Operating Procedures

This page will eventually include all of the details for how The Order operates.  We will add more and more details as time goes by.

Hierarchy

Our goal is to become an organization that operates efficiently and can take quick, decisive action.  Because of this, we will establish a hierarchical system based upon merit, discipline and respect.

We will add to this structure over time.  To start out we have the head of The Order, each City or County will have its own Leadership, and each Team will have its own Team Leader.

The Head of The Order sets the goals and overall direction of The Order.  The City or County Leadership coordinates efforts amongst its Teams to accomplish those goals.  And Team Leaders lead their individual Teams.

We are also working on a system of rank for individual members based upon merit and experience.

Meetings

• Each City or County has an operations meeting once per month that includes the City/County Leaders as well as all Team Leaders from all Teams within the City/County.  Other meetings can be held at Leadership discretion.
• It is recommended that each Team meet physically once per week.

How to establish Leadership in a new City or County.

As we are a brand new organization, city and county leadership is not yet established.

For cities or counties that do not have any leadership, the first Team to form within a city or county will become administrators of their city/county page.  The first four teams formed in the city/county will operate through teamwork, discussing goals and plans without direct leadership.  Once five teams are established a city/county leader will be chosen.  All members of the five Teams will vote for their first City/County Leader.  Members cannot vote for a member of their Team.  The city/county leader will respect Team leaders input but for the sake of efficiency the city/county leader will make final decisions.

We will add details regarding how long a city/county leader is the leader.

Eventually, once we have enough members in Cities and Counties to warrant it, we will establish a process for determining leadership based upon merit/ability and experience.

Once a City/County Leader is determined, they will assign someone to be administrator of their City/County page.

Funding

We want it to be 100% clear that we are not motivated by money.

To this end, The Order is designed in such a way as to require as little funding as possible.  The ultimate goal would be to never do any fund raising at all.

However, this may not be possible.  If we decide to move in a direction where we want to acquire assets such as HQ buildings or if expenses to run this website become too much, we will use a method that is 100% transparent and not dependent upon any outside influences.

Many organizations start out with good intentions but then as they grow, they accumulate expenses such as employee salaries, rent, utilities, marketing etc.  They are put into a position where fund raising becomes their #1 priority and use of time because they have so many financial obligations.  This means that when someone donates to their cause, most of the money goes to paying salaries and marketing expenses used just to raise more money and not going to the cause the donor expected.  As well, an organization becomes dependent upon certain donors.  If a donor does not like the direction the organization is going they can demand the organization change its direction, its purpose, its principles or make any other number of demands.  And the organization has to choose between compromising on their principles and laying people off or even shutting down.

Rest assured, we will not be put in this position.