Mosaic Atlanta Bylaws
Version 3.0
Purpose
Mosaic is a social welfare organization committed to principles of socialism, restorative justice, anti-capitalism, anti-racism and anti-imperialism. We will use our organization and its resources to socially and materially support our members and other persons and organizations in the Atlanta community committed to our shared principles. We want to foster bonds of solidarity among membership, as well as provide the logistical and financial support for members with special interests to organize and translate those interests into real-world projects.
Structure
Mosaic is a member-owned organization consisting of: (A) General membership, the highest decision-making body; (B) Working Groups (WGs) that perform core ongoing functions (ex: Political Education) or are created ad-hoc to respond to specific community needs (ex: community gardening); (C) An elected group of officers (Administrative Committee) that perform administrative functions to support general membership and the working groups.
General Membership
Any person who agrees with Mosaic’s purpose and to adhere to our community agreements may become a member after:
- Completing an onboarding call with a member of the records committee
- Signing up to pay monthly dues or applying for a dues waiver
All members are eligible and expected to vote on Mosaic business, such as officer elections, funding proposals, and org policies.
Committees
A committee is a body with a specific purpose that meets regularly.
Each committee must have at least one chair. They may implement their own chair selection process. The chair(s):
- Set meeting times
- Create meeting agendas
- Serve as the point of contact between the committee, AdCom, and the general membership
All committees are eligible to receive a monthly stipend pending general membership’s vote of approval.
Core committees consist only of Mosaic members who must sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement to ensure that their access to members’ information will only be used in a necessary, agreed-upon, and ethical manner:
- Administrative — Chairman/woman, Secretary, Treasurer, Wellness Rep, and whosoever they select.
- Records — keeps track of members, resources, and data. Manages group finances and cybersecurity. Chaired by Treasurer.
- Outreach — communicates with our members, allies, and the public. Chaired by Chairman/woman.
- Wellness — helps members stay healthy and thriving. Chaired by Wellness Rep.
- Research — gathers information to support campaigns and projects. Chaired by Secretary.
Working Groups that reflect special interests or are formed ad hoc to serve a specific need will consist of both Mosaic members and trusted community members.
Administrative Committee
The Administrative Committee (“AdCom”) consists of Mosaic members responsible for overseeing and executing tasks decided by membership, as well as completing administrative tasks associated with individual chairs within the committee. They also serve as points of contact for membership.
AdCom cannot unilaterally make decisions for Mosaic without the express approval by vote of general membership. Decisions can be delegated by the general membership to committees including AdCom.
Members of AdCom must sign an NDA.
With the exception of At-Large members, AdCom members will be elected by general membership to serve a one-year term. At-Large members may join AdCom at any time to assist with administrative labor. The existing AdCom members will hold a simple majority vote to approve new At-Large members. Inactive At-Large members will be automatically removed in order to revoke unnecessary access to membership data.
Officer Roles
- Treasurer — chair of Records committee. Keeps track of funds and ensures that they are dispensed ethically. Maintains Mosaic’s 501(c)(4) nonprofit status. Keeps track of members and safely stewards their information; ensures that prospective members are onboarded in a timely manner.
- Chairman — chair of Outreach committee, officially the Chief Executive Officer. Oversees internal and external communication channels, including but not limited to Signal, Discord, Twitter, the website, and the newsletter; ensures that public-facing messaging is consistent with Mosaic’s purpose.
- Wellness Representative — chair of Wellness committee. Maintains an updated, membership-approved Conflict Resolution Policy and calls attention to the rest of the Wellness committee if the actions of an individual or WG do not adhere to Mosaic’s Community Standards in order to develop an appropriate response.
- Secretary — member of both records and outreach committee. Keeps digital and written records in order. Sets the meeting times and creates the agendas for AdCom to ensure regular and productive meetings occur, facilitates meetings.
Administrative Cycles
Administrative cycles will take place once per year, between March 1 and April 1. Nominations open at the March general meeting and processing occurs only after all nominations are made. If a nomination is unopposed, the cycle takes place without election. If two candidates are nominated for the same role, a short discussion is held and an election takes place by secret ballot. A short acceptance speech by each incoming admin is optional but customary. If someone vacates their role, the committee shall appoint an interim at the next committee meeting, subject to approval at the next general meeting.
Meetings and Voting
General meetings may be held if they are called by a member and announced to general membership at least two weeks in advance, and they may decide policy if the majority of AdCom, or over 20% of active members attend.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise by AdCom at least 10 days in advance, all Mosaic general membership meetings are open to non-members who agree to abide by our community agreements. Non-members may not decide policy in meetings or vote in elections.
Committee meetings may be open to non-members, at the discretion of the chair(s). WG meetings are open to non-members unless stated otherwise by the chair(s) at least 5 days in advance.
All Mosaic members can vote on business, including officer elections, policy proposals, and funding requests. Decisions in meetings are made by simple majority, and every expense must be approved in a meeting.
Major expenditure votes (≥$250), officer elections, and amendments to the bylaws will be held via electronic ballot. A simple majority of all Mosaic members who choose to vote is required for a motion to be successful. Members do not have to be present at a meeting in order to vote. An electronic ballot will be sent to all members, and the election will last 72 hours. An option to abstain will be available for each vote.
Conflict Resolution and Member Accountability
Mosaic is a brave space, not a safe space. This means that we recognize that conflict is an inherent part of authentic social structures, and that we will address harm with a commitment to restorative justice, not conflict avoidance or carceral punishment.
Conflict will not be addressed by assigning a “plaintiff” and a “defendant.” We recognize that all people are capable of doing harm, and all people live with the trauma of having been harmed, and proceed according to that understanding of our shared humanity.
Barring the extreme circumstances of bodily harm and sexual assault, we will operate with the assumption that aggrieved and/or accused parties will communicate in good faith, with the goal of reaching a consensus or acceptable compromise.
The Wellness Committee is responsible for maintaining a member-approved Conflict Resolution Policy, which includes: a suggested process for handling interpersonal conflict between members; contact information for at least 2 mediators; a process for removing a member from leadership; and a process for expelling a member from Mosaic.