Cohousing-L Mailing List: Policy on members soliciting business from the group

[Diane Simpson (coho]

Hi there everyone in coho-land!

I am writing to you all for help with a dilemma that our group faces and I
am wondering how you have handled it. (Or if has ever come up as an issue.)

It has recently come to my attention that member of our group seems to have
joined for no other purpose than to solicit business.  I'll call her
"Charlene." Charlene is well liked by the group and doesn't take up a lot
of group time with discussion and emotional issues, but is not much of a
contributor to the group either. But Charlene makes what many of us feel
are inappropriate requests for information due to a specific interest in
landing a contract with the group. She asks to see copies of legal
documents and contracts that her committee is not currently working on,
claiming that that will help her decide to become a member.  Also, although
Charlene has expertise in a certain area, she deliberately chose not to
join the committee working in that area, even though she could be a major
contributor to that effort.

I myself am a professional graphic designer, currently working in the
production department of an international marketing firm. I work on
membership and marketing for the group. According our project budget, I am
doing about $20,000 worth of work for the group for free.  Naturally, I am
burnt to a crisp to think that someone else who also has professional
skills would not even consider donating part of those skills to the group.

How have other groups handled this?  Do you have a policy on professionals
being barred from employment by the group?  Am I out of line in being
cheesed off at this person? Is this something the person's "buddy" should
take them aside and chat with them about or do we need to really sit down
and hammer out a policy on this?  What policies do other groups have in
place?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

--Diane Simpson
   Jamaica Plain Cohousing, Boston Massachusetts















                                DSIMPSON [at] JPCOHOUSING.ORG
                       Diane Simpson  http://jpcohousing.org
          P.O.Box 420,Boston, MA, USA 02130-0004  617-522-2209
INFORMATION SESSION SUNDAY MARCH 10  5:30 P.M. 82 GREEN STREET
            1 BLOCK FROM GREEN STREET T STATION ON THE ORANGE LINE
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


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