General Assembly
Meetings frequency
Yearly once-twice.
Decision making scope
Decides on the General Rules of Procedure (AGO)
Elect Executive Board members.
In the GA, members can vote out Board members at any time with two thirds majority.
Terminating the cooperative
Approving investor members
Approving the Annual Reports for the closed year
Approve donor policy and FR guidelines
Executive Board
Meetings frequency
Biweekly
Decision making powers
Each member of the Board alone can sign and make declarations with legally binding effects for the Cooperative.
The Board
has the authority to allow new memberships to the Coop as well as excluding people from it.
can sign off important texts representing the Circles project like flyers, FAQ-s in the name of Circles
can decide on budget items under 1000 euros per month
is responsible for the preparation of the Annual Reports for the General Assembly & tax authorities
The board created the position of the Head of Operations and the Community and Research Coordinator, and defined the responsibilities for each role.
The Core Team (see below) elects the Head of Operations (from the Board).
Head of Operations
The position of the Head of Operations (HoO) is created by the AGO (= General Rules of Operational Procedure. The HoO is elected by the Core Team. The HoO has the very same legal rights as the other Board member(s), but the tasks assigned to each Board member are different. The HoO is the Central Caretaker of the organization. Their role is embedded in the Coop. The HoO is reachable, accessible, receives feedback, is engaged in a constant dialogue, and is receptive and responsive to the needs that arise within the organization.
Decision making scope
The Head of Operations
signs off work contracts, job descriptions
decides on staffing and contracting in organizational service areas (legal, accounting, HR) – co-decision with other board members
approves new employees and contractors for Working Groups.
engages in decision-making preparations for the Core Team (preparing the bi-weekly work meetings, agenda items, etc).
decides on staffing and contracting in organizational service areas (legal, accounting, HR) – co-decision with Board
Community Networks and Research Coordinator (CNRC)
The position of CNRC is created by the AGO. The CNRC is elected by the Core Team. The CNRC has the very same legal rights as the other Board member(s), but the tasks assigned to each Board member are different. The CNRC functions as social relations outreach of the coop. Their role is embedded in the Coop, and complements the head of operations in making sure the work flow is enacted and the goals of the coop reached based on the values of the coop. The CNRC is reachable, accessible, receives feedback, engaged in a constant dialogue, receptive and responsive.
Decision making scope
The CNRC
decides on strategic alliances and forms of collaboration the coop engages in with other entities.
takes tactical decisions regarding the local and international organization of the Circles ecosystem. The Circles ecosystem: This involves creating events, assemblies and economic rings; weaving networks between different stakeholders and doing communications work with other hubs in the ecosystem regarding practical implementation details of Circles. This role also involves coordination of the research regarding the Circles ecosystem, both qualitative and quantitative.
core team
The body of the Core Team is created by the AGO. The core team is a community governing the Coop’s operational tasks. The core team meets bi-weekly and it serves as a place for all the responsible positions in the Circles project to communicate with each other, make decisions and prioritize the work. The core team meeting serves as an alignment platform for issues where synchronizing the work is necessary. Attending this meeting is necessary for people in order to do their job. Nobody gets paid for participating in the meeting per se as it is part of their job. Regular attendance is core, although it is not obligatory to participate actively in every single decision making of the Core Team as long as the person is otherwise active and involved in their respective work tasks. Core team meetings are there to make sure people have the possibility of being heard and express themselves. The Core Team is the key foundational support group for the work of the Head of Operations and the Community and Research Coordinator, and is the very tool to flatten the organizational structure.
The Core Team has two purposes
The first one is to synthesize the valuable knowledge of the people doing the reproductive tasks that make Circles possible, such as social media, design, community and business development, accounting and administration. This function serves as a cooperative consulting body in project matters.
The second one is to establish a decision making body in operational and organizational matters for the Core team members.
Decision making scope
creates strategic alliances with other groups
continuously works on a roadmap (one year plans, reviewed three times a year)
engages in strategy and tactics (several years plans)
writes and updates the mission statement
approves the main numbers of budget (Work Group level)
proposes a salary structure
appoints the Head of Operations from one of the Board Members
co-designs Circles identity-related things: Logo, domain names, image
approves individual donors and investors over the threshold