== Agenda September 9 Meeting == * Place: Brecht Forum ([http://brechtforum.org/events/n-directions.php directions]) * Date: Sunday, September 9 * Time: 10:00 am (bagels, coffee), 10:30 am (meeting starts), to 5:30 pm (meeting ends) === Goals === * Redefine the relationship between May First/People Link and the group formerly known as mf-staff * Develop the role of May First/People Link in the broader ecosystem of progressive politics and the Internet and plan how to perform that role over the coming year * Plan how to open and expand the leadership of the organization in a way that challenges and works through forms of oppression, particularly sexism, racism, and classism. * Project realistically a timeline for financial solvency * Continue developing the idea of what membership means, how a membership organization is different than a regular ISP, and what roles we want our members to play in the organization === Agenda === Item 0: Describe: * ECOSYSTEM: What is the ecosystem in which May First/People Link operates? * What are the different stakeholders that exist in the real world ecosystems of progressive organizations and information technology? * What are the needs of small progressive organizations? * What types of constraints exist in small progressive organizations in general and specifically with respect to information technologies? * What, coming from the perspective of a small progressive organization in this ecosystem (somewhat technologically illiterate), is valuable? * As technologists, are there values we are assuming or imposing that these organizations would not think of on their own? What are they? * IDEAL: Once we have a clear picture of that, we want to imagine these organizations being connected and served in a powerful way, and what that would look like. * What are the benefits that might be gained from connecting and networking progressive organizations? * Which of these would be obvious to the organizations? * Of the benefits that would not be obvious to these organizations, what would be required to educate these organizations? * MEMBERSHIP: Then we want to look at how MF/PL manifests it services currently, and how that measures up with the above thinking. We want to ask ourselves: * Does a membership model fit well with the needs, constraints and values listed above? * Why is the membership model important? * What has membership traditionally meant to MF/PL and how might it be re-ordered to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders better? Item 1: Lunch, financial review * LEADERSHIP * What would be the ideal role for the leadership of MF/PL to assume within this ecosystem? * What does the leadership need from MF/PL in order to fill this role? * What does leadership look like currently at MF/PL? * How do these two forms of leadership compare with one another. What is the ideal? * STRATEGY * Membership / Marketing / Education * Needs / Dependencies * Goals (1 + 5 year) * Paths forward * Leadership * Needs / Dependencies * Goals * Paths forward * Finances * Needs / Dependencies * Goals * Paths forward * Roles of people in the room in this effort * Who might be available to help with respect to moving froward, and what would these folks require of this process and of MF/PL? * Who do we need to bring into this discussion to help us move forward realistically? What will their needs be? * STRATEGY: what happens next? * Next Meetings: Who, What, When? * Plans of Actions. * Beer anyone?