Operations
Social.coop's official governance takes place mainly on its Loomio space. Anything that folks want to share with the entire community, or make open to discussion by the community should go on Loomio. To manage day to day operations, the community empowers some members to participate in working groups. As of mid-2025, the working groups have started using Zulip to coordinate those day to day operations. We are still discussing the best way to allow Zulip access, but for now: anyone who is interested in the working groups and the nitty gritty of the operations is welcome to ask a working group member for a Zulip invite.
The various working groups use shared calendars on May First to organize meetings.
We have recently started compiling an Operations Q&A page to answer questions from other instance admins
Working groups (and their affiliated ops teams) are elected from and accountable to the membership, to execute the roles and responsibilities needed to keep social.coop running. They have greater administration access than would be afforded general membership, but work according to policies provided by their corresponding working group.
The groups are self-managed. Some are paid with stipends, while others volunteer.
As a general principle rather than a strict rule: in order to mitigate either burnout, or power accruing through the development of specialized knowledge, the rotation of team members is sought, along with a mutual education approach in which people who have the skills needed for the operations train their replacements.
Budget
Starting in 2024, Social.coop has an annual budget for the full organization.
Open Community Calls
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Community Working Group | moderation, and anything concerning members and outreach. |
| Finance Working Group | The Finance Working Group handles the finances including payments, reimbursements, and community contributions (in coordination with our fiscal host). |
| Legal Working Group | oversight on legal matters |
| Organizing Circle | Coordinates the work of working groups and ops teams, providing a space for ongoing strategic conversation and facilitating greater member participation in both operations and governance. |
| Tech Working Group | all things hosting, site maintenance, and development. |