Overview

CLUE will reform its bylaws, in consultation with its community, so that it may evolve into a democratic, transparent, representative body that is capable of serving both a large grassroots membership, but also organizational interests such as corporate sponsors, academic institutions, and of course user groups (not only related to Linux but across all FOSS projects).

Background

When CLUE was formed in 1998 as an umbrella organization primarily designed to assist the efforts of unincorporated user groups, the internal structure was not a great source of concern. As a result, CLUE was incorporated rather simply, with a little view to having a body actually representative of many stakeholders.
The Directors of CLUE have long known that the internal structure of the organization would need to change, but the need to do so was not pressing given the group's general low profile. However, given the new mandate for CLUE to represent the entire community and solicit paid memberships and sponsorships, the need for reform has become more pressing and timely.

In consultation with its members and stakeholders, CLUE will develop a revised internal structure that will define how its Governors will be elected by and accountable to its membership. The exact size and constitution of a future Board of Governors will be created with the aims of transparency, fairness, and effectiveness. Given CLUE's intended advocacy role, and indeed its own regard for the values of openness, it is important that our stakeholders and the public have confidence that our stance reflects and is accountable to our grassroots constituency.

Related Activities

• Creation of a Steering Committee designed to re-work the CLUE bylaws


• Examination of best practises by similar organizations


• Evaluation of any draft proposals by experts in ethics and transparency


• Passage by the Board of new bylaws


• Staging of a first Election for the Board of Governors

One-Year Goals

• To have an elected Board under the new bylaws