Building an Organization

Overview

Teaching: 15 min
Exercises: 10 min

Questions

• How can I turn a community into an organization?

Objectives

• Describe the current or desired governance model for your organization.

• As a community grows, it needs more formal organization
  • Building Powerful Community Organizations is a good step-by-step guide
• Avoid the tyranny of structurelessness
  • Every group of people has a power structure
  • Only question is whether it is formal and accountable, or informal and unaccountable

1. Write a vision statement that describes what “done” looks like
   • “I see a [–] that [–] for [–].”
   • “I see a small group that organizes an annual get-together for the leaders of grassroots organizations that trying to improve diversity in tech at which they can build ties and exchange ideas.”
2. What are the core beliefs of this group?
   • “We believe in fairness, and that fairness includes what happens before you get on the racetrack as well as what happens once the race starts.”
3. What knowledge or skills does your core group lack that you need?
   • Contacts with smaller get-into-tech groups outside major urban centers
4. Why will people join your organization? What’s in it for them?
   • People will join the organizing committee because they are already involved in groups like this, want theses get-togethers to happen, and realize that they won’t unless someone steps up.
5. What is your organization’s mission statement? What is the sentence that you will open every presentation with?
   • “Teaching Tech Together organizes an annual get-together where the leaders of grassroots organizations that are trying to improve diversity in tech can make connections and swap ideas.”
6. How is your organization staffed (or how will it be at steady state)?
   • How many people are in the group?
   • Are any of them paid? If so, how much?
   • What are their responsibilities?
   • Who do they report to?
   • How and when is their performance assessed?

Figure Out What Your Organization Looks like

Go through steps 1-5 for your organization.

Staffing

Go through step 6 (staffing) for your organization.

Key Points

• Every project has a governance structure, either officially or unofficially.

• Give people pathways to contribution.