Commitment Statements

DisCO Commitment Statements are documents of goals and expectations signed by all DisCO Committed Members every three months as part of the collective's quarterly evaluations. Failing to uphold a commitment statement can result in graduated sanctions. Commitment Statements can also serve as a quarterly self-evaluation template members can review to evaluate whether or not they have fulfilled their commitment to their DisCO.

Think of it as an informal but no less important contract made according to the rules of the of a particular DisCO.

The Origin of DisCO Commitment Statements

DisCO Commitment Statements follow on from the original, created at the Guerrilla Translation Reloaded event, both for existing team members and new. The following extracts are from the Reloaded report:

"Ann Marie Utratel mentioned the mapping again, because if we start by 1) crafting a common “commitment statement” and 2) signing it, saying we’re on board, we must also know the true limits of availability. In short, we focused less on building a platform and more on building relationships, in part because of the composition of our group. While we need to account for time and money, we also need to account for commitment and actions within the relationships."

"...commitment statements would help determine a legal structure based on the needs of the members".

The DisCO Mothership Commitment statement (full text below) is signed by all Committed Members as part of the collective's quarterly evaluations. Failing to uphold the commitment statement results in graduated sanctions.

The commitment statement also serves as a quarterly self-evaluation template. Members of the collective review their statement to evaluate whether it has been met before contrasting opinions with the rest of the team.

Commitment Statement Template Text

DisCO is important to me, and I intend to continue to help co-create its future. Below are commitments that I have had (or, for newer members, will have) a part in developing, and which I commit to for the following term of three months, through [date]. If I have any strong feelings about changes that need to be made in any of these statements, I will raise a question in this Loomio thread, so we can discuss it together. Here is my commitment statement.

I [name] am committed to the DisCO Mothership. During the next 3 months, I agree to:

1. Maintain our rhythms: Daily check-in, weekly Loomio/Trello, Working circle and Time Tracking, Sprint call, Vibe call, monthly accounting and quarterly SpaceCamp evaluation.
2. Promptly inform of any absences, including illness or sabbaticals.
3. Communicate clearly, create and observe explicit norms and boundaries. This includes responding to any team communications and, also, expressing my opinion, addressing power and vulnerability.
4. Teach myself and mentor others on working in the collective while being ready to give and receive critical feedback.
5. Commit to join and be an active participant of the following working circles: XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX. Furthermore, I will take on the stewardship of XXX circle, and the co-stewardship of XXX circle, as reflected on the [Roles/Availability_Mapping | Roles/Availability] Mapping page.
6. Accrue a fair number of Love credits in relevant areas.
7. Represent and advocate for the collective, online and off.
8. Systemically distribute Care work:
   1. My level of care work will correspond to the benefit I get from the coop.
   2. I will care for the wellbeing of the collective as a living entity, and make sure it’s healthy and thriving.
   3. I will care for the wellbeing of all members of the collective, especially the person I am supporting.
   4. I will keep my section in our Availability Mapping page updated, and join at least one work circle.
9. Not wait for others to do what I could do myself, and ask for help when I am stuck.
10. Offer my creativity and dedication and create new patterns together.

I understand that fulfilling these commitments is a prerequisite to full participation in the collective. If I feel unable to meet these commitments, I will communicate this and if necessary, I will declare a sabbatical or reexamine my relationship with the collective.

[length of term] from now, if I do not meet these requirements, I understand that I will need to address any issues and possibly be prepared to leave the collective.

Name, date and Signature

Further Reading

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TLDR

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Image Credits

• Lead Image by Victor Li