OUR WORK & PROGRAMS
GOVERN OURSELVES
We practice and advance liberatory self-governance at many scales across the network and in our communities.
CURRENT WORK
2024 FOCUS
The way that we make decisions and share power together as a network is a core expression of our values and also a tremendous source of our strength. In 2024, we will continue to improve our internal governance systems and structures, share what we’ve learned with members and the broader movement, and begin new processes to develop community agreements and co-learning experiments. We also plan to onboard a new cohort of members in 2024 and initiate the next iteration of NEC’s network-wide strategic planning process.
WORKER SELF DIRECTION
Since 2020, we’ve been a worker self-directed nonprofit, a governance structure that melds aspects of worker cooperativism into the 501(c)(3) structure. In this system, we’ve got a General Circle (consisting of 5 elected staff members and 2 member-elected board members), that holds key governance power. We’ve also got semi-autonomous “Circles” and member working groups, each of which have their own governance charters.
MEMBER-ELECTED BOARD
We strive to have a Board of Directors that represents and is accountable to our membership base. Since 2014, NEC has held regular board elections where all coalition members can directly vote for their top candidates.
MEMBER GATHERINGS & GOVERNANCE
We are in an ongoing process to shift more governance and decision-making power to our member organizations, and to explicitly center grassroots organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and working class communities in our membership structure.
We regularly create opportunities for our members to come together for peer-to-peer learning, collective decision making, and relationship building. We hold monthly virtual calls, and an Annual Member Meeting (historically in-person, now virtual) each year.
Caregivers Connect Working Group
This is an emergent, come-as-you-are, welcoming, brave, and non-judgmental space for caregivers in NEC. If you are intrigued by this group or looking for some ways to build your community as a caregiver, join us to be in community, share space, laughs, tears, recipes for liberation as caregivers.