Stewardship Program

OUT OF DATE! We have moved to a TEAM model and now have staff support. 5/12/23

We used to have a steward model where essentially, these volunteers were responsible for everything in a program and functioned like benevolent dictators. We are way too big for that now and that old model does not serve the Ace Mission. The old model also was not sustainable as volunteers were hard to recruit, took major investments to train, and burned out frequently. They were not, for the most part not, having a good time.

The new model strives to solve those problems. Functioning in Teams reduces bottlenecks and brings many perspectives into decision-making and program/area design. Additionally, folks report enjoying working in teams a lot more. This model still requires staff support for recruiting and training as well as oversight to ensure mission alignment.

PDF Version of the Graphic Overview

Contents hide

Stewardship Program Description
Steward Management
The Stewardship Team Model

Stewardship Program Description

Forward: The program description has been written as a general outline of the program.

The goal of the program is to improve maintenance and training on our equipment and areas so that the membership is better able to use these awesome resources.

Tool Stewards are members in good standing with expertise on the tool in question. Stewards and the stewardship program are managed by the Executive Director. To learn more about the current Executive Director’s (Crafty Rachel) management style please see the link at the bottom of this description to “How Stewards are Managed”. The Executive Director is also responsible for creating new steward positions based on operational needs.

For more information on the leadership structures at AMT please see the AMT Org Chart:

Members wishing to be Stewards should contact the Officers.

Qualifications

The Steward doesn’t have to be the most knowledgeable person at AMT on that particular tool, but they should be able to do most things on the tool and answer most questions
Stewards are leaders and should have leadership and delegation skills
Good communication skills and/or a desire to gain them
Be able to meet the responsibilities including time management and communication goals

All stewards are appointed by the Executive Director.

Responsibilities and Authority

Time Commitment

Spend a minimum of 2 hours a week and usually not more than 5 hours a week on maintenance, education, and documentation.
Make a 3 month to 1-year commitment
Stewards are encouraged to make advanced arrangements for a temporary replacement for any long-planned absences. See the Executive Directorfor help planning for long absences.

Culture

Ensure that all decisions, plans, programs, and documentation are in line with the Mission, Vision, and Values of Ace Monster Toys
The Steward ensures plans, builds, and/or major changes to the tool or area have been approved by the Safety Steward and the Executive Director and other designated officers and consults with the appropriate subject matter experts
To behave professionally when interfacing with the public, members, officers, and directors
To behave in accordance with the Mission, Vision, and Values of Ace Monster Toys when dealing with members and non-members when representing Ace Monster Toys in any venue

Maintenance

Keeping up to date on the tool’s status by documented periodic review of the tool log and by direct inspection of the tool
Reset the tool on a regular basis to a base configuration suitable for most users
Causing any periodic maintenance to happen (that is, anything other than maintenance that should be done at each use, which is the user’s responsibility)
Appropriate use of org-wide task and project management tools
Determining whether improper use is causing undue wear
Keeping an eye out on the wear and state of the tool and determining if a replacement is imminent
Tracking the use of tool consumables, if any, and keeping consumables in stock, if appropriate

Education/Supervision

Running or building training or training programs for other members to teach proper use and basic maintenance
Approving members to teach the tool and maintaining a list of approved teachers
If certification is required to use the tool offer regularly scheduled opportunities for members to become qualified

Documentation

Managing the tool logs (digital)
Naming the tool, if they like
Checklist of good user behavior on or near the tool, and on the wiki
Ensuring complete maintenance instructions are available when expecting others to contribute to the maintenance
Ensuring that all tools and or components of the tool are properly documented in the asset tracking system and on the wiki
Ensuring newly certified members, if required, are communicated to the Secretary in a timely manner
Ensuring that members authorized to certify others are communicated to the Secretary in a timely manner

Spending

Purchasing consumables, repair parts, educational materials or safety equipment (Reimbursable. All approved out of pocket expenses are reimbursable.)
Ensure that all spending falls with budgeted allotments in the following three categories:
- Education Support
- Safety and Improvement
- Consumables
Ensures that they get pre-approval from the Executive Director or all spending from the major project budget or outside the three program-specific categories
Ensures they get pre-approval from the Executive Director for all fundraising campaigns where matching is expected
Communicates future budget needs in a timely manner

Use Standards

Making decisions about the maintenance and usage of the tool
Defining the use policy for the tool (i.e. who may use it, when, recommending cost, if certification is required, etc), and coordinating approval and implementation of the policy with the Executive Director
Authorizing qualified members to perform tool use certifications
Ensure that consumables parameters for the tool are balanced appropriately between users and the org

Member Services

Responding to email/slack inquiries about the tool within a reasonable time
Ensuring that the membership is notified and can access the status of the tool
Engaging and informing the membership in significant build-outs or outages
Communicate all major build plans, function changes and policy changes to the membership in a timely manner
The steward may choose to hold Meetups around their tool for members and the general public

Responsibility Exceptions

Setup, cleanup, configuration, or maintenance for any user other than themselves outside of regular maintenance is not required
Teaching *all* new users is not required, a reasonable offering is desired
Any accidents, malfunctions, injuries, or damage to the tool while any other person is operating it – each individual user is still fully responsible for their own use

Resources

Tool Training/Mentorship

In some cases, tool training or mentorship may be provided to the steward including:

When potential steward need their skills rounded out to be successful in the role
When adding to a skill set of the steward would elevate the program or offer to members and the community

Marketing assistance

AMT will provide basic promotion of all educational offering as well as support for fundraising efforts as resources allow
AMT has a number of communication tools available to stewards to make fulfilling their member services responsibilities as easy as possible
Contact the Marketing Coordinator for specific marketing assistance

Purchasing

All purchasing is tracked and we provide training on expense reporting software as well as purchasing assistance via the Executive Director or Vice President.
Purchasing for new or replacement equipment is done primarily through fundraising after officer approval. (See Tool and Equipment Acquisition Policies )

Lockers

Tool stewards can have one small locker for free for the life of their stewardship. Contact the Store Manager or an officer to get a coupon.

Oversight/Feedback/Termination

The policies, decisions, plans, and spending done by stewards are subject to reasonable oversight by Ace Monster Toys governance team, build plans and policy development in particular. The Executive Director is responsible for managing stewards. The process for providing that oversight by the officers varies by tool or area of stewardship but is discussed in detail at the time stewardship starts. Things that might require oversight by the Executive Director may include:

Review of new policies for members
Review of major policy changes for members
Periodic Spending review
Pre-Approval of spending from the Project/Matching budget

Feedback about performance and steward satisfaction is giving 2 to 4 times a year or as needed by the Executive Director. The typical review includes:

Things the stewards is awesome at
Things that may need improvement
Things that are working for the steward
Things that are not working for the steward
Any ideas or feedback that the steward may have for leadership

Sometimes things just don’t work despite the best intentions of members and officers. At any time the steward may step down as this is a purely voluntary position. There is no guarantee of stewardship. Ace Monster Toys may end stewardship at any time with or without reason. Dismissal from stewardship does not affect AMT membership standing in any way. While there is an expectation that stewards will commit for a minimum of 3 months there is no guarantee of stewardship for any duration.

Operational notes

Often the Executive Director will fill in when there is no steward in order to keep the services provided by AMT from being negatively impacted.

Steward Management

Forward: This section was written for the Executive Director and officer to use as a guide while administering the Stewardship Program including:

Rationale and decision making criteria for recruiting, managing and dismissing stewards

Recruiting/Staffing

The Executive Director is responsible for recruiting stewards.
When there are unfilled steward positions the Executive Director will fill in as is possible in order to keep operations functioning.
Our recruitment process is slow and intentional. With very few exceptions folks need to have been an active member of AMT for least 2 months prior to taking on stewardship. Those 2 months give the potential steward an opportunity to get a solid sense of AMT culture and operations.
We have a responsibility to provide potential stewards with a candid description of any situation they may be getting themselves into if taking on stewardship (machines in extreme disrepair, challenging users, etc.) along with a written role description and an outline of expected minimum time commitments.
Recruitment includes an interview/audition process with one or more officers and potentially other stewards. A good match with the operational goals of Ace Monster Toys as well as good interpersonal skills is as important as hard technical skills.
When we recruit we give the steward plenty of escape routes. If they realize they are not suited to a job during training they can either decline the stewardship or ask to try another position. Don’t make them feel guilty about this.

Managing

Orientation

Starting off right is super important. Onboarding includes having an expense reporting account created as well as training on:

How New Member sign-up works
How to use the expense reporting software.
Best Practices for use project management software.
Exposure to how to request marketing help.
A thorough review of the mission, vision, and values at AMT.
Exposure to the Steward Resources Kit on the wiki that includes helpful information about dealing with a variety of leadership situations.
A volunteer agreement (TBD once vetted by legal resources)
Policies on Stewardship and stewardship performance

Performance Feedback

As a responsible leader, the Executive Director provides regular feedback regarding performance and solicits feedback from the stewards as well. This happens at least 2 times a year for regular performance reviews. Off-cycle feedback may also be provided in certain cases such as these examples:

A steward does something especially awesome
The policies and decisions the steward is making negatively impact the service quality members receive and corrective action is needed
There is a complaint by a member (feedback ideally given by the Membership Coordinator and the Executive Directoris kept informed of the situation)
The tool or area fails to meet the org’s safety standards
A policy, action or decision the steward makes puts Ace Monster Toys at legal risk

All feedback is recorded and kept by the Ace Monster Toys.

Corrective action

We have a responsibility to provide supportive and corrective actions when things are not working out. Records are kept of all reviews, improvement plans and results. Corrective actions include the following steps.

First Corrective Action

Verbal warning and written clarification of duties and expectations
The steward and the Executive Director create an improvement plan together, which includes specific behaviors to change and a timeframe for reevaluation
Other resources such as mediation services, additional training, or additional help may be accessed
The board is kept in the loop and provides guidance as they see fit

If the agreed-on improvements are not made,

Second Corrective Action

Written warning and clarification of duties and expectations
The steward and the Executive Director create a second improvement plan together, which includes specific behaviors to change and a timeframe for reevaluation
The plan is written down and signed by both parties, and given to the Secretary for filing
Other resources such as mediation services, additional training, or additional help may be accessed

The board is kept in the loop and provides guidance as they see fit.

The Executive Director will seek alternatives to dismissal when possible which may include:

Re-supervise
Re-training
Re-assignment

Some but not all of the things that may result in corrective action:

Failure to meet core responsibilities and duties
- Example: Bob commits to visual inspection weekly but then doesn’t do it or log it for a month.
Failure to communicate
- Example: Inquiries from members go unanswered for many days or not answered at all.
- Example: Takes a tool apart for repair but doesn’t let the membership know the tool will be down.
Willful disregard for the directives of officers, especially in the matters of safety, risk management, and finances
Unprofessional behavior when interfacing with the community, members and fellow leadership team members
Lack of follow-through on commitments and projects
Long absences without coverage (more than 2 weeks)

Dismissal

Sometimes corrective action and supports fail or stewardship is no longer available. Although dismissing a volunteer, especially a steward, is clearly not a desirable task, it can be done, and indeed at times must be done. Stewardship is very important to the mission of AMT, and if the job isn’t getting done or if the steward is lowering the morale of the other members, we have a responsibility to correct the situation.

This is what the dismissal process looks like:

The Executive Director informs the board of the decision to dismiss a steward. That information includes the rationale and a record of previous corrective action.
An in-person meeting is scheduled with the steward, the Executive Director, and a third party.
The steward is informed verbally of the decision and thanked for their service and contribution if applicable.
A letter is also provided that the steward is asked to sign to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the dismissal.
At all times the interactions should be compassionate, professional and non-negotiable.
The rest of the team the person works with is informed of the decision.

The Stewardship Team Model

As a move toward sustainability AMT is experimenting with new stewardship models that better suit the scale of the organization as of October 2019. The first model we are texting is a stewardship Team model with a rotating team captain. As this model evolves launch and onboarding processes will be documented and iterated.

This Team ensures that the area or tool is in good working order and that members/folks have the information they need to use it. This is a group of 3 or more individuals where various team members take turns acting in the lead or captain role for a set period of time.

As the team forms up and launches they work with the officers, mostly the executive director to document an agreed-upon vision for the program or tool. This vision can be revisited by the Team and officers as the program, team members, and needs of the members/users change.

Team Lead/Captain – This is one person from the team who has agreed to be the point person and holder of the program vision for a set period of time. Responsibilities include:

Collaborating with the team to determine program needs (maintenance schedules, classes, purchasing, etc. )
Facilitates the process of distributing tasks within the team to meet program needs

Minimum commitment: 30, 60 or 90 days.

Monthly contribution: 6 hours per month

Team Member – Team members do the jobs needed to keep the program well running. This includes:

Attending regular meetings to collaborate and make decisions in the program
Take on tasks to further the program vision and development
Document best practices and methodologies for running the program or caring for the tools
Provide training to member contributors and Monster Corps Members
Take on operational tasks to run the program. Examples include researching tools and supplies that need to be purchased, posting tasks for member contributors/Monster Corps to complete, updating wiki pages and so on.

Minimum commitment: 90 days