EIN, Bylaws & Articles of Incorporation

So I received a letter from the IRS assigning the Community House Network an EIN-- for those wondering, it means Employer Identification Number.  That is exciting.

​The next action we were instructed to take was to host our first meeting of the board to discuss and sign the bylaws.  We used the standard boilerplate version, but we likely will revise them as we get accustomed to how this whole rigmarole works.  As a business model for decision making, I believe in true consensus.  This is where we all agree upon the next step of action, rather than a majority rules version of voting.  Sue talked a lot about participating in some of the decision making process of the Japanese companies she worked with.  She said it was long, but they truly worked to get everyone's ideas into the pot, and no decision was made until there was consensus.  I like the Ringi process.  This allows everyone, at all levels of the organization, to contribute to the final version of the plan.

Open discussion, transparency, shared beliefs, communication are the foundation for a good, healthy environment. Just because I like one idea when the conversations starts doesn't mean that my idea will look the same at the end of the conversation.  If we all bring our ideas to the table, and let the process of making the sausage begin, in the end we will all have a bit of our personal intersts in the story, and a most delicious sausage.  This doesn't mean that every idea is adopted, or goes into the pot at the same time.  Some of our lawmaking processes have these terrible addendums at the end that muddy the water.  I may have a great idea, but the time is not right. Through openness, willingness and a shared vision we will eventually come together on what is the next right action.

The standard form of decision making, and what was written up in the bylaws provided by the Foundation Group, is of course majority rules.  But it will do for now.

Next steps, send in a copy of the Articles of Incorporation to the Secretary of State.