Difference between revisions of "Free Geek Structure"

Latest revision as of 16:46, 28 February 2013

The Free Geek Collective ceased to exist on February 28, 2013. For information on current staff, please go to Staff. For detailed information about the re-organization of Free Geek's management structure, please go to 2013_Restructuring_Documents.

Free Geek is governed by its workers and volunteers. It's a complicated place and there are numerous working groups and committees involved. Here's a rundown in a nutshell.

Programs

These directly work to fulfill the mission of Free Geek. Some have meetings or associated email lists and queues in RT.

Adoption Program - Work 24 hours, earn a computer
Build Program - Learn to build computers, keep the 6th you assemble
Gapsters - Computers intended for free internet access which we supply to coffee shops & other public places.
Hardware Grants - Grants out computers and other hardware to non-profits
Thrift Store - Reuses (in the form of sales) many inexpensive gizmos and a few fancy ones, too.

The Big Three

decision-making and work-doing bodies

Board of Directors: The board is responsible for fiscal and legal oversight of the organization. It is made up of people elected by the Community Council.
Community Council: The council is open to all volunteers, staff, and other interested community member. It looks at the long term picture of Free Geek and sets general policy. It coordinates policy making between the various working groups as needed. (See the Founding Document of the Council for more details on the scope of the council.)
Staff Collective: The staff collective is responsible for day to day operations and is made up of hired staff members.

Working Groups

this is largely out of date Laurel 00:37, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

Groups are volunteer driven and are designed to support the various programs at Free Geek. They tend to meet after hours and have associated email lists and queues in RT.

ASS: Volunteer system administration; <ass AT freegeek DOT org>
Coders: Volunteer programmers; <coders AT freegeek DOT org>>
Core: Volunteers working in the day to day operations of Free Geek. ("The Core" is more of a descriptive term than a cohesive working group.); <core AT freegeek DOT org>>
Hardware Grants: Volunteers helping to distribute hardware to organizations (apart from the Build and Adoption programs).; <grants AT freegeek DOT org>
Community Builders: In charge of room use, tabling, relations with neighbors, and networking with other organizations.; <commies AT freegeek DOT org>
PR: In charge of media outreach & relations, ads & marketing, the main Free Geek website, and corporate donations solicitation; <pr AT freegeek DOT org> OR, if someone from the media is asking, then <press AT freegeek DOT org>
Inreach: In charge of tours, volunteer rewards, core breakfast, front desk, public email addresses (like Volunteer@ and Info@), and large donation thank you notes.; <inreach AT freegeek DOT org>
Events: In charge of Free Geek parties and festivals, like Geek Prom, Geek Fair, and the holiday party.; <events AT freegeek DOT org>
Optimization and Priorities group: A Council workgroup which discusses what we're already doing and how we can do it better, compares proposals for expansion, & helps people turn their ideas into reality.

Standing Staff Committees

I think this page should be merged into the Perpetual Meeting Calendar, so all the info is in one place. RfS 02:09, 8 December 2010 (UTC)

These standing committees of the Staff Collective are designed to oversee all the areas of Free Geek, implementing policies that are set by other groups and making policy suggestions to those other groups. Each committee has a mailing list and a queue in RT. Standing committees are ongoing. Ad hoc committees are temporary.

Standing Action Committee: Note: As of 2011, the Action Committee has become the R & R Committee (Recycling and Receiving); Mission: Building and equipment security, staff and volunteer safety, supply, waste removal, and the sale of scrap material.; Programs: Recycling, receiving, maintenance and design of the physical plant, building security, general safety, relationships with neighbors.; Email: action at freegeek.org; Members: Liane, Darryl, Cliff, John

Standing C7 Committee: Mission: The standing committee structure, liaison with board and council especially regarding policy development, financial considerations.; Programs: Policy development, load balancing of the committees, liaison with Free Geek Community Council and Free Geek Board of Directors, nominations to the various committees, proposals concerning changes to the committee structure itself; volunteer and staff scheduling; accounting and financial oversight.; Email: c7 at freegeek.org

Ad Hoc Events Committee: Mission:; Programs: In charge of major Free Geek parties and festivals, like Geek Prom, Geek Fair, and the holiday party. Meets seasonally, as needed. Generally, monthly for a few months before an event, then every other week, then weekly, then freak out right before the event.; Email: events at freegeek.org

Standing HR Committee: Mission: Provides oversight for those areas of Free Geek pertaining to the health and well being of volunteers and staff.; Programs: Human resources, volunteer and staff discipline, procedures regarding theft from Free Geek, mediation between conflicting parties, staff and intern reviews, health care and benefits packages, employee manual, oversee the hiring process, trainings.; Email: hr at freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: Richard, Liane, Mark

Standing Inreach Committee: Mission:Inreach is a committee organized specifically to benefit the volunteer program. It's mission is to recognize Free Geek's volunteers and enhance the quality of volunteer programs while creating an atmosphere of support and success for every volunteer. To oversee aspects of volunteer appreciation, tours, volunteer feedback, and to create a welcoming, accessible environment for all volunteers.

Inreach's role is to:

Improve accessibility to programs.
Work closely with staff and volunteers to improve volunteer programs, strengthen teamwork, and further Free Geek's mission.
Improve communication with volunteers – volunteer info Board and/or email lists. Email suggestions to this email list.

Email: inreach at freegeek.org

Programs: tours, volunteer appreciation, volunteer suggestion box

Likely Suspects: Volunteer and Front Desk Coordinator, NPA's, and at least one staff person from each department.

Standing Education Committee

Mission: Facilitating access to information through documentation, training and support.

Programs: Education, documentation, liaison with Distro group, technical support, Free Geek library.

Email: grok at freegeek.org

Likely Suspects: Paul, Darren

Standing PR Committee;: Mission: Do PR, see here for a limmerick and haiku; Programs: In charge of media outreach & relations, ads & marketing, the main Free Geek website, membership development, tabling events and networking with other organizations.; Email: pr at freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: Amelia, Darren, Misty

Standing Production Committee: Mission: Manage the flow of gizmos to ensure effective reuse by overseeing Build, Mac Build, Laptop Build, Advanced Testing, Printer Reuse, and Hardware Grants; Programs: Prebuild, Build, Mac Build, Laptop Build, Server Build, Advanced Testing, Printer Reuse; Email: production at freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: eBeth, Cliff, Amelia, Sean, Brian, Darren, Cynthia, Vagrant(?)

Standing Propagation Committee: Mission: Outreach to organizations to promote reuse of hardware and use of Free and Open Source Software.; Current Staff Members:; Programs: Liaison with Free Geek startups (the replication of Free Geek elsewhere), liaison with GAP volunteers, Hardware Grants.; Email: propagation at freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: Richard, Vagrant

This page has been requested to be deleted.
If you disagree, discuss on the talk page.
Whenever possible, could an Admin please remove this page?

Standing Sales Committee: Mission: To oversee long-term planning of retail and online sales; Programs: Thrift store, bulk and online sales; Email: sales@freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: Brian, Lynnae, Mike, Aradan, Liliana

Standing Technocrats Committee: Mission: The selection or creation, maintenance, and technical security of hardware and software used at or installed by Free Geek.; Programs: Liaison with Coders group, liaison with ASS group, liaison with Distro group, selection of software commonly used at Free Geek, computer security, technical infrastructure.; Email: technocrats at freegeek.org; Likely Suspects: Ryan, Vagrant, Paul, Sean, Jason

See the Perpetual Meeting Calendar for meeting times and attenders.

Ad Hoc Staff Committees

From time to time, there are also ad hoc committees that meet while needed before disbanding. Examples of this would be:

Interview committee: Recommended by HR and approved by the collective to interview people applying for paid staff positions
Resolution Committee.: Recommended by HR and approved by the collective to bring to resolution issues that could result in the termination of a staff member if not dealt with.
Review Panel: Recommended by HR and approved by the collective to coordinate reviews of collective members.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Free Geek is governed by its workers and volunteers. It's a complicated place and there are numerous working groups and committees involved. Here's a list of some of them:
+{{CollectivePhasedOut}}
+Free Geek is governed by its workers and volunteers. It's a complicated place and there are numerous working groups and committees involved. Here's a rundown in a nutshell.
 == Programs ==
 These directly work to fulfill the mission of Free Geek. Some have meetings or associated [http://lists.freegeek.org/listinfo email lists] and queues in [[RT]].
-* [[Adoption Program]] - work 24 hours, earn a PC
+* [[Adoption Program]] - Work 24 hours, earn a computer
-* [[Build]] Program - learn to build PCs, keep the 6th you make
+* [[Build]] Program - Learn to build computers, keep the 6th you assemble
-* [[Coders]] - improve software that runs Free Geek, meets Tuesday evenings
+* [[GAP | Gapsters]] - Computers intended for free internet access which we supply to coffee shops & other public places.
-* [[Computers for Kids]] - modified version of Build program for kids
+* [[Hardware Grants]] - Grants out computers and other hardware to non-profits
-* [[GAP | Gapsters]] - PCs we supply to coffee shops & other public places
+* [[Thrift Store]] - Reuses (in the form of sales) many inexpensive gizmos and a few fancy ones, too.
-* [[Hardware Grants]] - giving away PCs to non-profits
-* [[NAP|Nonprofit Assistance Program]] - expanding on the Hardware Grants theme
 == The Big Three ==
 decision-making and work-doing bodies
 ; [[Board of Directors]]
-: The board is responsible for fiscal and legal oversight of the organization. It is made up of people selected by the Community Council.
+: The board is responsible for fiscal and legal oversight of the organization. It is made up of people elected by the Community Council.
 ; [[Community Council]]
-: The council is open to all volunteers (including staff members). It looks at the long term picture of Free Geek and sets general policy. It coordinates policy making between the various working groups as needed. (See the [[Founding Document of the Council]] for more details on the scope of the council.)
+: The council is open to all volunteers, staff, and other interested community member. It looks at the long term picture of Free Geek and sets general policy. It coordinates policy making between the various working groups as needed. (See the [[Founding Document of the Council]] for more details on the scope of the council.)
 ; [[Staff Collective]]
 : The staff collective is responsible for day to day operations and is made up of hired staff members.
 == Working Groups ==
+ this is largely out of date [[User:Laurel|Laurel]] 00:37, 10 February 2011 (UTC)
 Groups are volunteer driven and are designed to support the various programs at Free Geek. They tend to meet after hours and have associated [http://lists.freegeek.org/listinfo email lists] and queues in [[RT]].
 ; [[ASS]]
 : Volunteer system administration
+: <ass AT freegeek DOT org>
 ; [[Coders]]
 : Volunteer programmers
+: <coders AT freegeek DOT org>>
 ; [[Core]]
 : Volunteers working in the day to day operations of Free Geek. ("The Core" is more of a descriptive term than a cohesive working group.)
-; [[Distro]]
+: <core AT freegeek DOT org>>
-: Volunteers defining what software goes on the computers we build.
+; [[Hardware Grants]]
-; [[Hardware Grants]] and [[NAP]]
 : Volunteers helping to distribute hardware to organizations (apart from the Build and Adoption programs).
-; [[Grant Writing]]
+: <grants AT freegeek DOT org>
-: Volunteers helping to write grants requesting funding for Free Geek.
+; [[Community Builders]]
+: In charge of room use, tabling, relations with neighbors, and networking with other organizations.
+: <commies AT freegeek DOT org>
+; [[PR]]
+: In charge of media outreach & relations, ads & marketing, the main Free Geek website, and corporate donations solicitation
+: <pr AT freegeek DOT org>  '''OR, if someone from the media is asking, then''' <press AT freegeek DOT org>
+; [[Inreach]]
+: In charge of tours, volunteer rewards, core breakfast, front desk, public email addresses (like Volunteer@ and Info@), and large donation thank you notes.
+: <inreach AT freegeek DOT org>
+; [[Events]]
+: In charge of Free Geek parties and festivals, like Geek Prom, Geek Fair, and the holiday party.
+: <events AT freegeek DOT org>
+; [[Optimization and Priorities group]]
+: A Council workgroup which discusses what we're already doing and how we can do it better, compares proposals for expansion, & helps people turn their ideas into reality.
 == Standing Staff Committees ==
-These standing committees of the [[Staff Collective]] are designed to oversee all the areas of Free Geek, implementing policies that are set by other groups and making policy suggestions to those other groups. Each committee has a [http://lists.freegeek.org/listinfo mailing list] and a queue in [[RT]].
+{{:Standing Staff Committees}}
-; [[Action]]
-: ''Mission:'' Building and equipment security, staff and volunteer safety, supply, waste removal, and the sale of scrap material.
-: ''Programs:'' Recycling, maintenance and design of the physical plant, building security, general safety.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Christen, Guy, Kathie, Liane, Oso, Rick
-: ''Meets:'' Every other week (1.5 hours)
-; [[C7]]
-: ''Mission:'' The standing committee structure, liaison with board and council especially regarding policy development, financial considerations.
-: ''Programs:'' Policy development, load balancing of the committees, liaison with Free Geek Community Council and Free Geek Board of Directors, nominations to the various committees, proposals concerning changes to the committee structure itself; accounting and financial oversight, health care and benefits packages, liaison with Free Geek startups (the replication of Free Geek elsewhere).
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Dave, Oso, Richard, Shawn
-: ''Meets:'' Every other week (1.5 hours)
-; [[HR]]
-: ''Mission:'' Provides oversight for those areas of Free Geek pertaining to the health and well being of volunteers and staff.
-: ''Programs:'' Human resources, volunteer management, volunteer and staff discipline, procedures regarding theft from Free Geek, mediation between conflicting parties, volunteer and staff scheduling, staff and intern reviews, volunteer acculturation and training, employee manual.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Michael, Nathan, Richard, Shawn
-: ''Meets:'' Every week (1 hour)
-; [[Knowledge Bees]]
-: ''Mission:'' Facilitating access to information through documentation, training and support.
-: ''Programs:'' Education, documentation, liaison with Distro group, technical support, Computers for Kids.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Kathie, Liane, Martin, Michael
-: ''Meets:'' First Tuesday of every month at 10 am.
-; [[Outreach]]
-: ''Mission:'' Oversight of outreach, public relations, and associated fundraising.
-: ''Programs:'' Fundraising, grantwriting, outreach, advertising and marketing, parties, festivals and other events, community building, relations with the neighbors, relations with the non-profit and social change communities, membership development, the Free Geek website, the reception area, public email addresses, media relations, advertising and design of donation pickups; liaison with NAP group.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Christen, Liane, Oso, Shawn
-: ''Meets:'' Every other week (1.5 hours)
-; [[Reuse]]
-: ''Mission:'' The testing, building, refurbishing, and sales of reusable equipment.
-: ''Programs:'' Freekbox, storebox, grantbox production, build, testing maintenance and development; retail sales, eBay sales; printer refurbishing and sales; locate, evaluation, and put oddball hardware into reuse; wholesale or bulk sales of to-be-recycled parts; liaison with Hardware Grants group; development of receiving policies with a goal of maximum reuse.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Dave, Guy, Matthew, Nathan, Rick, Steve
-: ''Meets:'' Every week (1 hour)
-; [[Technocrats]]
-: ''Mission:'' The selection or creation, maintenance, and technical security of hardware and software used at or installed by Free Geek.
-: ''Programs:'' Liaison with Coders group, liaison with ASS group, liaison with Distro group, liaison with GAP volunteers, selection of software commonly used at Free Geek, computer security, technical infrastructure.
-: ''Current Staff Members:'' Martin, Michael, Richard
-: ''Meets:'' Second Tuesday of every month at 10 am.
 == Ad Hoc Staff Committees ==