Consensus-Based Decision-Making

Members and working groups who have a proposal for decision involving funding, broad public statements on behalf of KWTMA, or other decisions that involve the whole group will seek consensus from the group before moving forward.

We don't want this to stop us from making important decisions that are time sensitive in All-KWT meetings, so we will make exceptions if the timeline is urgent, but revisit major decisions with the group.

We also welcome people to continue to offer resources and connect with each other within the group - you don't need consensus to offer something as a resource on your own behalf, etc. This applies to only group-wide decisions, like making group-wide partnerships, deciding how to allocate the money we raise collectively, etc..

What does consensus mean?

Consensus means coming to an agreement as a group on a decision everyone can live with. This means acknowledging that individuals will disagree but working toward a decision that all can accept through principles of humility, inclusion, transparency, and solidarity. If one person absolutely cannot agree to a proposal, there is not consensus. (This is also known as a block.)

Why consensus-based decision making?

It provides a way for underrepresented groups to have a say, and fosters group cohesiveness and transparency.

A decision-poll proposal can be made by an individual or working group at an All-KWTMA meeting. It should be clear, concrete, and easily shareable.

Things to include:

What issue is the proposal addressing? What goal/desired outcome would it achieve?

What work will be necessary and who will be responsible? Would any existing work be affected or made unnecessary?If implemented, how will it be assessed? Initial input is brought to group for discussion of objections and potential amendments.

Then the proposal will be shared with the community by email, Facebook and voted on at the following All-KWT meeting (with an option to vote through Google form for people who can't make it to the meeting). This gives everyone a chance to reflect and contribute outside of the Zoom meeting. We will solicit support “number” (1-5) as well as pros and cons, concerns, suggestions for improvement, etc.

Amended proposal put to group for initial vote with the following number system:

1 = I’m totally on board

2 = I have some hesitations but will go along

3 = I don’t like this idea, but I’ll go with it

4 = I really don’t like this proposal, but I’d give it a try within a set time frame

5 = I can’t live with this proposal

We will discuss concerns of each group. In particular, elicit concerns from any blocks. We will make further amendments to address concerns and achieve consensus. The decision will not move forward until concerns of any blocks are addressed, and can be reassessed in the future.

The final proposal should be presented with an explanation of how it has been modified over time to address thoughts and concerns. If necessary, we can vote on the modified proposal again using the 5 levels above.

We will make all members aware of the decision through accessible communications. We will engage with feedback and revisit if major objections surface before or after implementation of the proposal. At this time, this includes posting decision polls on Facebook, sending out through our email newsletter, and in-person voting at our weekly meetings.