Transparency guidelines

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Contents 1 Goal 2 Guidelines 2.1 CS website describes the leadership team, including: 2.2 CS website documents leadership team actions, including: 2.3 CS website describes organizational departments, including: 2.4 CS website documents organizational department actions, including: 2.5 CS website describes administrative process, including: 2.6 CS website documents organizational finances, including: 2.7 CS website describes and documents Collectives, including:

Goal

In the interest of creating a better functioning organization, CouchSurfing will provide that its leadership and internal practices are open to scrutiny and input from all members in such a way that does not compromise the efficiency or security of the organization or violate member privacy.

Guidelines

CS website describes the leadership team, including:

1. who is on the leadership team and their specific roles (still being decided)
2. how new leadership team members are selected from the general membership (still being formalized)
3. the leadership team’s role in the organization and community (basically an inspirational & strategic role vs. tactical)
4. how the leadership team receives input from the community (basically through core volunteers who are project leaders)

CS website documents leadership team actions, including:

1. biannual leadership team reports announcing team's specific strategic goals for the next six months (coming soon)
2. any final documents, guidelines, procedures, etc. created by leadership team (coming soon)

Note that the guideline does not require the leadership team to document their internal discussions, or to 
document individual team member’s position on an issue.  This allows the leadership to brainstorm and 
strategize internally, then release well thought out decisions and documents reached through team consensus.

CS website describes organizational departments, including:

1. who are members of each department, and who is head is each department (still being formalized)
2. how members are selected as department heads (still being formalized)
3. each department’s role in the organization and community (the departments are still being defined. But basically departments handle tactical decisions)

CS website documents organizational department actions, including:

1. biannual reports from each department on it's specific accomplishments and its future goals (coming soon)
2. documentation of all departmental discussion, except when that would violate member privacy or risk website security (exists now!)

Note that “departments” includes ambassadors.  Note that the guidelines do require documented discussion 
in the case of departments.  This public discussion allows the general membership to keep track of most 
decisions affecting the website, give input, and become department members.

CS website describes administrative process, including:

1. descriptions of each type of administrative power (from approving a meeting message to reading private messages)
2. a list of members with administrative powers, including which powers (e.g. safety team member can read private messages to mediate member disputes)
3. how members are selected for administrative powers (still being formalized)
4. how the membership can communicate with these administrative members (still being formalized)
5. members who are affected by administrative actions will be notified, except when that would risk website security (exists now!)

Note that the guidelines do not require a log of specific administrative actions that have been 
taken because these actions are almost never relevant to the general public.

CS website documents organizational finances, including:

1. an explanation of how the budget is created and by whom (still being formalized)
2. categorized income and expense reports for previous years (including dollar amounts) with a reasonable level of detail (coming soon)
3. a budget for coming year (coming soon)

CS website describes and documents Collectives, including:

1. definition of a Collective, including how one can be started and awarded funding (still being formalized)
2. description of each Collective including its specific goals, its time-frame, and how members can participate (exists now!)
3. financial reporting for each Collective (coming soon)
4. monthly documentation of each Collective’s accomplishments (exists now!)

See also transparency discussion