This proposal establishes a formal decision-making process with three tiers of decisions to ensure all voices are heard and power is distributed evenly.

Abstract

The proposal outlines a 3-tier decision-making process for the ANANSI Revolutionary Collective. The three tiers represent degrees of support required from the community for approval. Proposals will be hosted on Notion. The goals are to distribute power evenly, ensure all voices are heard, and promote transparency. In summary, this proposal aims to solve a lack of formal process and benefit the collective with an inclusive, equitable, transparent process.

In my mind, right now we need a basic decision making process that we can expand upon later when we have more capacity to think through governance structures. My initial pitch is:

• three abstract categories of decision:

  • high - decisions that radically alter the collective or that involve allocating funds (that aren’t set aside for specific projects) should require approval from 75% of collective members.
    • modeled on our past consensus decision making protocol, if anyone blocks, the proposal doesn’t go through and the blocking member is required to provide an alternative
  • mid - mid-range decisions (starting new projects, partnerships) should require approval from all involved/affected parties (as stated by the person making the proposal) and/or five members of the collective (whichever number is greater) and no blocks.
  • low - day-to-day decisions should pass as long as they have received no blocks within the (reasonable) allocated voting time.

• Proposals managed within Notion. We create Notion templates for decisions and have a database that holds all past and present proposals.

  • The proposer is responsible for sharing the proposal with members and getting necessary votes.
  • Votes and comments are also to be made within Notion.

• The timeline of a proposal is:

  • Drafting - Proposer writes the proposal.
  • Proposal - Proposal is shared with members of the collective.
  • Vote - Members of the community vote. During the time that the proposal is in voting state, it is an agenda item in all async meetings for members to give feedback.
  • Revisions - The proposer takes into account the feedback on the proposal and makes revisions to reflect the community’s feedback.
  • Implementation - The community begins to implement the proposal, as philosophy, praxis, as a change in the protocol, or as a project.
  • Review - The proposal is revisited an amount of time after its implementation to evaluate its progress.

Problem Statement

Something that I think is crucial for the advancement of our collective is for us to formalize our protocol, specifically around decision making, so that we all have a say and power does not consolidate around the OGs and the their associates.

The problem I want to address is the lack of a formalized decision-making process within our collective. Without clear processes around how we make decisions, especially those that significantly impact the group, power dynamics can emerge that privilege certain voices and perspectives over others. Formalizing a decision-making process helps ensure that we are practicing the values of inclusion, equity, and transparency that we hold dear.

Goals and Objectives

• Formalize a basic decision-making process for the collective
  • Develop proposal templates in Notion for different types of decisions (high, mid, low)
  • Establish voting requirements and timelines for different types of decisions
  • Educate collective members on the new process and get buy-in
• Ensure all voices are heard and power is distributed evenly in the decision-making process
  • Require consensus (no blocks) for high-impact decisions
  • Require input from all directly affected parties for mid-level decisions
  • Leave space for quick, low-level decisions as long as no blocks are raised
• Ensure transparency around how decisions are made
  • House all proposals and votes in a shared Notion database
  • Share proposals across all channels where the collective communicates
  • Review decision-making process regularly and make revisions based on feedback

Proposed Approach

To achieve these goals, I propose the following approach: