Policies

The following policies and guidelines are a work in progress.

General Guidelines:

1. The Firewheel Foundation runs explicitly by democratic majority. This means that the structure is non-hierarchical and decisions are made using simple majority. Meetings will have a facilitator and a note taker.
2. Committees of the Foundation can be empowered to make decisions without requiring approval from the board of directors. Guidelines for these situations will be agreed upon during regular Foundation meetings. This is to help facilitate the functioning of the store and the project as a whole, and use valuable meeting time for the most important decisions.
3. The Firewheel Foundation takes a firm stance against bigotry and oppression. Firewheel will reserve the right to refuse to serve anyone advocating bigotry or hatred. The Firewheel Foundation will try its best to serve community members regardless of race, sex, gender, sexuality, religion, age, employment status, education level, and ability to work.

Guidelines for Volunteers:

1. Volunteers sign up for staffing shifts by contacting the Cafe Scheduling Coordinator.
2. All volunteers must have a valid food handlers permit within 14 days of starting their first shift.
3. Volunteers who cannot make their shift shall notify the Cafe Scheduling Coordinator and find a replacement for their shift.

Volunteer Perks:

1. 30% discount on food and beverages.
2. Free drip coffee and lots of study time.
3. Freedom to check out books.

Guidelines to Foundation Membership:

To join the Firewheel Foundation:

1. Complete a total of 10 volunteer hours in one month. This is accomplished by joining one of the working committees, such as the Cafe Committee, and staffing once a week (other activities can be considered to fulfill this requirement).
2. Ask a member to propose your membership at a meeting so it can be voted on.
3. Application Process TBD.

Foundation Members:

1. A Foundation Member is defined as an individual who participates in the project on a regular basis. Participation requirements include:
   1. Attending Foundation Meetings, 1st & 3rd Sundays at 10am.
   2. Barista services for 2 hours minimum per week in the cafe.
   3. Committee participation, this could include, accounting, publicity, ordering books, etc. All Foundation Members are required to be part of a committee and participate in the project in some fashion.
2. Only Foundation Members have voting rights on decisions regarding the policies of the store and the project.
3. Only Foundation Members actively staffing or with other responsibilities that require access will receive a key to the store.
4. Foundation members may take a reasonable leave of absence.

Removal from the Foundation:

The Foundation will propose removal of a member at a meeting and it will be voted on.

1. Missing two shifts without notice or not finding someone to cover your shifts within a 6 month time period.
2. Not attending Foundation or Committee meetings at least semi-regularly (50%).
3. Committing illegal acts in the store.
4. Being impaired while volunteering at the store.
5. Making a copy of the key for someone without authorization from the Board.
6. Stealing books, magazines, money, etc. from the store.
7. Providing customers/friends with free goods from the store or without charge of the set price.
8. Acting as a representative of the Foundation by giving interviews or talking to press about the Foundation without authorization from the Board.

Foundation Membership Perk:

1. Co-Ownership of the Firewheel Foundation.

Guidelines to Meeting Structure:

Meetings will be posted on the calendar and in the event schedule in the store.

Each meeting has an agenda that is kept by the chairperson. The chairperson opens discussion about agenda items and brings the discussions to a close when they are done. Depending on the amount of “discussion” at a meeting, the chairperson may keep stack. The stack is a list of people entering the discussion in the order they raised their hand to speak. This allows for an orderly discussion with everyone getting the same chance to speak and members do not have to compete with each other to have their voice heard.

The agenda generally has the following format:

1. Board Member Attendance
2. Previous meeting’s minutes are read and agreed upon.
3. Introduction of new volunteers/prospective members
4. Outside Concerns for the Foundation *
5. Committee reports
6. Discussion of proposals
7. Announcements

* Outside Concerns / Proposals for Foundation Review

Non-Foundation members with concerns or proposals to discuss with the Foundation should first go through the appropriate committee and Foundation Member contact. If the proposal is for the Foundation as a whole the Foundation Member contact will present the outside concern to the board for their approval of approach. The outside concern will come to the next meeting present her/his proposal. A set amount of time for questions will be determined. Unless it is something we can easily address with the person there, we will discuss the item and notify them of a decision.