August 30, 2018 2:34 PM, "Carsten Agger" agger@modspil.dk wrote:
On 08/30/2018 03:49 PM, Nikos Roussos wrote:
I have been (and still am) member/supporter of various non-profit organizations and none of these apply the kind of democracy you envision. Rightfully so, in my opinion. As an example, I'm a member of EFF but there is no democratic way for me to be elected in the Board of Directors, or participate in their private strategic meetings. Same applies for FSF (US).
Many NGOs that I know of are run as traditional associations, with a yearly general assembly as te highest authority, a board elected by the participants at the general assembly; with all members being eligible to attend the general assembly and run for the board, and membership being open to everyone (maybe with well-defined limitations, such as a profession or geographical area) willing to pay membership dues.
That's true for most associations, but even in these cases usually there are some limitations on how you get to be a member. In many associations, besides paying a membership, it is required that some existing members vouch for you. This provides some short of web of trust, but also acts as a fail-safe, preventing a group of people taking over an association just because they have the money to do so.
~nikos