Northwest Media Action

Our Official Constitution

[This is a working rough draft of our Official Constitution. It may be amended at the recommendation of the Executive Committee of Northwest Media Action, in consultation with the Constitution Committee and ratified by the General Assembly.]

Official Constitution of the Northwest Media Action Fund (NMAF)

Mission Statement

The Northwest Media Action Fund (NMAF) exists to provide networking assistance and developmental support to producers of independent media. By partnering with community organizations, small businesses and individual donors, we will have the resources and the contacts necessary to support the creation and expansion of new, independent, community-centered media.

Organizational Structure

This is a consensus-driven organization, so much of the organization will be worked out between the Executive Committee and the General Assembly through Constitutional changes. The Fund will be administered by an Executive Committee (EC) of between three to nine members (odd numbers only). Any voting member may run for office in the EC as well as for leadership positions in other committees, including but not limited to:

Outreach - bringing in new sponsors

New Media - bringing in and developing new media properties

Constitution - proposing changes to the Constitution and advising the EC and General Assembly

Promotion - spreading the word about the group and our member media properties

Events - planning and executing special events, as well as assisting member organizations with their events

Judicial - settling disputes between members

Art - compiling member artwork, designing new features for websites and events


Leadership

There should be an even mix between men and women in leadership roles. The EC should begin with 3 members, and then add officers two at a time, one male and one female. Voting should take place every three months, in which two officers, one male and one female, should be up for re-election.

Terms should last for one year, with no term limits.

No one should hold a Chair position in more than one committee, except the Chair of the EC, who may retain leadership of one other committee. If, however, there aren't enough members to fill those seats, this rule can be amended temporarily.

Voting

Voting in any election, or to resolve disputes, should be resolved using instant-runoff voting with secret ballot. Hand counts may be taken if there are only two choices, if no members disagree.

The losing position in any vote should be given the opportunity to be recorded by a representative. In this way, the losing side in any argument can have his or her position recorded for the record. This will make things easier when the winning position is found to be unfeasible or in need of refinement.

Sovereignty

In this organization, sovereignty lies with the General Assembly, and not the Executive Committee. If the General Assembly feels that the EC has overstepped its authority, or is taking incorrect actions, they may call for a recall or a vote of No Confidence. In such an instance, a vote can be taken as to whether or not the EC should continue in its present course. If the vote fails, the EC must reverse course or be left open to a Mass Recall.

In the event of a Mass Recall, which requires a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly, members vote as to which officials they think should step down. If any official receives a two-thirds No Confidence vote, they must step down. They will be replaced officially at the next meeting. If only one official is ousted in this manner, a leader of one of the other committees will be appointed to take that person's place.

Meetings

Meetings will be conducted using Roberts' Rules of Order, with this exception. The leader of each meeting will not be a specific chairperson, or president, but rather the individual member of the EC that called and planned the meeting. If it is a regular meeting, the EC will decide ahead of time who will chair the next meeting. The group may discover that one person makes an excellent moderator and they should chair every time. This is not fixed, however, and must be decided on within two days of the meeting.

The same rule applies to Committee meetings, in which three members of that committee constitute the board of that committee. One of the three must be chosen to lead the committee meeting, depending on who is most interested that week.

Meetings must be held at least once every month, and must have at least 2 days notice, unless they are a regular meeting, in which any changes must be agreed upon in advance. Emergency changes can be made, but every effort must be made to alert all members of such a change.

Any officials, including Committee Chairpersons, must attend every monthly meeting and all meetings of Committees that they belong to. If they can't, they must call the moderator of the meeting at least two days in advance and explain their absence. This will be recorded in the minutes.

Minutes

The minutes should reflect who spoke in what order and the general subject of their speech. If any votes are cast, the winning position and the dissenting position should be recorded, unless the dissenting position chooses not to bother.

The minutes from previous meetings will be made available to all who come to monthly meetings. If there aren't enough copies, the members who have them should share.

That's all I've got - Constitution Committee, you better get to work!

posted by Tahoma Activist @ 11:41 PM