Meeting Framework | Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER, Maine)

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***New Healthcare Justice New***

GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR POWER MEETINGS!

GENERAL FRAMEWORK
FOR POWER MEETINGS

*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*****
POWER is taking an organizing break!!!
No regular monthly meetings from now through April 2009,
and/or until further notice.

POWER adopted the following meeting guidelines to make meetings as functional as possible. Please make every effort to respect them.

Monthly meetings focus on issues related to POWER’s mission:
“POWER is a grassroots anti-poverty action group that is led by poor & low-income people. United with all those who align themselves with this mission, together we’re building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, & abolish poverty.” POWER is also a member of the national Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Monthly POWER meetings include an open general meeting time & a members only time. The General Meeting is from 6:30 - 8:00 PM and is open to members & non-members alike as a time to come together & address issues related to POWER's mission, activities, and goals. All those who support POWER's mission & goals are welcome & encouraged to attend.** Members Councils are scheduled as needed following general monthly meetings & are reserved for POWER members in good standing (see below for more info).

COMMON COURTESY & RESPECT IS EXPECTED BY ALL PARTICIPANTS:

Please remember to give others a chance to speak, be respectful when others are speaking, and avoid any side conversations and interruptions.
Please try to focus on our collective plans rather than our individual personalities;
SAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS for the appropriate time at the END of the meeting!!!
NO EXCEPTIONS!
Anyone found to be purposefully disturbing and/or disrupting the meeting and/or the organization will be told to leave and/or barred from future meetings.**

PLEASE RESPECT OUR COMMON GOALS & LIMITED TIME TOGETHER

POWER Meetings start PROMPTLY at 6:30 PM. Those attending should plan to arrive at least 10 minutes early to allow time to get situated & help out with any last minute meeting setup (meeting setup starts at 6pm).
Out of respect for all our busy schedules, meetings should start and end on time as much as possible. Please don't interrupt the meeting if you arrive late;
If you're particularly interested in socializing & networking (as so many of us are!) please come prepared to do your socializing BEFORE and/or AFTER the meeting.
When we're going through the meeting agenda, please try to stay focused on it as much as possible.
A special note about time: As an all-volunteer, low-income led organization, we are constantly dealing with a whole host of additional challenges - both organizationally and as individuals - beyond those faced by other more traditional organizations. Among these challenges is the fact that most of us are extraordinarily busy just keeping a roof over our heads and feeding our families, and as such we have an extremely limited amount of time that we can dedicate to organizing. In fact, many among us are quietly making big sacrifices just to attend meetings, including several of us who are swamped with the zillion other (often thankless) tasks needed to run and sustain the group. With that in mind, it's especially important for us to use our limited time together as wisely as we possibly can.

PLEASE RESPECT THE FACT THAT POWER MEETINGS ARE FOR & ABOUT POWER: Monthly meetings are our only opportunity to get together as a group & many of us make big sacrifices just to be here. Members drafted this list of 'don'ts' as a means to address certain key frustrations and problems we felt were too often impeding the purpose and function of our meetings. While we truly appreciate the many important & wonderful outside groups/events/causes in our community, & while we believe strongly in coalition-building, please understand that POWER meetings are our time to do our work! With that in mind, & with all due respect, please do not use our meeting time to accomplish any other agenda but the one on our table. For example:

PLEASE DON'T USE OUR MEETING TIME FOR OUTSIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS! The appropriate time for announcements is at the END of the meeting. Simply put, while we appreciate outside announcements, POWER business simply must come first. If you must leave early, DON'T INTERRUPT the meeting with your announcement! INSTEAD: write down your announcement & pass it to the Meeting Chair who'll read it for you at the appropriate time.
PLEASE DON'T USE OUR MEETINGS TO DISTRIBUTE OUTSIDE LITERATURE: Unless you are directly asked to do so by the Meeting Chair, please don't pass out flyers etc during our meeting time. Instead, you are welcome to display your materials on our information tables, so long as you pick them up again before you leave.
PLEASE DON'T USE OUR MEETINGS FOR PETITIONING: Only petitions approved in advance by POWER's Leadership Council may be circulated during POWER meetings (including the time before & after meetings).
PLEASE DON'T USE OUR MEETINGS FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING: POWER is NON-PARTISAN & does not make political endorsements. Campaigning for political parties or candidtates is not welcome at POWER meetings & anyone doing so will be asked to leave.
PLEASE DON'T USE OUR MEETINGS TO RECRUIT VOLUNTEERS! POWER is an all-volunteer organization with absolutely NO paid staff & EXTREMELY limited resources. As it is, we don't have nearly enough volunteers of our own; taking up our limited meeting time to recruit us as volunteers for your group/event/cause is not only inappropriate, it is also very insulting to us. That said, the very best way to ask our members to volunteer for something that is not a POWER activity is to propose it to the Leadership Council in advance (click here for contact info), and better yet, offer some ways that you/your group/your group's members can volunteer for POWER in exchange. That way we can all work together!

NON-PARTISAN: means that we don't support, oppose, endorse, or campaign for any specific political parties or candidates.

~ THANK YOU ~

MEETING AGENDA: The agenda outlines the basic goals & priorities for the meeting. Each month's agenda is drawn up & reviewed a week in advance by the Leadership Council. Agenda items should be relevant to POWER & POWER's mission. more about agendas & how to submit agenda items.

MEETING CHAIR: helps keep meetings running smoothly by guiding us through the meeting agenda & helping us stay as focused as possible on the tasks at hand. The Chair reads through the agenda, filling in certain details along the way and inviting questions & discussion on items. Meetings are chaired by either a co-coordinator or a member of POWER's Leadership Council.

MEETING CO-CHAIR: helps the Meeting Chair as needed by watching the time, helps us keep our discussions focused, keeps track of those who want to speak as needed, & kindly reminds us when we need to move along. The Co-Chair tries his/her best to make sure everyone who wants to speak has an opportunity to do so. Meetings are co-chaired by either a co-coordinator or a member of POWER's Leadership Council.

PARKING LOT MODEL: When an issue can’t be addressed during the time at hand &/or it isn't immediately relevant to a meeting’s priorities any member can propose to put the issue "in the Parking Lot" to be addressed later by those interested, who are then responsible for addressing the issue & reporting back any results and/or recommendations. A member may also ask the Leadership Council to address the issue.

GUEST PRESENTATIONS: From time to time we make room on our meeting agenda for presentations featuring other groups & activities that share similar goals. Presentations are approved in advance by POWER's Leadership Council (click here for contact info). Presentations are welcome so long as a) the material presented addresses one or more key concerns of POWER's mission, and b) the primary purpose is to exchange information and/or solicit our input (and not to recruit us as volunteers).

Members in good standing: All those who’ve filled out & signed this year’s annual POWER member card & suggested dues* are considered POWER members in good standing. In addition, members in good standing have duly upheld their member card pledges in good faith. Anyone who hasn’t done this yet can become a member or update their membership anytime. (click here for contact info) *Annual dues are suggested according to income. While no one is ever turned away for lack of dues, members are highly encouraged to contribute what they truly feel they can afford.

Low-Income Leadership: While membership is open to ALL regardless of income-level, in keeping with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, positions on POWER's Leadership Council are reserved for self-declared low-income members. Also, deciding votes are reserved for low-income members (see below).

DECISIONS: While some decisions are made during general meeting time, most important decisions at monthly meetings are made during Members Council by majority vote. (for more on decisions, see Levels of Involvement below).

Deciding votes: In keeping with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, only self-declared low-income members cast deciding votes. This means if we have a close vote on an issue, only votes of low-income members are counted towards the final decision. At any time votes are cast any member can request a "deciding vote." While this is usually reserved for votes that are particularly close, it's an important basic safeguard that can be used as needed to help ensure POWER remains truly low-income led.

Who is considered LOW-INCOME? "Low-income" refers to anyone with income that is twice the Federal Poverty Level or less. For 2008, you're considered low-income if you make under $20,800 a year ($1,733 a month), adding $7,200 in annual income ($600 a month) per additional family member. Remember: these figures are for TWICE the poverty level (which is utterly & unrealistically low!). Click here to see the current 2008 federal poverty guidelines [website]. Since the government's measurement of poverty is woefully (and intentionally) inadequate, we'll make exceptions to allow those struggling to meet basic economic needs, despite having somewhat of a higher income level (within reason!), to self-declare as low-income in good faith. For example, a mom with one child makes $35,000, but because of her student loan payments she is still struggling to pay for basic housing, childcare childcare, and transportation, etc. http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/figures-fed-reg.shtml

LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT

MONTHLY POWER MEETINGS are open to members & non-members alike, as a time for all of us to come together to address issues related to POWER's mission, activities, & goals.

POWER's MEMBERS COUNCILS are called on an as-needed basis to allow POWER members to consult amongst themselves & form any necessary decisions immediately following general meetings. Unlike general meetings which are open to members and nonmembers alike, Members Councils are reserved for POWER members in good standing only.

Members Councils are held as determined by members, the Meeting Chair, and/or the Leadership Council. For those meetings when no Members Council has been proposed or scheduled, before adjourning the Chair asks if there's any business that needs to be addressed with a Members Council. If there is business to address, members vote to decide whether a Members Council is needed.
Voting during Members Council is reserved for members who have previously attended TWO or more Monthly POWER Meetings in the past 12 months.
Members Councils are meant to be brief. If more than 30 minutes is needed to resolve an issue, members may vote to: a) extend the allotted time; b) refer the matter to the LCouncil; c) put the matter it in the Parking Lot; or d) take it up at a general meeting. If no agreement can be reached in the time at hand, the matter will be referred to the LCouncil.

POWER COMMITTEES are formed as needed to carry out various POWER projects & activities. Each committee is responsible for determining when & how often it needs to meet, how best it should accomplish its goals, and any necessary guidelines. Anyone wishing to become more actively involved in POWER is highly encouraged to join a committee that suits their interest. If such a committee does not currently exist, members are encouraged to make a proposal to the Leadership Council that one be started. The work of each committee is subject to oversight and periodic review by both the membership & the Leadership Council.

Committee decisions are made by those who attended at least 1 out of the last 3 committee meetings. In addition, please note that committees may elect additional guidelines and/or stipulations.

POWER's LEADERSHIP COUNCIL(LCouncil) is the organization's core leadership and oversight body. Its members consult on a regular basis to address any and all matters related to sustaining the organization. LCouncil responsibilities range from considering & approving monthly meeting agendas, making endorsements, drafting policies, developing long-term organizational planning and strategy, and responding to any problems & concerns as they arise. Consistant with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, LCouncil members are all self-declared low-income POWER members in good standing, and each has demonstrated a certain level of commitment and dedication to the organization.

POWER members are encouraged to contact the Leadership Council with any proposals, ideas, and/or suggestions, any proposed agenda items for POWER meetings, and/or for help resolving problems or concerns.

For more information, please see our Leadership Council hand-out [Word format] for more info.

Leadership Council decisions are made by those who attended at least 1 out of the last 3 LCouncil meetings.

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THANK YOU!!

Don't forget to mark your calendar:
POWER meets at 6:30pm on the 3rd Monday of every month!
Please feel free to CONTACT US with proposals for agenda items, ideas, or concerns.

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**DISCLAIMER: As stated above, let it be known that any person(s) believed to be purposefully disturbing or disrupting the meeting or the organization will be asked to leave and may be barred from future meetings, at the Meeting Chair's and/or Leadership Council's discretion. It should go without say that any abusive or violent behavior or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in being banned from future meetings, loss of membership, and/or other consequences, including legal action.

Furthermore, POWER reserves the right to bar anyone from attending meetings at its discretion, including any person(s) who POWER believes has violated the organization's Principles of Membership (or intends to do so), misrepresented themselves or their intentions (or intends to so), or acted (or intends to act) in such a way as to undermine, disrupt, interfere with, or otherwise cause harm to the organization, and/or any of its members, and/or any of its activities in any way. In addition, POWER reserves the right to revoke or deny membership on the same or similar grounds as outlined above, at its sole discretion.

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