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GPUS Fundraising Committee Rules, Policies and Procedures
1. Committee Mission.
2. Committee Structure.
3. Decision Making Procedures.
4. Reporting Process.
5.Committee Co-chair Elections
6. Committee Membership
7. Appeal Process
1. Committee Mission
1.1 In accordance with the Rules and Procedures of The Green Party of The United States updated January 1, 2005 in the fiscal policy covering our fundraising policy it is stated that:
The fundraising committee is primarily responsible for the raising of funds for the operation of The Green Party of The United States.
The Green Party of The United States will be making ongoing personal solicitations to donors in all states throughout the year.
Caucuses, other committees and networks may engage in the raising of funds solely for their own operations as long as they provide timely notice of their efforts to the Green Party Fundraising Committee. They may also choose to coordinate and/or partner their fundraising efforts with The Green Party of The United States.
Each accredited caucus, committee and network will create a yearly fundraising plan and provide a copy of it to the Green Party Fundraising Committee. In either case, whether the fundraising is done jointly or solely there shall be coordination with the Green Party Treasurer or designee (i.e. the accountant, and/or the operations, fundraising and political directors) for the completion of the necessary record keeping, the filing of any required reports and the banking of the monies being generated from the fundraising efforts.
In addition there shall be accounting of all monies expended in the fundraising efforts and in the operations following the fundraising efforts.
2. Committee Structure
2.1 There shall be three categories of activity for the Green Party Fundraising Committee as defined in The Green Party of The United States Bylaws Article III: members, advisors, and observers.
3. Decision Making Procedures
3.1 The committee will meet no less than once per month but may set more frequent meetings. Meetings will be in-person or by teleconference. Regular meeting times will be set (at the prior meeting) and special meetings must be noticed to the committee members at least 3 days in advance. Meeting agenda items are normally published in advance but they may be added at the beginning of any meeting.
3.2 Proposals require no advance notice but advance notice is encouraged.
The committee will seek to operate by consensus. If there is no consensus a proposal may be brought to a vote. A two-thirds vote of the committee members present at the meeting is required to pass a proposal. When concerns are expressed but not withdrawn this must be reported in the minutes. If the proposal is being forwarded to the Steering Committee the concerns must be included in the report to the Steering Committee.
3.3 An e-mail vote on a proposal may be authorized at a committee meeting and will follow the same rules for quorum and passage as a proposal presented in a meeting. Such proposals will have an explicit deadline set and will require a two-thirds vote for passage.
4. Reporting Process
4.1 The Fundraising Director shall submit a monthly report to the National Committee for their review. In conjunction with the normal fundraising activities being reported, the fundraising director shall report any minority opinions on the committees business relating to the internal working of the Green Party.
4.2 Minutes will be kept of each committee meeting and after the committee approves the minutes they shall be posted electronically in order to be reviewed by National Committee.
5.Committee Co-chair Elections
5.1 The election of the committee co-chairs shall take place on the first fundraising committee meeting after The Green Party of The United States annual meeting. Gender balance and co-chairs from different states shall be the norm and any member of the fundraising committee is eligible to serve as co-chair. Co-chairs shall serve a one-year term with a limit of three consecutive terms.
6. Committee Membership
6.1 Application for Committee Membership
1) Applicants for committee membership shall verify or submit written permission from their party to serve, or otherwise verify that such permission has been received by the committee’s cochair(s).
2) Applicants shall provide the committee with a short statement expressing their interest and experience or training in areas described in the committees mission and purpose section(s).
3) Upon receipt of an application and permission the cochairs shall post the prospective committee member’s introductory letter to the committee’s listserv.
4) If no committee member raises an objection to the applicant’s membership within four days of posting, the applicant automatically becomes a member of the committee.
5) If a member of the committee raises objections to an applicant’s membership, a three-day vote of the members shall be held with a majority vote required for membership.
6) Members with objections must detail their concerns for the committee.
7) Any person whose application for membership is denied shall be able to appeal the committees decision to the CC as detailed below.
8) Listserv privileges shall begin with membership.
9) State parties, through their cochairs, may change permission status for any committee member from their state at any time, subject to GPUS By-laws.
6.2 Committee Members Rights and Responsibilities
Responsibilities of Members
Members are expected to participate regularly in teleconferences and to take on and complete tasks agreed upon by said members and the committee.
Committee members are required to behave in accordance with the Ten Key Values of the Green Party and abide by netiquette guidelines as posted at “The Core Rules of Netiquette,” by Virginia Shea, which can be viewed at: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/.
Inactive Members
2.2 Members who have not participated either by e-mail, teleconference and in person for the prior two months shall be considered inactive. A quorum will consist of a majority of active members only.
Removal of Members
2.3 Members may be removed for cause by the National Committee upon a proposal from the Steering Committee.
Members may be removed:
1.. After missing meetings for three or more months or missing more than half the meetings in a given calendar year.
2.. After losing status as a Green Party member according to their state Green Party rules
3.. Upon notification of removal by the state party where the member has membership
4.. Upon any malfeasance, corruption, or behavior which the National Committee deems to be incompatible with fundraising committee membership.
1) The Committee is expressly prohibited from using disagreements regarding differing views on issues and/or business before the committee as a cause for curtailment or elimination of membership privileges.
3) Other actions that will not be tolerated include:
1) misrepresentation of the committee’s or a member’s work,
2) financial improprieties,
3) violent personal attacks and/or threats, verbal or physical,
4) discrimination against federal or state (where applicable) protected classes,
5) harassment
6) any other unethical or illegal activities related to committee business or function.
4) Blatant and/or persistent violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension of privileges or termination of membership via the processes described below.
6.3 Removal of Members
Before beginning any process leading to curtailment or elimination of membership privileges, a committee shall take steps to maintain a productive working environment by informal actions by committee members followed by informal actions by committee co-chairs. These steps shall include:
1) communication with the member’s state party requesting they intercede with the committee member regarding the behavior(s) in question.
2) use of facilitation, counseling, mediation, and/or arbitration services, as provided through the Dispute Resolution Committee or a mutually agreed upon outside source if necessary, which shall be encouraged and expected. No member shall be subject to official action before being permitted to consent to mediation and/or arbitration.
6.4 If all efforts listed above fail a petition may be filed by any three or more members of the committee from three different states (hereafter known as “the petitioners”) to require the committee co-chair(s) to initiate and administrate formal action to curtail membership privileges.
6.5 Procedures for discussion and consensus /voting on the petition shall be according to regular procedures as described in these P&Ps.
6.6 The specific written charge and proposed action, as determined by the petitioners, shall accompany the petition.
6.7 The petitioners shall have full discretion for determining the charges and proposed scope of action.
6.8 A 2/3 quorum and 2/3 vote, by state, of the committee, shall be sufficient to confirm charges and the initiate action(s) detailed in the petition.
6.9 The committee co-chair(s) shall initiate and execute approved action(s) and notify the member immediately following the vote.
7. Appeal Process
7.1 Immediately following a member’s confirmed notification of a committee’s vote to take action to curtail or eliminate membership privileges, the committee’s cochairs shall notify the CC voting listserv and Secretary of the action in writing and the Secretary shall re-post
the petition on the CC listserv.
7.2 The committee member in question may, within seven (7) days of these postings, appeal the committee’s action by notifying the CC and the Secretary of the appeal, in writing, with the secretary reposting the notice, as above.
7.3 Any two or more delegates from different states, other than the person making the appeal, may within seven days of the posting of the appeal, accept the appeal.
7.4 If two or more delegates from different states accept the appeal the SC shall then schedule a two week discussion and one week vote including the following procedures
1) The petitioners shall designate a presenter
2) The SC shall appoint a floor manager
3) The committee’s cochair(s), or their designate(s), shall present support for the original petition for action
4) The vote shall have a two-week discussion period and a one-week voting period
5) A majority vote shall be sufficient to overturn the committee’s action.
7.5 If an appeal is not accepted by at least two CC delegates from different states within seven (7) days of the posting of the appeal on the CC listserv, it shall signify that the CC acquiesces to the committee’s action and the decision of the committee shall be considered final.
7.6 If the CC votes to overturn a committee’s action the committee shall be required to immediately reinstate all privileges to the committee member in question.
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CONTACT: Jake Schneider