Replace Our Allowlist Policy

Summary

1. Replace our tiered allowlist with a more explicit list that specifies the scope, length, and approving body of collaboration with external organizations.

2. Require that any future collaboration:

   1. Align with existing policies
   2. Include necessary information on the scope of the collaboration
   3. Involve chapter membership in deliberation through transparency

3. Continue any existing collaboration until the next Chapter Convention.

With the intent of eliminating confusion, making it easier to propose and deliberate collaboration, and ensuring a smooth transition into a new policy.

How to propose collaboration

To propose collaboration with an external organization there are two cases:

1. The collaboration is expected to last 30 days or less
   1. In this case, you can propose this directly to Steering Committee or to General Membership
2. The collaboration is expected to last more than 30 days
   1. In this case, you must propose this to General Membership

In both cases, you must specify the scope and date at which the collaboration expires. That cannot be further out than 30 days if it’s a Steering Committee request, and it cannot be further out than a year or the next Chapter Convention if it’s a proposal to the General Membership.

Examples

This is an example of a valid proposal to the Steering Committee:

“I propose we reshare [organization]’s posts about [event] until it occurs on [nearby date].”

This is a valid proposal because it specifies the scope (resharing posts about an event) and when the collaboration lapses (the nearby date).

This is an example of a valid proposal at a General Meeting, for the same reasons:

“Resolved, [campaign] is authorized to work with [organization] in carrying out the tasks specified in this charter until the next Chapter Convention.”

Similarly, this specifies the scope (carrying out the tasks specified in the charter) and when the collaboration lapses (the next Chapter Convention).

Suggested Best Practices

Given that it can be difficult to anticipate exact end dates of collaborations, and given that some committee charters can include collaboration agreements, we suggest the Steering Committee renew any charters and collaboration agreements that cannot be deliberated at convention due to reasons of time until the next General Meeting. This can be accomplished with a procedural motion at Convention.

We also suggest that Committees are explicit about collaboration mentioned in their charter, including end dates, relationship to the tasks in the charter, and named organizations. Any collaborations with organizations not specified in your charter can be brought to Steering Committee or the General Body.

Replace Our Allowlist Policy

Whereas

The Proposal to Standardize Chapter Endorsement Criteria and Expectations (Allowlist Policy) is in violation of the NCTDSA Bylaws. Our Bylaws state the following (bold for emphasis):

The General Membership in the Branch or Local shall be the only body authorized to endorse Branch or Local Chapter participation in a long-term activist campaign, where a long-term activist campaign is any campaign that requires ongoing Branch or Chapter resources (including ongoing public statements of support) for more than thirty (30) days.

The Allowlist Policy provisions ongoing public statements of support by way of non-timebounded sharing of organizations’ posts, and it contradicts the bylaws by stating the following:

The allowlist can be amended by SC vote or amendment to this proposal

In practice, the Steering Committee has been maintaining the allowlist. However, the General Membership of Triangle DSA is the only body empowered to provision chapter resources, such as ongoing public statements of support, for longer than 30 days. We should reconcile this contradiction.

Whereas

Actions taken by the chapter social media account such as liking comments or resharing posts are often considered inconsequential, but are in fact a tacit endorsement of events or organizations due to the public nature of the association.

Whereas

Members mistakenly believe that it is necessary for the Steering Committee to add an organization to the Allowlist in order to propose one-off or short-term collaboration.

However, Steering Committee has this ability independently of the Allowlist Policy, as this power is specifically enumerated in the Chapter Bylaws:

Branch or Local Steering Committees shall be authorized to endorse activist events, urgent actions, or make statements in support of activist campaigns on behalf of the Branch or Local.

The Allowlist Resolution is instead intended to function as a convenience mechanism to bypass Steering Committee votes in cases where there is no contention.

This is a source of widespread confusion among chapter members.

Whereas

The current Allowlist Policy also contains a tier-list, which:

• Only vaguely describes the scope of the collaboration
• Fails to provide context on why the collaboration was authorized
• Fails to define when an ongoing collaboration should be reviewed

This also leads to confusion among chapter members.

Whereas

These sources of confusion have led to unnecessary increased tensions in the chapter, and have led to debates about which organizations Triangle DSA should have a relationship with being deliberated indirectly rather than directly.

When there is disagreement about collaboration with a particular organization, the chapter has democratic means of deliberating and deciding on a path forward. The Steering Committee has the ability to approve short-term collaboration, and the General Membership has the sole ability to authorize long-term collaboration.

As such, any policy that governs relationships with other organizations should make navigation and proposals transparent and accessible.

Resolved

The Allowlist Policy is repealed. In its place, the chapter approves the attached External Collaboration Policy and External Collaboration List.

Resolved

The Administrative Committee shall prepare the External Collaboration List provided for in the attached External Collaboration List SOP within 45 days of the passage of this resolution, and it shall be tasked with maintaining it thereafter.

Resolved

All organizations listed in the invalidated Allowlist are approved for the scope they were initially approved for until the next Chapter Convention or 1 year has passed, whichever length of time is shorter. If an initial scope of approval cannot be discerned by the Administrative Committee when preparing the External Collaboration List, it will notify the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee may then choose to specify one at its soonest possible meeting, or opt to let the approval lapse at that point.

External Collaboration Policy

1. The Right of the Membership to Democratically Direct the Chapter

Collaboration with external organizations is a type of activist campaign. Unless specifically authorized by the Steering Committee or a General Meeting of Triangle DSA, no chapter committee may act to enter a coalition or actively collaborate with other organizations.

This policy shall not prevent chapter members from meeting with other organizations to discuss what collaboration may look like, or inviting members of other organizations to public-facing Triangle DSA events.

2. Initiating Collaboration

The procedure for initiating collaboration with external organizations shall be governed by the procedures in the Chapter Bylaws regarding endorsement of activist campaigns. Namely:

1. The General Body shall be empowered to approve any collaboration.
2. The Steering Committee shall be empowered to approve collaborations which will last for 30 days or less.

Requirements for Ongoing External Collaboration

Triangle DSA shall not enter collaboration with any external organization unless the following is specified:

1. A statement of purpose as to the strategic intent of collaboration, explaining how this collaboration will further existing chapter work we are doing, how it ties into the political lines set forth in the chapter program, or both
2. The role which Triangle DSA will take in the collaboration – i.e. a leading role, partnership, supporting an external org, etc.
3. Relevant details about the external organization – e.g., what are their politics, what is their structure, how are they funded, are there any concerns members should be aware of in establishing a relationship with them?
4. The scope of the collaboration - this includes information on the form that the collaboration should take, e.g. sharing posts, hosting a joint event, etc.
5. The date at which the collaboration expires

Additionally, collaboration with external organizations must comply with other chapter policies. A list of current policies that may impact collaboration with certain organizations shall be maintained as an appendix of the External Collaboration List

3. Coalitions

External Collaboration with coalitions does not confer External Collaboration to all member organizations of the coalition. For example, if Coalition A is composed of member organizations B and C, External collaboration with B and C would require naming them specifically and meeting all other requirements for motions to begin external collaboration with those organizations on an individual basis as listed in this policy.

When Triangle DSA is heading a coalition, membership of other organizations in that coalition must be made as motions to enter collaboration, unless this conflicts with a Memorandum of Understanding with the coalition signed by the chapter. Any Memorandum of Understanding with a coalition must be directly and specifically approved by a General Meeting of Triangle DSA.

External Collaboration List

1. Purpose

The External Collaboration List (List) is an administrative source of truth about which external organizations that Triangle DSA has an organizing relationship with, maintained by the Administrative Committee at the direction of the General Membership.

2. Structure

The List shall list external organizations which the Steering Committee of Triangle DSA or the General Membership has authorized an ongoing partnership or collaboration. It shall list them in the following format:

Name of Organization

The name of the external organization or coalition.

Authorizing Meeting

The date and type of meeting; the Steering Committee or General Meeting where the collaboration was authorized.

Scope of Collaboration

The proposed scope of collaboration.

Text of Authorizing Motion

Link to text of the motion that authorized the collaboration. Where there is none, link to the applicable meeting minutes.

Date of Expiry

The date at which the collaboration lapses unless renewed.

3. Appendix

The List shall contain an appendix listing current chapter policies which may affect proposed collaboration with other organizations. The Administrative Committee may opt to include other information which may be useful to members reviewing the list or who wish to propose new collaboration at its discretion.

[EXAMPLE] External Collaboration List