I posted this on the DrupalCamp List and was asked to post it here.
The thread was on how to best run events, handle funds etc.
As a group grows, it must go from informal to some structure, much like our code.
We are free to write what we want, but to get accepted as a release, you must follow structure, otherwise you have chaos.
For another group that I participate in we did the following: (This group also runs similar events)
1) Formed an association (Much like a block party)
2) Got an EIN
3) Elected a board Pres. VP and secretary to 1 year terms
3) Opened a bank account in the groups name
4) Setup a account at a registrar to hold domain names
5) Opened a PayPal account, used an email address that sends out all emails to the board
6) Access to the above is kept by the three members
7) After an event we give money back to the source code group
8) Created two sites, one for the monthly meetings and one for the events.
All this is non-taxable and requires zero forms. Corporations can send checks made out to the group.
These are not donations, but contributions towards a common good.
This may or not be the best for Drupal, but will allow tracking, accountability and future growth.
I would be happy to assist with this
Scott Wolpow
Comments
Background.
To provide some background, the above is a proposed solution to a series of problems we've been having in the NYCDUG. We aren't proposing that this happens as-is without a lot of due consideration, rather that this is a possible solution to problems that have been troublesome for some time.
1) Desire to use thirdparty services or build group sites conflicting with a desire that one individual doesn't have full control of those assets. This would create a community entity that could 'own' domains, and or accounts on project management sites, or hosting.
2) Dedicated 'leaders' who are responsible for keeping a bird's eye view on our local Drupal community and interacting with the DA to promote our best interests.
3) Same people who can be trusted, after due election, to make minor day to day decisions to avoid us descending into a vote to find consensus about trivial things.
4) Ability to work with the DA to manage funds in the best interests of the group.
I don't think that anyone is thinking that this entity or these positions would have a huge impact on already existent programs, such as the meetups, or beers.
CNDP, LLC
f2f meetup
We're not in a rush to make this happen. This will need a lot of community discussion beforehand. My current thinking is to request feedback on this post for a lengthy period to give people time to fully digest it, then perhaps have a large in-person meeting that would be dedicated to the discussion of this.
Do people have thoughts on that strategy?
CNDP, LLC
Organizing Ourselves
I agree, no real rush.
The positions carry no real power, rather they are altruistic posts.
The key is checks and balances.
In the other group we are in our second year and it works very well.
organizing ourselves
Fleshing this out is a good idea, but I feel like the biggest impact on the NYC camps is going to be getting our planning and execution methods streamlined for it. Standardizing the logistics for unconferences OR mini-conferences is totally doable and I bet there's a trove of info out there.
As far as what people might 'run' it or whether we need bank accounts and such? Don't really think thats very important once we get our procedures and tools down pat to put on great camps. I actually kind of like the idea of this all rolling up to Drupalcon, Inc, personally, since Jacob and team are garnering great expertise in event management, and they are also (hopefully) harvesting a great deal of information from the sundry camps going on all over the world.
Joe Bachana
First Employee at DPCI
1560 Broadway
NY, NY 10036
212.575.5609
www.dpci.com
Can we get a link to this page on the NYC page...
This page: http://groups.drupal.org/nyc
Ideally in a prominent spot.
Right now we have some outdated event announcements that could probably be taken down.
I don't have enough experience to have an opinion re the substantive issues involved, but it does seem that building awareness of the issue is a plus.
We're looking into better ways to accentuate it.
There is a link on the front page, but it isn't very prominent. We have one of the admins looking at better ways to arrange things on the front page, but it will take some time to get it done. I think given that we want this discussion go on for a while before making any final decisions I think it will get enough facetime as the discussion continues. As soon as we can remedy this, we will.
CNDP, LLC
Awesome!
Thanks for taking the initiative here... it's definitely been a long time coming. I think everything that's been laid out here sounds great- let me know if there's any way that I (or Zivtech) can help!
Alex Urevick-Ackelsberg
ZivTech: Illuminating Technology
Perhaps someone can explain
Perhaps someone can explain how we currently operate everything. What often happens is a small group of people wind up doing almost all the work. I have already seen this happening and others should contribute.