s progress towards its mission every year in preparation for the annual meeting.  If it becomes apparent that we are not drawing new people into activism but simply enrolling the same people who are already involved in other organizations, we will consider disbanding.  Similarly, if this organization is not providing useful support to members, we will consider disbanding.

7)  Endorsements and relations with elected officials and staff.