Frequently Asked Question

Standing Rules on Organization of Adcom

Approved on 10/13/2020

Resolved:

1. All areas of work that the Administrative Committee (Adcom) is responsible for that requires volunteer support will be divided into departments, this work can then be further subdivided as teams.

2. Each department will be chaired by a steering committee member, who is accountable to the Steering Committee and the General Body for the work of their department. Individual Steering members may chair multiple departments. As needed Steering members may appoint no more than two stewards to assist in coordinating this work and work directly with volunteers. Such stewards must be approved by the Steering Committee. All such stewards are members of Adcom.

3. The work of departments can be further subdivided into teams. As needed Steering members may appoint no more than two stewards to assist in coordinating this work and work directly with volunteers. Such stewards must be approved by the Steering Committee. All such stewards are members of Adcom.

4. Steering members may choose to have more regular meetings with their departments and stewards to assess their work and decide on goals.

5. In accordance with the bylaws all steering members are members of Adcom. All approved team and department stewards will also serve as Adcom members. Adcom will be expected to meet regularly to assess their work and to ensure there is full communication between teams. As stated in the bylaws the Secretary and Treasurer shall co-chair AdCom. The co-chairs may appoint no more than two stewards to assist in these duties. Such stewards must be approved by the Steering Committee. All such stewards are members of Adcom.

6. New teams and new departments will require a vote of the Steering Committee to be formed and they will need to be incorporated into this overall Adcom structure.

7. These guidelines only apply to work of Adcom and not to other chapter formations, such as working groups, in pursuit of the work Adcom has been tasked with by the bylaws and subsequently by the Steering Committee.

8. The Steering Committee may also authorize individual members to receive credentials to be allowed to access member data in the course of their work on behalf of Adcom. Adcom membership will not be a requirement for receiving credentials. Members must pass a vetting process in order to be eligible for credentials.

9. Approved Departments

Steering hereby approves the following departments:

Communications

Operations

Organizer Trainings

Member Mobilization

Translation & Language Accessibility

Growth & Development

10. Approved Teams

The Steering Committee hereby approves the formation of the following teams:

Social Media, Website, Media, and Design, under the Communications department. Publications will work with the Communications dept in the fashion of a team while maintaining its structure as outlined in the bylaws. Its officers will be considered team stewards under these standing rules.

Records & Database, Operational Security, Events, and Internal Communications, under the Operations Department.

11. The responsibilities of the various departments and teams are outlined in the Appendix of these standing rules and may be amended in the future by the Steering Committee.

12. The Secretary shall maintain a roster of all department and team stewards and members. The Secretary will furnish this roster to the Steering Committee at any time upon request. This roster will also indicate which members have received credentials.

Appendix

Descriptions of Adcom departments and teams and the roles of stewards.

Adcom Steward

Responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Adcom Committee and ensuring that all departments and teams can operate effectively and securely and that they are reporting on the work of their teams/departments. Ensures that regular Adcom meetings are taking place and that all stewards are attending. Responsible for generalized communication between teams and departments. Reports directly to the Chapter Secretary and advises the Steering Committee on Administrative issues.

Operations Department

Ensures on a daily basis that the Chapter’s processes and systems are functional and efficient. Maintains and updates systems as needed to meet the Chapter’s needs. Sets up new systems as needed.

Records & Database Team

Maintains the membership records and processes requests through Action Network. Ensures that Action Network is updated on a rolling basis to reflect membership engagement. Creates updates to these sites as requested via Red Desk or as necessary as the needs of the chapter grow. Provides reports from Action Network to teams and Working Groups as requested on Red Desk. 

Internal Communications Team

Maintains and updates the chapter’s internal communication tools: Member Portal, Slack, Red Desk and the chapter email. Makes additions or changes to the Member Portal as requested on Red Desk. Adds people to the chapter Slack as requested via Red Desk or the info@MDCDSA.org email address.

Events Team

When a member wants to schedule an event, the Events team creates the Action Network event page and the Zoom call/webinar event (if the event is digital). They also create the Facebook and MeetUp page for the event if requested (which will include the AN event link). They email the AN link to all RSVPs to Meetup events with over 10-15 RSVPs. They ‘announce’ (recurring) Meetup events at least a week before they occur. They also make sure the event appears on the Events Calendar. 

Opsec Team

Operational Security (OpSec) is responsible for ensuring that all members who need to be vetted before taking on roles are approved before they are assigned credentials or access to any chapter systems. They are also responsible for ensuring general security across the chapter, but especially Adcom and flagging any potential security threats before they arise.

Responsible for ensuring the information security of all chapter databases and sites. Makes recommendations to the Steering Committee regarding security best practices. Establishes vetting processes for all new volunteer members. Vets all new members prior to providing them with confidential or membership personal data. Maintains vetting procedures and best practices. 

Tech Operations Team

Ensures the technical continuity and efficiency of all Chapter systems and sites. Works on projects to find technological solutions that are secure, non-commercial, and efficient. Proposes new projects to the Secretary to expand and improve the chapter’s digital footprint. Provides technical support and consultation to Teams and Working Groups. 

Communications Department

Responsible for maintaining all of the Chapter’s external-facing communication sites, accounts, and processes. Ensures that messaging is consistent and according to the Steering Committee’s policies and mandates. 

Social Media Team

Maintains the Chapter’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and Meetup Accounts. Creates posts as requested on the social-media-requests Slack channel and on Red Desk. Works with teams and working groups to create Social Media strategies for major initiatives. Ensures that all messages requiring responses are responded to. 

Website Team

Maintains and updates the Chapter website (https://mdcdsa.org/). Updates the site when requests are put in via Red Desk. Ensures that the site stays up to date with current technologies and best practices. 

Media Team

Fields responses and communications with media entities on behalf of the chapter. Creates chapter-wide media strategy in conjunction with the Steering Committee. 

Design Team

Maintains the library of created graphics for use chapterwise in Figma. Creates graphic designs for teams or Working Groups as requested via Red Desk. Ensure visual consistency among chapter messages and art. 

Organizer Training Department

Builds a training curriculum and plans training sessions to provide volunteers with organizing skills. Consult with all stakeholders to assess training needs and potential resources to provide targeted training sessions. 

Member Mobilization Department

Responsible for building engagement with current Chapter members who are not already organized into campaigns or formations within the chapter. Works with members who fill out the survey but do not specify an area of interest to be connected with a project. Oversees new Member Orientations.

Translation & Language Accessibility Department

Ensures language accessibility of our events, published content, and internal written materials. Works with volunteers with translation capabilities so that they can be integrated into event and meeting plans. Creates a program to include interpreters and/or subtitles on Socialist Nights Schools, GBMs, and other events. 

Growth & Development Department

Responsible for growing and developing committees, workings groups, and other internal operations as directed by Steering. Provides project management assistance to Teams and Working Groups to help set up major initiatives and projects. Maintains Teams staffing priority requests and works with Mobilization to staff high-importance positions within Adcom, working groups, and other campaigns. Ensures that major Adcom processes are documented and processes are enacted to support these processes. Maintains and updates the Skills Survey (https://mdcdsa.org/interests-skills-survey/).