Version: August 6, 2024
1.1 Purpose
The NorthLawn Good Standing Policy exists to define NorthLawn membership participation requirements and expectations.
NorthLawn operates at its best when the community is active and engaged. NorthLawn strives to be self-governing, supportive and non-punitive. We believe a culture of trust and honesty within the community is important and encourage members to build constructive connections and benefit from each other’s contributions.
- Good standing criteria are specified in §1.2
- Membership commitment and biannual participation guidelines are included in §1.3
- Membership phases and requirements are identified in §1.4
- Timeline and next steps outlined in §1.5
1.2 Defining “Good Standing”
To be in “good standing” at NorthLawn is to be a contributing, engaged, and active member of the community. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that one engagement strategy does not fit all. With flexibility in mind, we encourage our members to leverage their strengths and backgrounds to consistently contribute in ways that best align with their interests, capacities, and comfort.
1.3 Membership Commitment
Central to our community ethos is self-governance. Members can contribute in one or all categories, with the recognition that members will engage with the NorthLawn community in different ways.
We expect community engagement will flow organically, but the points system is in place to define a minimum expected contribution for Northlawn members. Members are strongly encouraged to exceed this minimum threshold.
To define community expectations, we have developed a points-based process to measure participation.
On a biannual (2x a year) basis, members are expected to have obtained a minimum of 3 points based on the categories below:
Activity Categories | Activity Examples |
Support (1 point)
Supporting the NorthLawn community at-large or individually | • Problem solving with another member
• Sharing knowledge about a specific topic
• Having a call to get to know another member better
• Participating in an event
• An analogous activity of your choice |
Lead (3 points)
Taking initiative to build, lead, or shape the NorthLawn community | • Participating in a Circle
• Leading an event
• Launching an inner-NorthLawn group
• Introducing high-quality clients
• Introducing high-quality potential new members
• An analogous activity of your choice |
For example, a member who participates in two events and introduces a high-quality client would earn two ‘Support’ points and three “Lead” points, so would be in good standing for the biannual period. Similarly, a member participating in a Circle or leading an event would earn three ‘Lead’ points and be in good standing for the biannual period.
Recording Contributions Each Biannual Period
Members will self-report their involvement and contributions in the community. A short survey will be distributed for members to record their contributions (i.e., identify relevant categories and describe their engagements/contributions).
Example End-of-Biannual-Period Survey Submission
Survey Question | Sample Response |
Did you meet the membership involvement guidelines this biannual period? | Yes |
Please describe your Support contributions in brief bullet points (e.g., problem solving time, event participation, etc.) | • Supported Jon in setting-up liability insurance (introduced to my broker)
• Participated in “Growing Your Independent Consulting Business” panel
• 1:1 intro session with Siena re: healthtech |
Please describe your Lead contributions in brief bullet points (e.g., participating in a Circle, launching events, introducing high-quality potential clients, etc.) | Introduced new client (Clarus Corp.) for possible project on real-estate strategy |
Additional comments |
1.4 Membership Status
Members who do not meet the Membership Commitments will, by default, be moved back to NorthLawn waitlist. As additional membership capacity opens up, waitlist members will have the opportunity to re-join, provided they are able to engage actively with the community.
Full Members | • Full access to all NorthLawn resources
• New NorthLawn members are considered ‘full members’ and in good standing by default unless they cannot commit to membership commitments (i.e., minimum points) |
Waitlist Members | • No day-to-day access to NorthLawn slack, events, etc.
• As capacity becomes available, will be notified of potential opportunities to re-join NorthLawn as full-members, provided they are able to engage actively with the community
• There is no guarantee if or when waitlisted members can re-join |
1.5 Timeline and Next-steps (initial)
Milestone | Timing | Comment |
Policy shared with NorthLawn members | November 30, 2023 | Shared by Brent via a recorded All-Hands |
Members confirm their interest and availability for upcoming quarter | December 7, 2023 | Members confirm their interest in participating in NorthLawn for the upcoming quarter. Via survey, slack message, or email.
If not confirmed, the member will be moved to the waitlist |
End-of-quarter survey | End of March 2024 | Members submit survey with bullet points summarizing their involvement throughout the quarter |
Waitlisting and Re-admittance | Early April 2024 | Inactive members will be moved to the waitlist for the upcoming quarter. New members will be added from the existing waitlist. |
Going forward, the survey will be shared mid September and mid March each year.