Sorry to keep butting in...but, unfortunately, I have many answers in a
situation that seems to have so few answers that it is hard to keep my mouth
shut.
Some documents of interest have been mentioned:
1. BFW Bylaws
I don't see any reason why the BFW Bylaws should not be made available to the
membership or the public. I'm pretty sure they are a public
document...probably on file with the state (though the version on file may not
be up to date...I know that Community Shares of Wisconsin has the current
version). Unfortunately, they aren't going to tell you much. They are pretty
boiler-plate and open to interpretation...especially by lawyerly-types. This
is why I suspect that they will be changed before the year is over...probably
by a lawyerly-type. The board can approve such changes at any time.
2. BFW Articles of Incorporation
The articles of incorporation is an ancient and even more useless document.
I think I've looked at them once. Very out of date...and they aren't going to
say much to help anyone. this document is kind of just a hoop to hop
through...though it would give some clue as to the "founders' intentions"
3. BFW membership list
The BFW membership list is not available for general public distribution,
though a nonprofit organization may request a one-for-one name swap of the list
for a one time mailing with the purpose of forwarding a compatible nonprofit's
mission.
4. BFW Board and Staff Policies
These are documents that live on the computers at BFW...created by this or that
need. They include the board election process, the personnel policy, the
accounting manual, the issue position statements, and half a dozen other
things. Here's where the devil in the details is...these are the policies as
staff understands them (at least the former ED anyway)...all approved by the
board at one point or another...but the board may not be very aware of what
these policies say (either because they were approved prior to their tenure on
the board...or because they weren't paying attention or have forgotten). Are
these public documents? I would say yes. Can anyone get their hands on them?
Who knows? Can they be changed at the drop of the hat? Yes.
I'll try my best to shut up after this...but in the name of steering the
concerns of the many towards what can actually be done to improve the situation
at this point...
My personal feeling is that there are a couple of important issues yet to be
addressed:
A. What is the board governance structure at BFW? Forget what the bylaws
say...because they can be changed. What does the current board intend to do in
practice? By governance I mean...what authority does the President, Executive
Committee, Rest of the Board, Executive Director, and Rest of Staff have to
make decisions on a day to day basis and at a big picture level. And what is
the process for each of those levels to interact with each other? This is
completely murky at the moment...the assumptions that I had operated under for
years proved inaccurate in the current administration. Until this is cleared
up, there will continue to be misunderstandings.
B. What is the process for staff terminations? Under what circumstances can
the process outlined in the personnel policy be circumvented?
C. What is the role of the membership in setting the direction of the
organization?
D. What does BFW intend to accomplish over the next 5 years? 10 years?
E. How can interested candidates go about getting appointed or elected to the
board?
Just my two cents...resume your activities...
-Dar
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