[Chapter-delegates] SIG / SG questions

[vinton cerf]

we kept the name, IPNSIG,  for the non-profit that was created in 1998 as a
SIG. The non-profit is distinct from its chapter status since ISOC prefers
(requires?) that the chapter has a distinct existence separate from ISOC.
You are right about acrobatics - we have somehow managed to comply with
ISOC requirements for administration and board management, sometimes in
conflict with advice from lawyers.

v


On Sun, May 26, 2024 at 8:23 AM Joly MacFie <joly.nyc at gmail.com> wrote:

> Technically Vint, IPNSIG is no longer a SIG, it's the Interplanetary
> Chapter, thus it is chartered. All SIGs were de-chartered at the end of
> 2021, and IPNSIG was the only one to make that transition, so, essentially
> maintaining its status. The Accessibility SIG went back to being an ISOC-NY
> project. Some have organized themselves into local chapters. Others either
> zombified, or transitioned into the new system, or just transitioned out of
> ISOC entirely.
>
> Unlike the chartered Chapters, the new SIGs/SGs are internal projects
> within ISOC, with a two year lifespan. The SIGs have to compete for
> renewal, while the SGs are permanent, but all need to elect new leadership
> at that two year point. They are admin'd by staff, who also take care of
> financial details, online presence, documentation etc. With staff doing the
> admin, this would leave volunteers free to do the actual project work.
>
> Others may explain better but my understanding is there were two main
> reasons for this:
> 1) Unlike geographically local Chapters, SIGs/SGS, as chartered global
> entities, involve a whole lot of legal acrobatics that are beyond
> practicality, if one's serious about compliance. Dealing with this stuff
> alone for ISOC itself stretches capacity. (Interplanetary did some kind of
> end run around this.)
> 2) SIGS were mushrooming and  some SIGS were not well run, while eligible
> for the same support as Chapters, thus the whole thing needed reining in.
>
> One might have hoped that longstanding SIGs with strong leadership could
> have yet been eligible for a charter, but it was one size fits all, with
> the exception of accessibility, youth, and gender being considered vital
> enough to be permanent.
>
>
> Joly
>
>
> On Sun, May 26, 2024 at 5:19 AM vinton cerf <vgcerf at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Joly,
>> I don't have a lot of answers but I believe IPNSIG (Interplanetary
>> chapter) set up its own web site. The chapters have independent existence
>> from ISOC, by requirement. They can raise their own funds, have a bank
>> account distinct from ISOC, etc.
>>
>> v
>>
>>
>> On Sun, May 26, 2024 at 3:01 AM Joly MacFie via Chapter-delegates <
>> chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> When the new SIG / Standing Group structure was set up at the start of
>>> 2022, there were a set of guidelines posted on MemberNova.
>>>
>>> This document is no longer available, but IIRC, defined a principle that
>>> ISOC staff would handle 'administration' roles, to leave volunteers
>>> unencumbered by such mundanity as documentation, web presence, finances, so
>>> that they could dedicate themselves to actual projects. I found this quote:
>>>
>>> Processes and protocols for archiving and accessing publicly available
>>>> resources such as web content, listservs and social media accounts will be
>>>> developed as part of the roll out plan for the new SIG structure. The
>>>> emphasis will be to ensure public assets and work done by SIGs is available
>>>> and can inform future efforts while maintaining connections and community
>>>> that has been developed
>>>
>>>
>>> So, no websites for Groups outside of ISOC, to ensure continuity as
>>> teams change every two years.
>>>
>>> Eventually landing pages for the SIGS/SGs were set up at
>>> https://www.internetsociety.org/sigs/ however, in terms of
>>> documentation these are limited to a few focus areas and current Group
>>> leaderships, and there was a wait for Fonteva.
>>>
>>> Most groups responded by setting up chat groups on Telegram, Whatsapp,
>>> or Signal, and maybe Google docs, maybe some social media, and now, Chatter
>>> groups are available via Fonteva, working for some.
>>>
>>> Documentation/Website? The ISOC-NY A11ySIG plugged the gap by
>>> documenting the Accessibility Standing Group on their wiki, which the new
>>> leadership have ported over to a standalone site https://isocasg.org,
>>> now linked from the ISOC landing page.
>>>
>>> So questions:
>>>
>>> Where are the current guidelines?
>>>
>>> What follow up is being done on documentation of the first two year
>>> projects?
>>>
>>> Can SIGs now set up their own websites?
>>>
>>> Is sigleaders at isoc.org listserv still a thing? And, if not, is Chapter
>>> Dels an appropriate venue to discuss SIG matters?
>>>
>>> Looking forward to responses
>>>
>>> Joly
>>> --
>>> --------------------------------------
>>> Joly MacFie  +12185659365
>>> --------------------------------------
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>
> --
> --------------------------------------
> Joly MacFie  +12185659365
> --------------------------------------
>
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