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DevRel Collective Governance Model

When this Slack team was first started on September 8th, 2014, the Developer Relations industry looked quite different than it does now. This community has changed and grown since then, and the admin team has changed and grown with it. These days, the admin team involves a three-part governance model:

  • Advisory Board - members who have been involved in the DevRel Collective since the early days but are no longer as involved in the day-to-day
  • Admin Lead or Benevolent Monarch - the tie-breaker and executive decision-maker of the admins
  • Admins - responsible for the day-to-day ins and outs of the DevRel Collective

Advisory Board

  • What is it: A type of contribution distinct from Admin role but still having Admin privileges (e.g. stays in the admin channel, GitHub, etc.). These individuals are invested in the long-term success of the DRC but aren’t as involved in the day-to-day responsibilities. The role of Advisory Board Member is not one which is meant to supersede the responsibilities, or the decision-making ability, of the Admin Lead or Admin Team. Instead, it is meant to provide support, insight, and historical precedent and relevancy.
  • Length of time: Indefinite, as long as board member is interested in being involved, regardless of title, position, or career progression.
  • Prerequisites:
    • Has to have been an Admin or Lead Admin for at least 2 years and in the DRC for at least 3 years.
    • Qualified members can be added to the board on a unanimous lazy consensus vote by sitting members.
    • Must be able to attend scheduled monthly meetings on a rotating schedule with the rest of the Board, at minimum 3 meetings per year.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Officially own the DRC brand and related assets (e.g. web hosting, GitHub organization, Slack team). Hold the rights to fundraise under the DRC banner in the future if it helps sustain the project.
    • Can remove admins and/or admin leads in the unlikely case of conflict within the organization.
    • Attend admin meetings at least once per quarter on a rotating basis (e.g. Mary attends in April, Jeremy in May, Matt in June) in an advisory capacity only. Should a board member not be able to attend, the admin meetings happen per usual.
    • Are available for contact through the Slack team in the #benevolent-dictators channel, or other methods as appropriate or necessary.
  • Removal:
    • Violation of our Code of Conduct is grounds for immediate removal, no questions asked. Violation of any code of conduct where Admins are participating, be it DRC or any other community or organisation (online or in-person), are also grounds for immediate removal.
    • Inability to fulfill the responsibilities, as outlined above, over a three month period is grounds for removal.

Admin Lead

  • What is it: Only one admin at a time can be designated the Admin Lead (also known as Benevolent Monarch). Admin Lead must volunteer to take on these responsibilities. They can choose to continue on with their specific Admin function (described below) or choose to bring on and cross-train a new Admin to fulfill their previous function.
  • Nomination Process:
    • Every 11th month
      • Call for volunteers to be the Admin Lead for the upcoming term.
      • Current Admins who meet the qualifications below have one week to volunteer. There’s no “application process” per se -- simply let the Admin team know that you’re interested in becoming an Admin Lead.
      • The current Admins and the Advisory Board have one week to vote on the applicant(s).
        • If there is only one volunteer, the decision must be unanimous.
        • If there’s more than one volunteer, the majority (n+1) is elected as Admin Lead.
      • Two weeks for onboarding/offboarding.
    • Every 12th month
      • New Admin Lead takes over.
    • Rinse. Repeat.
      Note: If the Admin Lead needs to step down due to personal or career changes, the nomination process for a new Admin Lead starts immediately and the process of finding a new Admin to fill the gap starts as well.
  • Length of time: 1 year commitment maximum each election, cannot be “renewed” but can be “re-elected” after a break of one term. The reasoning behind this is to share the emotional and mental responsibilities that come as being the “Queen” and ensure that no one gets burned out.
  • Prerequisites:
    • Must have been a member of the Admin Team for a minimum of a year prior.
    • Must have been an active participant in the DRC for at least 18 months.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Handle any Code of Conduct violations with the team’s input and communicate any decisions publicly to the larger group in the appropriate channel.
    • Decide when we need new admins & handle their onboarding
    • Host Admin meetings once/month (in addition to any ad hoc meetings) to cover any outstanding agenda items and touch base with the team.
    • Point person for relaying decisions that the Admin Team have made to the rest of the Collective.
    • Keep a loose eye on and answer any questions that come through on Twitter
    • When taking time off for vacation, family emergencies, etc. (as you should!), designate an “Interim Monarch” to be the proxy in your absence.
  • Removal:
    • Violation of our Code of Conduct is grounds for immediate removal, no questions asked. Violation of any code of conduct where Admins are participating, be it DRC or any other community or organisation (online or in-person), are also grounds for immediate removal.
    • Inability to fulfill the responsibilities, as outlined above, over a three month period is grounds for removal.

Admins

  • What is it: A defined tier of admins who are responsible for the day-to-day health and success of the DRC; collectively: the Admin Team.
  • Length of time: 6 month stint which can “renew” at the end of each period.
  • Prerequisites:
    • Has been actively involved in the DevRel Collective for at least 6 months.
    • Actively takes the initiative to move projects forward and be actively involved in conversations.
  • Responsibilities:
    • There are functions and projects that the DRC willingly takes on. Each must have a lead, but not every Admin needs to lead a function.
      • Mentorship Program Creation & Maintenance
      • Salary Survey
      • Tool Development & Maintenance (e.g. On-Call Bot)
      • Escalation Point for Applications (e.g. Responding to emails & making exec decisions re: applications)
        • Be the executive decision-maker / tie-breaker for any applications that need additional review beyond a second set of eyes.
        • Triage & reply to emails that come into the team@devrelcollective.fun inbox
    • Everyone rotates through “on call bot” on a weekly basis:
      • Handling of all access requests
      • Escalate as appropriate
      • Handle PR requests as appropriate
    • Be present and available for monthly meetings.
    • When an admin decides to step down, they’re responsible to find a replacement for that function -- whether through referral or re-opening the admin form.
  • Removal:
    • Violation of our Code of Conduct is grounds for immediate removal, no questions asked. Violation of any code of conduct where Admins are participating, be it DRC or any other community or organisation (online or in-person), are also grounds for immediate removal.
    • Inability to fulfill the responsibilities, as outlined above, over a three month period is grounds for removal.

Updated: 2021-04-01