Initial contents of the membership guidelines document

Criteria

Contributing membership should be available to the following people:

  • Active members of SPI associated projects
  • Active members of any large free software development project
  • Any person who has made a significant contribution to the free software community
  • Any person who actively contributes to the free software community

Membership may be granted to other individuals who provide worthwhile contributions to SPI and the free software community.

Eligibility to gain Contributing and Non-contributing membership will ordinarily be determined by delegates of the Board, including delegates who are individuals or committees of the corporation without the authority to bind the Board. These delegates may also downgrade inactive Contributing members to Non-contributing member status in accordance with a resolution of the Board.

However, nobody will be expelled from membership, nor will anyone who has been expelled from membership be eligible to regain membership, except upon the decision of the Board in their case.

The Board retains its full authority to directly decide on eligibility and to directly classify members as Contributing or Non-contributing.

Application Procedures

To be eligible for membership, an individual must complete an electronic membership application in such form as shall be adopted by the Board of Directors from time to time. All memberships shall be granted upon approval by the Board or its delegates.

Expulsion

The Board is planning to establish a Code of Conduct documenting expected behavior. The Board shall have grounds to expel a member for one or more violations of this Code of Conduct if, in the opinion of the Board: (1) the violations are sufficiently severe or frequent as to warrant that remedy; and (2) either (a) the violations occurs within a context related to SPI, or (b) the circumstances surrounding the violations indicate that the violations are likely having or likely will have a sufficiently severe or frequent negative impact on SPI, including the ability of one or more SPI members or directors to exercise their rights or fulfill their responsibilities as SPI members or directors.

The Board intends to engage in a period of consultation with the membership before approving this Code of Conduct.