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Post by 12540dumont on Feb 15, 2014 13:55:05 GMT -5
Okay, so here is where we are. I and a couple of others are part of the nominating committee.
Here's the job of the Nominating Committee:
1. Members of the Steering Committee will solicit names of those interested in serving on the Nominating Committee, submitting the names to the entire Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will then select three listing members to serve on the Nominating Committee.
2. The Nominating Committee will collect names of possible candidates for the Board of Directors. There will be no limit to the number of candidates put forward. GSN members may submit their own names to the Nominating Committee for inclusion on the slate. Members of the Steering Committee may submit their names to the Nominating Committee for inclusion on the slate. Members of the Nominating Committee may be candidates, but their names must be put forward by someone not on the Nominating Committee.
3. Contact each person, before the name is put on the slate, to see if he/she is willing to run, and to get some sense of whether they would be interested in a 1-, 2-, or 3-year term.
4. Determine which candidates will be running for which term length.
5. Verify that the candidate is qualified to serve on the board, i.e. is a dues-paying, listing member of GSN. If the candidate does not yet list seed, a letter of intent will be requested. Then, if the candidate wins but does not list within 2 months, he/she will be required to resign from the board.
6. Solicit profiles from the candidates, explaining what the content of the profile should be. Candidates should write a paragraph with a brief bio, with an explanation of why they want to serve on the board and what they would contribute to the organization.
7. Create a ballot for the election. The ballot should be password accessible and printable. It will need to be filled out and mailed in for the vote to count.
8. Post the profiles and the ballot on the website. Determine whether there are members who do not have internet access and need to be sent a print version of the profiles and the ballot.
9. Work with the steering committee to set a deadline for accepting candidates and set a date for the election.
10. Set a cut-off date for accepting names of candidates. This should be at least two weeks before the actual election so there is time to post the profiles and give people an opportunity to read them and make their voting decisions. Make sure this information reaches the voting membership, either through email or snail mail.
11. Compile the results of the election. Announce the results.
So, at this point, even though there is no dues or lists, we need to move forward with elections so that we can decide things like dues and seed lists.
What do I want from you folks? I'd like a couple of you to submit your names to me to be on the board. I'm guessing that you'll need time to communicate with other folks on the board. I don't know how much time yet. So, I'm guessing you'll need a computer.
If you are interested, please pm me your: Name, address, phone number, email address and how long you'd like to serve. It would be great if you could give me the brief bio at the same time (one paragraph).
Many thanks, Holly
P.S. They are working on the website...this is really everything I know. So let's get this seed planted.
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Post by trixtrax on Feb 16, 2014 13:48:46 GMT -5
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Post by billw on Feb 16, 2014 15:17:35 GMT -5
(Referring to the Will Bonsall article in the previous post.)
It seems like there is a size beyond which it makes sense to go out on your own. Maintaining and distributing hundreds of varieties of potato could be a business. Why make yourself dependent on another organization to fund it? I'm sure that he has good reasons, but I would be terribly uneasy in that position.
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Post by deanriowa on Feb 27, 2014 21:58:16 GMT -5
I personally will be joining the Grass Roots Seed Network organization soon, and i am looking forward to see were this goes.
Dean
Update: Money sent in to join the organization.
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 19, 2014 12:33:52 GMT -5
I'm still accepting nominations for the board of directors. And yes, you can nominate yourself, or ask me to nominate you. The elections will be held sometime in April. If you are interested, please pm me your: Name, address, phone number, email address and how long you'd like to serve. It would be great if you could give me the brief bio at the same time (one paragraph). And finally, please check out the bylaws at GSN... grassrootsseednetwork.org/GSNBylaws.pdfOn another note, if you have sent your money in and haven't received info yet on how to post your seeds, we hit a glitch on the website and the IT department is working on it. So, please be patient, it's coming along! |
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Post by MikeH on Mar 19, 2014 18:11:20 GMT -5
Holly, Can you tell the web designer at grassrootsseednetwork.org that not everyone lives in the USA unless it's intentional to restrict membership to US residents. I did kludge my application though by putting town, province, and country all into the city field. I did like the extra choices beyond the usual 50 + DC so I chose Federated States of Micronesia. Didn't seem to be a problem with a non US zip format in the zip code field. I did get an email indicating that I'd passed the first audition so my kludging seems to have worked. |
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Post by rowan on Mar 19, 2014 18:58:32 GMT -5
I know you said in a message that it is for US citizens for the first year or so but please let us know when non US persons can contribute Holly. I Have just signed up like Mike as living in the Federated States of Micronesia too, lol.
Edited to add: I see that you like memberships and donations by check but in Australia we rarely use checks, any chance Paypal is on the horizon?
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 20, 2014 0:35:21 GMT -5
Yes, I did check, Canada and US this year, the world next. Starting out is always hard, so much to do and everyone working on getting the seed lists up.
I will mention to the web designer that signing up from Canada is tricksey.
So yes, all you International Folks will have to wait another year. Well, except for Canadians, and that's because so far there are no seed restrictions between the US and Canada. And I'm sure someone is working on the whole currency issue.
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 20, 2014 21:10:13 GMT -5
"A" Okay you Canadians.....You now have your own country to sign up under...none of this Canadian work arounds (gosh you are so self-sufficient!) to get your country in. I'll let you know about Paypal as soon as the "Cheeses" meet to decide how to slice it.
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Post by steev on Mar 20, 2014 21:29:32 GMT -5
P'raps the common coinage should be Scottish pounds, lochs, kilties, haggis, or whatever they decide to call it; won't be loonies, in any event, and dollars are so passe.
By the way, that's "Eh", not "A", eh?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Mar 21, 2014 13:47:37 GMT -5
Got a thank you card in the mail today for my donation. I didn't actually register online, just sent in a check for registration plus donation. Do I need to register online as well? I didn't even notice the registration link at that time. Possibly it wasn't there yet.
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Post by 12540dumont on Mar 21, 2014 14:56:51 GMT -5
Go to the registration area and register for an account. The site person will then send you an email and you should be good to go. Really "eh?"
When my wonderful friends from Calgary flew in to San Jose, I stood in baggage claim with a giant "A". They came right over. Maybe they recognized me and were to polite to tell me it was "eh".
Ottawa, Ferdzy, is it really "eh?" I need to know before I sew a Canadian Maple leaf on my rucksack.
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Post by MikeH on Mar 21, 2014 15:06:27 GMT -5
Yes, I did check, Canada and US this year, the world next. Starting out is always hard, so much to do and everyone working on getting the seed lists up. I will mention to the web designer that signing up from Canada is tricksey. So yes, all you International Folks will have to wait another year. Well, except for Canadians, and that's because so far there are no seed restrictions between the US and Canada. And I'm sure someone is working on the whole currency issue. Does that mean that I'll have to surrender my newly acquired Micronesian citizenship? In light of our winter this year, I was contemplating residency. Should I expect an email from GSN revoking my tricksified membership? Tricksey, I can be but not when it comes to money other than an uncanny ability to do a it's in my pocket/it isn't in my pocket. I have loonies and toonies looking for a good home but it'll have to be a Paypal thing since clearing a Cdn cheque takes time and money. |
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Post by 12540dumont on May 3, 2014 16:18:58 GMT -5
Our website: grassrootsseednetwork.orgis up and running and I hope you will take a look at it and consider joining. Here's our more formal announcement notice, feel free to get in touch with me personally at sdav@valley.net with any questions We are very excited to announce the formation of a new seed saving and sharing non-profit organization called the Grassroots Seed Network, and we invite you to join. GSN will provide a network through which those who preserve and maintain our treasured heritage of open-pollinated vegetable seeds can share those seeds with others who are engaged in this work, and also communicate directly with each other to exchange knowledge and information. We have great visions for how the network could expand in the future to include educational materials, regional groups, and innovative ways of securing the preservation of invaluable seeds, but its success will depend on your active participation. We hope you share this vision and look forward to welcoming you in the Grassroots Seed Network! For the last year, our Steering Committee of five has been working on the initial, fundamental structure of our new non-profit. The central concept is a democratically governed, participatory organization, with a Board of Directors of nine, elected by the membership for staggered terms of three years. We have drafted preliminary by-laws which will be reviewed by the Board and then submitted to the membership for approval. Many of the provisions described here were put in place after a great deal of thought, but we recognize that they will not fill the needs or meet the expectations of all, so we encourage you to join in, not only with your seed listings, but with your creativity and ideas to make this a vibrant organization shaped by those whom it serves. You can read the draft by-laws on our website. Our first task is to build a body of members from which we’ll draw a slate of candidates to run for the Board of Directors. Please think about whether you would be interested in running for the Board. Let us know and we will make sure your name is submitted to the Nominating Committee. We intend to hold the Board election as soon as possible. Board candidates will need to offer seed immediately in order to qualify. Other members will need to submit their listings either on the website, by mail, or by email by two weeks before the election in order to vote. We will invite candidates to write a brief profile which will be posted on the website for all voting members to read. We will initially have two categories of membership. “Listing Members” will offer seed through the online Source List, have voting rights and be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors. The annual dues for this level are $15. “Sustainers” will not offer seed and will not have voting rights, but will have access to the online Source List and be able to request seed. The annual dues for this level are a minimum of $25. Many seed savers do not have access to the internet, and therefore we will also publish an annual printed edition of the complete seed offerings. Please help by spreading the word about the Grassroots Seed Network to any friends and fellow seed savers who may not have at-home internet. We’re offering a hardship exemption to those for whom these dues represent a real financial challenge. We will waive dues, but you are free to pay what you can afford in that year. We aim to keep any fees as closely linked to actual operating expenses as possible. Since we cannot predict now what those will be, the elected Board will have the flexibility to make appropriate adjustments to dues levels in future years. We want seed savers to be able to communicate readily with each other, so our website includes, beyond the list of offered seeds, a Forum for discussion and sharing information. The website itself will be accessible by the general public. As with any organization we will have start-up expenses—including initiating the website, compiling the database of members and seeds, shepherding the first Board election—and will be very grateful for any donations beyond the basic membership fees. Please visit our website for more details: grassrootsseednetwork.orgTo join, please send a check for your chosen level of membership, made out to “Grassroots Seed Network” to: Yaicha Cowell-Sarofeen 2470 Industry Road Starks, ME 04911 Yaicha is our current database manager. She can be reached at 207-491-4259 or through grassrootsseednetwork@gmail.com if you have questions. Thank you so much for your interest and your support! The Steering Committee: Jim Tjepkema George Stevens CR Lawn |
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Post by steev on Jun 9, 2014 23:13:40 GMT -5
I know I'm technophobic, so I'm not putting it on anybody else, but I sent in my $15 and later tried to sign in online, but I can't seem to get in to list or anything else. Guess one day I'll try Yaicha at the above-listed numbers.
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