Re: Record keeping & minutes
From: Richard L Kohlhaas (rlkohlearthlink.net)
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:24:05 -0700 (PDT)
I would add to these very good rules:

Always use FIRST and LAST names in minutes and other documentation.  DON'T say: 
"Bill seconded the 
motion  . . .  Jane and Frank agreed to co-chair the team . . ."

From:                   Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah <welcome [at] olympus.net>
Date sent:              Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:53:54 -0700
To:                     cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject:                [C-L]_ Record keeping & minutes
Send reply to:          cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org

> 
> 
> On Sep 15, 2014, at 3:16 AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:
> 
> > Unless you stringently restrict your minutes to decisions with only a 
> > sentence or two explaining the decision, I also recommend a separate 
> > decision log, each entry with a reference to the minutes, . 
> > 
> > My community likes to have both announcements and all comments and all 
> > comments in the final evaluation recorded. The result is reams and reams of 
> > digital records, many of which are unsearchable except as individual 
> > documents. It's often nice to read as history but a holy mess when looking 
> > for a specific decision. I'm hoping to get these on the website in 
> > Wordpress so they can be tagged and searched but.... A huge task after 16 
> > years. 14 living in and 2-3 of development.
> > 
> > Sharon
> 
> RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA
> 25 years in, during much of which I've been Secretary and de facto archivist, 
> I offer the following suggestions for record keeping:
> 
> DATE everything, including the year.
> STANDARDIZE title and format. Avoid titles like "Notes from Tuesday". Pick a 
> format: RW minutes 2-14-14, or whatever. That way the list will sort into 
> chronological order and all like items will stack in a computer folder. 
> 
> SUMMARIZE: I include lots of detail in my minutes, and that comes in handy 
> sometimes later on. However, I start each set of minutes with a summary of 
> decisions made. This helps in keeping a log of same, and allows readers who 
> don't want to read the details to just skim or skip the rest. 
> DECISIONS can also be written in a standardized format. I use
> *Agreed:   
> 
> FILE: We have an online set of records, on Google Docs, accessible to anyone 
> in the community. I also keep a hard copy of minutes, because I'm old and 
> don't fully trust the Cloud. I also find it easier to flip through a notebook 
> when I'm looking for something, or want to consult something during a 
> committee meeting at the Common House. On the other hand, docs on a computer 
> can be searched, which can be super useful.
> Set up a filing system and keep it weeded out. Decide what files you might 
> want to keep locked, or under someone's personal care -- only copies of 
> important documents, blueprints, etc. 
> 
> DOCUMENT your systems. Write up job descriptions, committee mandates, and 
> such, so it's not all in the brain of one person, who may not always be 
> available. Think of who in your group is "the" person for some system, and 
> get them to summarize what they'd want another to know, if someone else had 
> to take it over. Consider having someone else start learning some of those 
> systems, as a sort of apprenticeship, assistant role. 
> 
> I haven't had coffee yet this morning, and really need to get down to the 
> garden work party, so I may have forgotten something, but others can add your 
> tips!
> 
> Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
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> 
> 


------------------------------------
Dick Kohlhaas <rlkohl [at] earthlink.net>
(719)633-8170   
Board Member, Cohousing Association of the U.S.
Resident of  Colorado Springs (Colorado) Cohousing Community at Casa Verde 
Commons
Completed March 2003. 34 units on 4 acres     www.casaverde.us

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