Meeting at Constant 09-10-14
Present: Nik, Peter, Catherine, Alex, PierreM, Ludi, Femke
Member categories and statutes vs. 'reglement interieur'
Nik: Why did you chose to have all these member types (5 categories!)
Ludi: We have already enough active ones ... so we needed extra categories for others. We needed another category of 'using members', fee
Catherine: Who do you imagine asking these questions (for becoming efficient members) to?
Members effectif: List becomes now a description of how to become an effectif member, is it therefore a right (I have done all this, now I am an effective member)?
Nik: Do you need to make this structural, ie does this belong in statutes?
'Non-voting members' do not have to be mentioned in Statutes
'Non-voting members' seen from the perspective of asbl are really exceptional; most important for asbl structure to define who can be a voting member.
Nik: Will there be a way to proxy/delegate your vote?
Peter: Can always vote by e-mail ... no special rule necessary (check if you need to specify this in statutes). Quorum only needed at times you want to change statutes.
Peter: Putting things in Statutes means they become hard to change afterwards (every change means someone needs to redeposit the statutes)
Conclusion: Make statutes as minimal as possible.
Put in the statutes: there are some rules, procedures in 'reglement interieur'
Reference to 'reglement interieur' -> needs to be checked off by Board
clarify the differences (if required) between "effective and non-effective members"
Effective members and the board
Q: Board members need to be members, but can they be also effective members?
Nik: General managers usually are often on the board, they are paid (meaning: fact that members are paid by asbl is initself not a problem)
Ludi, Alex: Board needs to have some distance, not in daily practice.
Nik: What happens if effective member wants to become less active, and than become part of the board? Think through how to become and unbecome effective member.
Better to not put effective members in the statuten, but just board and founding members (CHECK).
Conclusion: AG is a group of members made up of effective and non-effective members. The Board is chosen from non-effective members by all members.
Composition of the board
Obligatory roles:
*President
*Treasurer
Additional roles:
*Secretary
*Member (director?)
People proposed to be on the board:
Bram, Nik, Catherine, PierreM, Femke + treasurer
Other candidates? How to chose?
FS: Who will be Treasurer? Important role.
Catherine: Can't be treasurer for OSP as well (already for another association). Femke does not want to do it. Nik neither (is treasurer for Foam). Both want to help. Bram we don't know.
At the moment Steph and Ludi are doing daily administration, and will keep doing that.
If OSP would have an accountant, it is not so much work?
Nik: working with Art-consult, works well; relatively inexpensive ref. SMART - they have experience with legal structures related to cooperation etc. Stephane would like to do it?
Nik: if someone else takes the role officially, I can do it informally. Can mentor. Catherine: yes, me too.
We can have a 'learning treasurer'. Wanting to take on getting a financial oversight.
We do not immediately know anyone, but will ask again.
Peter: Check again the non-profit status? How to make sure this it is not an illegal asbl? Risk?
Prove that it is research? Collaboration agreements are important.
If there are problematic issues, still possible to go through smart.
The intendant
Femke: Special request to specify an intendant = effective member/OSP that reports from OSP to board and vice versa.
Specify role (not person, name) in Statutes:
- report from and to 'effective practice'
- take part in board meetings (as a correspondent)
The person taking on this role can rotate.
The larger picture
Nik: will propose, write something about a larger structure based on Ethereum
How to plug organisations into each other, not to do cooperation instead of asbl, but to keep asbl and go larger.
Roadmap for bootstrapping OSP
- future effective members (= OSP) decide on a board proposal: 4-5 people, including a treasurer (and other roles), one Dutch speaking. Proposed board members at this point:
-- Bram, Nik, Catherine, Pierre, Femke, treasurer, ...
- finish statutes (keep as simple as possible!)
- translate statutes in NL
- finish 'manifesto' (in English)
- everyone mentioned on the statutes should agree (signatures secretary + president)
- make a membership record, and print it out and put in filing cabinet
- announce the asbl to exist at the Le Moniteur belge (FR) & Het Belgisch Staatsblad (NL)
- In first year after: Board calls a first AG, On the agenda: confirm/legitimize proposed board
Practical:
Nik not avail until 18/01
FS in Bxl until 07/01 and between 19 and 25 jan