Board/Minutes/2022-02-S2S/Identify more effective ways of getting foundation work done - Executive director

From OpenStreetMap Foundation

Notes by participants. Might be enriched.

This session took place in parallel with "Parallel session: Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team". A summary was provided to the other group.

Attendees

  • Amanda McCann (facilitating session)
  • Guillaume Rischard
  • Tobias Knerr
  • Allen Gunn (Gunner) (facilitator of screen-to-screen meeting)

Not Present

  • Mikel Maron

Officers and board
Biographies

Post-meeting addition of background, links and formatting by Dorothea Kazazi.

Background

Collaborative notes

Current status:

  • Reduced board capacity
  • G.Rischard: Less actions being done compared when G & A & Allan et al started

Suggestions:

  • Prioritise and do less?
    • Doing things less well (communicating more curtly)
    • Amanda feels that to do something
  • Paying people?
    • Executive director, such as in case of OSM-US
      • Concerns about power grabs, bloating, revolving door for ex-board members etc.
      • OSM-US as an example (different opinions on how successful it is for them)
      • Could displace volunteer motivations
  • Getting more volunteers?
    • Mentoring future board members
    • We can legally appoint an 8th board member (but some see that as subverting the democratic process)

Executive Director

G.Rischard: OSMUS has had a lot of success with Maggie (Cawley) as Executive Director
A.McCann: Doesn't want a board member hired
T.Knerr: Doesn't want a complete outsider to be hired as Executive Director
question: Would unpaid board members be happy doing things if there's a paid Executive Director?
T.Knerr: there still is boring work
 G.Rischard asked Dorothea her opinion
D: can provide more details later. Has thought about this, concerned about effect on osmf volunteers
G.Rischard: Are we all agreed on causes and deciions
T.Knerr: also thinks more decision is needed
asked Gunner to stay 5 minutes until the end.
G.Rischard: Big things not getting done, like budget or moving out of UK.
A.Gunn: maybe hire someone who's only job is volunteer engagement & help
A.Gunn: title (Executive Director) sounds big, maybe “managing director”, agrees that osmf should do something
A.Gunn: Maggie (Cawley) is active in the community and that has been very beneficial
D: Suggested some board action items be shared by a team of board members

Decisions

  • Board has a lot of things to do, and not as much time to do them, and this has been a recurring issue.
  • Big issues like hiring a “Executive Director” (or similar) would need more board discussion

No action items

Retrieved from "https://osmfoundation.org/w/index.php?title=Board/Minutes/2022-02-S2S/Identify_more_effective_ways_of_getting_foundation_work_done_-_Executive_director&oldid=9439"