Group Charters

• Admin Commitee Charters
• Tech Admin Charter
• Finance Committee Charter
• Fundraising & Grants Comittee
• Programming & Rentals Commitee Charter
• Ridgewood Commons Facilities Charter
• Working Group Charters
• Food Pantry Charter
• Gym Charter
• READgewood Tutoring Charter
• Spokescouncil Planning Group (SPG) Charter
• Sunday Dinners Charter
• Technical Collective fka Basement
• Tuesday Reading Group Charter
• Writing Group Charter
• Yoga and Meditation Charter
• Archived charters
• Relational Skills Charter
• Rental Committee Charter

Admin Commitee Charters

Tech Admin Charter

• Ensure usability and security of digital infrastructure, while clearly disclosing risks associated with the use of any service
• Learn individual Working Group cultures and practices to identify real group needs and disseminate organizational skills and knowledge between working groups
• Keep transparent meeting notes & logs of ongoing asynchronous work
• Make proposals for Ridgewood Commons-wide recommendations

Finance Committee Charter

Ridgewood Commons Group Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Finance Committee
Contact Information: [signal username redacted]

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Connection Statement:
The Finance Committee aims to provide financial oversight for Ridgewood Commons to ensure the collective makes sound financial decisions that consider both the effective replication of the space as well as the needs of the community. Recognizing that financial management is a potential source of conflict, the Finance Committee will prioritize trust, accountability, and transparency to the Spokescouncil and members will maintain active involvement in the space and community.

Powers & Rights:
The Finance Committee is empowered to:

• Provide oversight on Ridgewood Commons finances, including any/all fundraising streams, spending decisions and patterns, and future financial and community goals. This oversight includes veto power for financial decisions that endanger the replication of the RC space and providing approval for smaller financial requests.
• Utilize the RC space when free and available to conduct meetings.
• Manage accounts based on spokescouncil decisions.

Responsibilities & Liability
The Finance Committee is responsible to:

• Ensure that any/all financial decisions consider both the effective replication of the space (including, but not limited to, meeting and maintaining buffers for all expenses, ensuring legal financial compliance, and mitigating internal conflict arising for financial reasons), as well as the needs of the community and RC Points of Unity.
• Provide clear and transparent reasons for any major financial decisions, including vetoes on spending.
• Provide regular reports to the Spokescouncil on revenue/expense trends.

Fundraising & Grants Comittee

FUNDRAISING & GRANTS COMMITTEE CHARTER

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Fundraising & Grant Committee
Contact Information: ridgewoodcommonsnyc@gmail.com
Date Charter Ratified:

CONNECTION STATEMENT

The Fundraising & Grants Committee aims to secure financial grants and fundraise money through public events in order to generate income for Ridgewood Commons. This money will be used toward overhead, repairs, and general savings. Grants can also mean money that is earmarked to use for pantry food, supplies, or infrastructural upgrades to the space. This committee is essential to keeping the space financially afloat, maintaining our current pantry operation, and making infrastructural improvements to the space. The Fundraising & Grants Committee aims to support and communicate with other working groups who autonomously fundraise.

POWERS & RIGHTS

The Fundraising & Grants Committee has the power to conduct fundraising in the space when necessary (though many fundraising events will be held offsite). Similar to rentals, onsite fundraising proposals will take priority to non-standard programming requests while we are in a financial deficit. The Fundraising & Grants Committee has the right to disseminate fliers, promotional materials, and requests through official Ridgewood Commons channels.

RESPONSIBILITIES & LIABILITY

Grant writers are responsible to report on the status of their proposals, and if any grants require major changes to daily operational procedures or conflict with working group timeslots, their proposals must go through Spokescouncil. Any fundraiser, onsite or otherwise, must have a point person responsible for setting up and breaking down the event. Onsite fundraisers must be screened for liability concerns, and the point person for such a fundraiser is required to produce signatures for waivers or any other liability forms if deemed necessary. Both onsite and offsite fundraisers are responsible for representing the space in a way that is not in tension with our points of unity.

Ratified:

Programming & Rentals Commitee Charter

PROGRAMMING & RENTALS COMMITTEE CHARTER

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Programming & Rentals Committee
Contact Information: ridgewoodcommonsnyc@gmail.com
Date Charter Ratified:

CONNECTION STATEMENT

The Programming & Rentals Committee curates and facilitates events in Ridgewood Commons that uphold our collective values and (particularly with rentals) sustain the space financially.

Programming: We organize and support public-facing events such as political education, activist trainings, arts and crafts workshops, film screenings, and research discussions. Our priority is to ensure a regular rhythm of accessible community events, while also responding to politically urgent opportunities when they arise.

Rentals: We facilitate rentals of the space to generate income for overhead expenses. Rentals include private social gatherings and ticketed public events organized by outside groups. Public-facing rentals will be shared with our community if they align with our points of unity (e.g., independent film premieres, journal launches). The committee also coordinates co-working during weekdays, unless co-workers form their own working group in the future.

POWERS & RIGHTS

❤️The committee has autonomy to maintain ongoing programming (currently: Monday yoga, bi-monthly arts workshops, Wednesday film screenings, and Sunday research group discussions). We also determine when new proposals exceed the space’s capacity.

❤️The committee ensures that outside programming and rentals remain compliant with our 501(c)(3) status.

❤️The committee has the authority to rent out the space during unused hours, grant key code access, and rearrange the space to suit renters.

❤️We may decline rental requests if:

• The contribution is insufficient relative to the work required
• The event poses liability risks for leaseholders
• The proposed use conflicts with our values or compliance obligations

❤️While operating in financial deficit, rentals may take priority over new (non-standard) programming requests.

RESPONSIBILITIES & LIABILITY

❤️Maintain a public calendar and ensure programming is accessible to members and the wider community; include rental block times and matain information on rentals (e.g. contact info) internally

❤️Communicate decisions to approve or deny outside programming requests in appropriate channels.

❤️Assign a point person for each public event to handle setup, breakdown, and event stewardship. Conduct walk-throughs, provide key code access, and ensure renters return the space to proper condition.

❤️Safeguard and report any donations collected during events to the Finance Committee.

❤️Manage advertising of the rental program and maintain rental procedures/forms.

❤️Secure waivers, MOUs, or Hold Harmless agreements as needed.

❤️Ensure coworker access during standard hours (8am–5pm, Monday–Friday).

❤️Furnish the space to meet needs of coworkers and rental parties, sharing MOUs that define stewardship expectations.

❤️Steward the overall balance between public programming, private rentals, and coworking so that Ridgewood Commons remains vibrant, accessible, and financially sustainable.

❤️Report to the Spokescouncil on finances, scheduling, and accessibility as part of collective accountability.

Ratified:

Ridgewood Commons Facilities Charter

Ridgewood Commons Facilities Charter

Admin Committee Name: RC Facilities Contact Information: email: rc.facilities.585@gmail.com     Group chat: [signal group link redacted]

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 

Connection Statement:

This admin committee will coordinate the technical labor necessary to keep the space functioning, as well as bottom line potential structural improvement projects.

Powers & Rights:

Any one of us will have the right to know the key code to enter the space to accomplish whatever work needs to be done, whenever it can be done without interrupting other activities in the space. 

Responsibilities & Liability:

All money spent on repairs or improvements will first be approved by the financial committee. No improvements will be made without a proposal being submitted and approved by the spokes council, leaseholders, and whatever other necessary committees. As volunteers we cannot incur the financial burden of the cost of materials or insurance to cover reasonable mistakes. As individuals, who know our capabilities best, we will not take on any task alone that we are not qualified to do properly. 

Facilities will coordinate waste management, restocking consumables such as trash bags and TP, will help keep the space clean and free from hazards. All are welcome to join the facilities group chat regardless of prior knowledge or trade skill level, all that is require is the availability and the will to learn. 

 Ratified: XX/XX/2025

Working Group Charters

Food Pantry Charter

Ridgewood Commons Food Pantry Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Ridgewood Commons Food Pantry (“Food Pantry”)

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Connection Statement:

Food Pantry is a mutual aid effort committed to providing consistent and reliable access to essential goods for our neighbors in Ridgewood. We are a local, donation-based food pantry currently serving over 100 families every week through twice-weekly distributions. Food Pantry helpers pick up, sort, portion, and distribute food donated by local grocers to food-insecure residents every Monday and Wednesday morning. We use a ticketing system to manage distribution fairly, and we operate a dedicated Disability Line for neighbors who provide proof of disability. Our goal is to reduce food insecurity through direct, neighbor-to-neighbor support. By showing up regularly, we seek to build relationships of trust, mutual respect, and care. We invite people to get involved–whether by volunteering, contributing supplies, or helping shape how we operate. We also partner with local businesses and other mutual aid groups to strengthen our shared commitment to collective care.

Powers & Rights:

Food Pantry is empowered to:

RC Space Use:

• Distributions (“Distro”) take place Mondays and Wednesdays from approximately 7:45 AM to 10:00 AM. During these times, Food Pantry has primary use of RC.
  • General Schedule:
    • 7:45 AM: Assess food volume, distribute appropriate number of tickets, sort and bag shares (“Opening Tasks”).
    • 9:00 AM: Disability Line begins.
    • 9:30 AM: Ticket holders given food shares, followed by non-ticket holders
    • 10:00 AM: Clean up and closing tasks
• Pre-sorting sessions are held Sunday and Tuesday nights from approximately 9:30 PM to 2:00 AM, depending on driver pick-up times (“Sorting”). During these hours, Food Pantry does not require primary use of RC.
• Food drop-offs from drivers typically occur on Sundays and Tuesdays. Times for drop-offs vary throughout the day. All food is delivered to RC to be fridged or binned until Sorting and Distro.
• Receive and store dry goods, produce, and supplies from designated city distributors at various times.
• Use of RC for Food Pantry-related meetings or fundraisers when space is otherwise unoccupied.
• Request and receive updates on facilities management and issues (e.g. fridge capacity, infrastructure upgrades, electrical work).

Access and Storage

Key-code access to RC is granted to:

• Drivers (for food drop-offs)

  • Sorters (for Sorting tasks)
  • Openers (for Opening Tasks)

  Fridge use: Use the three large fridges at the RC entrance to store food shares, with shared use extended to other Working Groups upon request. For clarity, CSA deliveries are considered part of Food Pantry until CSA becomes an autonomous Working Group.
  Dry goods storage: Use of space next to fridges, metal wire shelving at entrance, and filing cabinet near basement for pantry supplies. All open food containers will be stored in sealed bins.
  Use of equipment: Food Pantry may use kitchen items (knives, cutting boards, coffee machine, etc.), folding tables, and cleaning supplies (e.g., Fabuloso, bleach, disinfectant spray) as needed for operations.

Grants and Fundraising

Apply for grants and city programs on the behalf of Food Pantry.

Use grant funds for Pantry-related needs first, unless otherwise specified.

Fundraise independently; CSA contributions earmarked for Food Pantry shall be directed accordingly.

Partnerships and Procurement

Maintain working relationships with groups such as [redacted], EV Loves NYC, and distributors like City Harvest to secure access to larger donations streams, food access, and efficiency.

Contact grocery stores and other establishments to solicit food donations; access legal/corporate documentation (EIN, etc.) to facilitate partnerships.

Maintain procedural documents in a shared Drive, available upon request.

Responsibilities & Liability

Food Pantry is responsible to:

Food Safety and Hygiene

Maintain clear opening and closing checklists that ensure Food Pantry leaves the space better than we find it.

Mitigate the risks that come with distributing donated food. To keep community members safe Food Pantry helpers (1) inspect and sort food before distribution; (2) keep digital thermometers in the fridges and log their temperatures; (3) have regular Food Pantry helpers attend the city’s food safety course for soup kitchens; (4) submit to regular inspection from the city’s food pantry department; (5) report vermin sightings to the appropriate Admin Council committee.

Properly store dry and refrigerated goods to prevent spoilage and pests. Submit compost reports to 311 as needed.

Waste Management

Manage trash, recycling, and compost on Distro days (Mondays and Wednesdays), including coordination with BK Rot, Sunday Dinner Group for compost, CSA and Food Fight to coordinate fridge space.

Utilize grant funds to purchase shared consumables (e.g., trash bags, toilet paper, cleaning products) and provide itemized purchase records to Spokescouncil and Admin Council at time of grant applications.

Space Maintenance

Wash and store all dishes used during Distro preparation and helper snacks; put away dishes left out to dry the previous night; Sweep, mop, and sanitize surfaces used.

Disability Access and Confidentiality

Maintain accurate and confidential records of Disability Line documentation in a secure Drive. Disability line eligibility is based on a signed doctor’s note confirming disability status. approved neighbors receive a physical card used to access the line at 9:00 AM.

Emergency Preparedness

Prioritize elderly safety and readiness for health-related incidents during distribution. This necessitates access to emergency medical supplies (Narcan, bleeding control equipment, ice packs) and contact information for insurance claims from Admin and Spokescouncils.

Coordination, Communication, Conflicts

Liaise with Admin Council and other Working Groups (such as the Basement Group) regarding facilities management. This includes electrical infrastructure (especially fridge power load) and safety issues (e.g., trip hazards, snow/ice removal, repair needs).

Ensure smooth coordination with other Working Groups during overlapping activities.

• Example: Accepting deliveries during events might be mitigated with a shared calendar that drivers can access.
  Communicate with Spokecouncil and Working Groups regarding improper use of Food Pantry space, supplies or items borrowed and not returned.
• Example 1: If the cart for local pickups is borrowed by a Working Group but is not returned before Distro.
• Example 2: Unauthorized fridge use that results in lack of space for Food Pantry and/or CSA shares.
• Create process for labeling/use of items between Food Pantry and other groups (e.g., unlabeled FoodFight goods).

Ratified: XX/XX/2025

Gym Charter

Ridgewood Commons Group Charter: Gym

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Gym Working Group
Contact Information: [email redacted]

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025

Connection Statement:

The Gym Working Group stewards a collectively-run, donation-based strength training space within Ridgewood Commons. The gym exists to allow us to build strength as individuals and as a collective in a supportive environment outside the confines of for-profit fitness culture. Through shared labor and non-hierarchical organizing, we maintain the gym as a resource for the Ridgewood Commons community.

Powers & Rights:

The Gym Working Group is empowered to:

• Maintain a collective membership of maximum 45 people, each of whom has 24/7 access to the gym space via door code. [The gym space is the back room of Ridgewood Commons, including the bathroom inside the gym, and the cubbies outside of the gym door.]
• Host regular open gym hours, scheduled and led by collective members. These are the only times when community members not in the gym collective may use the gym.
• Access and contribute to the Ridgewood Commons shared calendar.
• Use the shared Ridgewood Commons space for gym meetings and other events, in coordination with the Planning Working Group and the shared calendar.
• Operate a donation-based model (pay-what-you-can / NOTAFLOF) for collective and community members to support our rent contributions and ongoing equipment and supply needs.

Responsibilities & Liability

Liability:
All individuals using the gym are required to sign a waiver acknowledging the physical nature of the space and releasing Ridgewood Commons and the Gym Working Group from liability in the event of injury.

Rent contribution:
The Gym Working Group contributes a monthly total of $400 to Ridgewood Commons for rent and shared utilities.

This amount is based on an annual review of gym income and expenses and may be updated via proposal to the Spokescouncil and in collaboration with the Finance Working Group and other RC committees to ensure the gym remains sustainable while providing an equitable and comradely contribution to the broader community.

Responsibilities:
The Gym Working Group is responsible for:

• The maintenance and upkeep of the gym space inclusive of the bathroom inside the gym and the cubbies outside of the gym door. Keeping it clean and safe, maintaining fixtures such as lights, etc. with the exception of space-wide maintenance such as electrical wiring, pest control, etc.
• Hosting open gym hours each week to ensure reliable access for community members.
• Onboarding new lifters and collective members through coached sessions, informal orientations, and peer-to-peer support.
• Participating in monthly Spokescouncil meetings.
• Maintaining active communication and collaborative norms with other Ridgewood Commons working groups, especially when sharing the space with other activities or events.
• Coordinating with the Planning Working Group to avoid scheduling gym hours during film screenings, etc., and collaborating around other quiet or high-impact events.
• Collaborating with the Finance Working Group to review financial contributions, assess sustainability, and evaluate the gym’s proposed monthly rent and related expenses.

Gym hosts are responsible for stewarding the space during their shifts, but responsibility for the gym is shared across the collective. All members are expected to uphold the gym’s internal, collectively developed Points of Unity and Community Agreements.

Ratified: XX/XX/2025

READgewood Tutoring Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: READgewood Tutoring
Contact Information: [phone number redacted]

Date Charter Ratified:

Connection Statement:

READgewood Tutoring is dedicated to offering free tutoring to children in the Ridgewood community. While we began with a focus on reading skills, we have since expanded to include sessions in math, science, and life skills.

Powers & Rights:

• READgewood Tutoring is entitled to schedule a weekly two-hour tutoring class at Ridgewood Commons, coordinated in advance with the Programming Committee.
• We may store class materials and supplies on-site, in a location arranged in collaboration with the Facilities Committee.

Responsibilities & Liability:

• Tutors are responsible for maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all students during sessions.
• We are also accountable for ensuring that students respect the space and do not cause damage.
• Each session will conclude with a full cleanup of the area used.
• We will work with the fundraising committee to find ways to support the space.
• All our adult tutors will sign MOUs to wave RC's responsiblity.

Spokescouncil Planning Group (SPG) Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Spokescouncil Planning Group (SPG)
Contact Information: rcspokescouncilplanningwg@proton.me
Date Charter Ratified:

Connection Statement:

The Spokescouncil Planning Group (SPG) is dedicated to critically evaluating and supporting the ongoing evolution of Ridgewood Commons’s governance model. Our aim is to help foster more democratic processes and deepen participation across the space. We do this through internal evaluation, research into governance models used by similar spaces, and by drafting proposals for the RC Spokescouncil when we identify opportunities for improvement.

Powers & Rights:

• The SPG is entitled to schedule a monthly two-hour meeting at Ridgewood Commons, coordinated with the Programming Committee.
• We claim a dedicated section of wall, sufficient to display the proposal board and adjacent explanatory materials.
• The SPG has the authority to manage the proposal board, including:
  • Removing expired or non-proposal items
  • Replacing the board if needed (with reimbursement for material costs)

Responsibilities & Liability:

• The SPG is responsible for removing proposals that:
  • Have been on the board for over three months
  • Have been blocked by the Spokescouncil
  • Have been approved (after uploading them to the RC wiki and sharing the link in the Spokescouncil Announcements Signal chat)
• SPG meetings are open to all members of RC working groups.
  • Meeting details (time and location) will be announced in the Spokescouncil Announcements Signal chat.
  • First-time attendees are invited to observe and may participate fully in subsequent meetings.
• To maintain membership in the SPG, participants must:
  • Attend most meetings. Members who miss more than two in a row without a clear reason will be removed.
  • Contribute actively: either by taking on action items and making a good-faith effort to complete them, or by performing key meeting roles (e.g., facilitating, note-taking).
  • If removed, members can rejoin by attending a meeting in observation-mode, following the same process as anyone else at RC.
• The SPG is responsible for cleaning up after meetings.
• The SPG will work with the fundraising committee to find ways to support the space.

Sunday Dinners Charter

Ridgewood Commons Sunday Dinners Working Group Charter

Working group name: Sunday Dinners
Contact info: [phone number redacted]

Date ratified:

Connection statement. The Sunday Dinners Working Group (SD) aims to prepare and serve communal, donation-based dinners at Ridgewood Commons (RC) every Sunday. We prioritize serving healthy meals and fostering community. We serve RC and the greater Ridgewood community by facilitating a welcoming environment, maintaining the kitchen and appliances, and upholding kitchen safety and organization standards.

Powers and rights. In order to operate as intended, SD must be granted primary access to the kitchen beginning at 4:00 p.m. and to the seating area including all tables and chairs beginning at 7:00 p.m. We may require access to these spaces until after other working groups have left, in which case we will assume responsibility for closing protocols. We reserve the right to use the loudspeakers to play music and make announcements so long as we do not interrupt other events in doing so. We maintain accountability by ensuring proper use and care of all required spaces and equipment, and striving to maintain a welcoming social environment.
In addition to our usual operations, we may occasionally hold other large events. We may also use dinners to fundraise for specific causes. We will coordinate with the Spokes Council and greater RC community in order to plan such initiatives and assure they align with the RC Points of Unity.

Responsibilities and liability. SD is responsible for:

• preparing and serving dinners in a timely and organized manner;
• establishing and uphold safety protocols for kitchen equipment use;
• facilitating timely and thorough breakdown and cleaning of spaces and equipment used during our events;
• closing RC according to established protocol when required;
• facilitating participation of other working groups (or outside groups) who wish to assist with or host dinners;
• providing financial support to RC when possible and in a manner approved by RC Finance Committee; and
• ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, and civility at our events, within reason.

Technical Collective fka Basement

Tuesday Reading Group Charter

Tuesday Reading Group Ridgewood Commons Charter

Contact Information: [signal group link redacted]

Connection Statement:

Tuesday Reading Group aims to provide a venue for community members to read and discuss books and other texts together. Often the texts chosen are of a political nature with the aim of discussion being to work through and understand the theoretical and practical lessons presented by the material.

Powers and Rights:

Tuesday Reading Group will continue meeting in person every other week at Ridgewood Commons from around 6:30p to 8:30p as coordinated with the programming committee, and should be provided the ability to advertise on RC social media accounts in coordination with the social media team.

Responsibilities and Liabilities:

The Tuesday Reading Group will be responsible and courteous in its stewardship of the 585 space, taking into consideration the security, welfare and cleanliness of the space and its visitors.

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Writing Group Charter

Ridgewood Commons Writing Group Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Ridgewood Commons Writing Workshop
Contact Information: [signal group redacted]

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Connection Statement:
The Ridgewood Commons Writing Workshop (RCWW) aims to provide a community surrounding the craft of writing for Ridgewood Commons. The Workshop attracts and inspires writers to hone their voice and share their skills with the wider community. The priorities of RCWW is to foster a creative and educational space for all interested in writing with no barriers to entry.

Powers & Rights:
Ridgewood Commons Writing Workshop is empowered to:

• Utilize the 585 Woodward main space on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.
• Maintain access to door codes
• Represent ourselves within the Spokescouncil

Responsibilities & Liability

• The RCWW utilized the tables and chairs in the main space, as well as the kitchen and PA system for certain events
  • We clean up after ourselves and lock up the space once we leave
• We will participate in the Spokescouncil and submit proposals through the proper channels when applicable.
• The Workshop will continue its culture of caring for the space at the end of meetings as a collective, including taking out the trash
• RCWW brings new members into Ridgewood Commons

Yoga and Meditation Charter

Ridgewood Commons Group Charter

Working Group Name: Yoga and Meditation

Contact Information: Yoga Community: [signal group link redacted]

Meditation Community: [signal group Iink redacted]

Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Connection Statement:
Yoga and mediation are offered as wellness practices done in community rather than purely individualized self-care.

Powers & Rights:
We self organize facilitators and instructors to weekly hold Yoga within the main space, without other working groups making use of the space from 6:15 - 8:15pm every Monday. 45 minutes before the start of class (7pm) we need time to clear furniture and sweep the floor, so having the main space clear at this time is essential. We hold group meditations in the gym from 8-9pm every Monday night and 9-10am every Friday morning. 15 minutes before each meditation session, we need time to lay down mats and cushions and adjust the lighting and temperature, so having the gym empty by 8pm on Mondays and 9am on Fridays is essential. We ask others to refrain from being excessively noisy in the main space. As is traditional, these services are offered to the community on a donation basis/NOTAFLOF. We will share the door code with the small crew of bottom-liners, which fluctuates between 5-10 people usually.

Responsibilities & Liability
We clean up after ourselves and leave the space looking as good or better than we found it. We lock up after ourselves if we leave the space empty.

Ratified: XX/XX/2025

Archived charters

Relational Skills Charter

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Relational Skills Committee 
Contact Information: rcrelationalskills@proton.me
Date Charter Ratified: XX/XX/2025 (to be filled in once charter is ratified)

Connection Statement:
We believe that our resistance movements and organizing spaces are made of our relationships and are only as strong as they are. These relationships are fundamental to reaching greater political horizons. To this end, the Relational Skills Committee exists to: 

• Research and practice relational skills and develop social technologies (exercises, games, tools, etc.) 
• Disseminate these skills among the RC community to raise our collective abilities around relating and practicing mutual care
• Offer a safer space for community members to share feedback (anonymously, if needed)
• Cultivate an anti-carceral and transformative space that acts against misogyny, racism, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination 
  
• Offer conflict support, mediation, and facilitate dialogue between community members
  • We want to be seen less as a "service" and more as a team who can empower community members to support themselves and each other through conflict

Powers & Rights:

• We can use RC to hold meetings, workshops, and skillshares in coordination with calendar maintenance
  
• We recognize the committee might be seen as being in the middle of conflicts between working groups and committees, and this can cause some tension and potentially overwhelm the capacity of committee members. Therefore, we need to:
  • • Take measures to protect committee members against burnout due to the intensity of the work
      
    • Evaluate group capacity to take on support work while discerning what the group can take on
    • Committee members are empowered to use their own individual discernment around the level of involvement in conflicts
    • Recognize as individuals doing care work, we may have personal bias, prior existing relationships, and trauma history that may prevent certain individuals from engaging in every case

Responsibilities & Liability

• Recognize that we are embarking on a new phase of organizing together, and that we are learning and experimenting with methods of relating that can be challenging. We will have grace for ourselves and each other in this process
• Embody RC's values of invitationality, transparency, and accessibility
• We are ready to be held accountable to the community and the Spokescouncil for our actions taken as a committee
• We recognize we will be privy to confidential or sensitive information and our responsibility is to safeguard that confidentiality
  
• We will maintain a method of receiving feedback (including anonymously) from community members
• We will make regular announcements of what we are working on at Spokescouncil meetings
• Onboarding new committee members (including training)
• Collectively define transparent terms of participating in the committee (with the power to ask folks to step away if they are unable to meet them at the moment) 

Ratified: XX/XX/2025

Rental Committee Charter

RENTAL COMMITTEE CHARTER

Working Group / Admin Committee Name: Rental Committee
Contact Information: ridgewoodcommonsnyc@gmail.com
Date Charter Ratified:

CONNECTION STATEMENT

The Rental Committee aims to facilitate rentals for the space to generate income to pay for overhead expenses. Rentals include both private social events and ticketed public events organized by individuals or groups outside of the Ridgewood Commons collective. We will publicize the latter if they are of general interest and align with our points of unity (independent film premieres, journal launches, etc.). The Rental Committee will also be responsible for coordinating and overseeing co-working, though this is subject to change if individual co-workers decide to form a working group.

POWERS & RIGHTS

The Rental Committee has the power to rent out the space for any hours that it’s not in use for public programming or working group activities that require full use of the space. It has the power to grant key code access and rearrange the space according to the needs and desires of the groups and individuals requesting rental access. It also has the power to turn down a rental opportunity if we think the groups or individuals making the request aren’t providing a sufficient amount of money to make the endeavor worthwhile or are engaging in activities that pose too high of a liability risk for leaseholders. Rentals will take priority over requested non-standard programming while we are operating in a financial deficit.

RESPONSIBILITIES & LIABILITY

Our accountability will include making all rentals accessible to Ridgewood Commons collective members on an internal calendar. We also have the responsibility of providing walk-throughs for interested parties, giving key code access, and making sure someone on the committee (or a designated point person) ensures the space is properly arranged for the party renting the space, as well as cleaning and restoring the space to its original condition afterward. The rental committee has the responsibility to advertise our space and share the rental form. It has a responsibility to onboard interested Ridgewood Commons members by sharing our documents and procedures. The Rental Committee also has the responsibility to produce signatures for any combination of waivers, MOUs, or Hold Harmless agreements that are deemed necessary for the rental. The Rental Committee is also responsible for ensuring accessibility of the space to co-workers during regular working hours (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday). The Rental Committee is also responsible for furnishing the space according to the needs of both the co-workers and other rental parties. We will share MOUs with both co-workers and other rental parties that outline collective stewardship expectations.

Ratified: