who has time for the GA? (was: terminating memberships responsibly)

[Nikos Roussos]

August 30, 2018 2:34 PM, "Carsten Agger" <agger at modspil.dk> wrote:

> On 08/30/2018 03:49 PM, Nikos Roussos wrote:
> 
>> I have been (and still am) member/supporter of various non-profit organizations and none of these
>> apply the kind of democracy you envision. Rightfully so, in my opinion. As an example, I'm a member
>> of EFF but there is no democratic way for me to be elected in the Board of Directors, or
>> participate in their private strategic meetings. Same applies for FSF (US).
> 
> Many NGOs that I know of are run as traditional associations, with a yearly general assembly as te
> highest authority, a board elected by the participants at the general assembly; with all members
> being eligible to attend the general assembly and run for the board, and membership being open to
> everyone (maybe with well-defined limitations, such as a profession or geographical area) willing
> to pay membership dues.

That's true for most associations, but even in these cases usually there are some limitations on how you get to be a member. In many associations, besides paying a membership, it is required that some existing members vouch for you. This provides some short of web of trust, but also acts as a fail-safe, preventing a group of people taking over an association just because they have the money to do so.

~nikos