Revision: 2
Ratification Date: 2017-06-06
The purpose of this document is to codify a set of expectations Tech Fellows should rise to, as well as information concerning specific processes and outcomes Tech Fellows can expect to happen during the course of their Fellowship.
Establish an environment that is embracing and diverse. Be awesome to one-another. Represent the collection of our unique experiences and background.
Be unstoppable in our work. Affect the change you want to see. Create amazing opportunities for you and the Fellowship.
Seek out opportunities to serve others. Give back. Rise to your responsibility as a member of this city.
Fellows are expected to exceed the expectations set forth for them by their host company. Fellows should prioritize their company obligations over the obligations of the Fellowship, so long as that prioritization does not create a consistent problem with meeting other expectations.
TechPoint, Leaders, and Members of the Fellowship will, commonly, hold official events. It is expected that attendees of these events will conduct themselves in a way that is aligned with the core values of the Fellowship. An on-site coordinator will be appointed for every official event. This coordinator takes on the responsibility of ensuring the success of the event, including but not limited to:
- Tracking attendance
- Helping Fellows arrive and depart safely from the event
- Marketing the event to maximize Fellow interest
- Coordinating day-of process and assets like catering
- Ensuring that all attendees uphold the core values of the Fellowship during the event
- Administering after-event sentiment analysis, such as surveys.
The event coordinator may enlist or be assigned help in managing an event should the scope of the event demand it.
An official event may be designated as mandatory. These events are part of the core programming of the Fellowship, and define what makes a Fellow a Fellow.
It is the responsibility of every Fellow to ensure their presence at mandatory events. This may require the Fellow to:
- Communicate with their host company about Fellowship expectations.
- Depart their place of work in a timely manner.
- Account for transportation, including traffic and vehicle availability.
Below is a list of classes of mandatory events and their expected cadence and duration. The durations listed should, in every case, be considered an estimate provided for the informative convenience of the reader. This list is provided for your reference, and is not necessarily exhaustive.
The entire Fellowship gathers as a group to enjoy dinner, discuss events in the upcoming month, and take care of any necessary business.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar month
Duration: Two (2) hours
Meet-and-Greet with local business leaders to learn about their history in Indy tech and what they do with their companies today.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar month
Duration: Two (2) hours
Hear and learn from experts in the community about topics related to professional development.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar quarter
Duration: Two (2) hours
A focused, multi-week professional development learning experience.
Cadence: One (1) seminar per calendar year. Each seminar consists of multiple individual events, with one event planned per week, on consecutive weeks.
Duration: Two (2) hours per event
A multi-day escape from the day-to-day of our jobs where we enjoy personal and professional development programming and revelry with fellow Fellows.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar year.
Duration: Two (2) to three (3) days.
Bond with all your Fellowship Friends in an event filled with great times.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar quarter.
Duration: Three (3) or more hours.
Socialize with the final round of incoming Tech Fellow candidates.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar year.
Duration: Four (4) hours.
Hear the position statements of every executive board candidate and place your vote to guide governance for the next year.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar year, plus emergency elections if necessary.
Duration: Two (2) hours.
Mandatory and attended only by executive board members, LCUs give leadership members a chance to prepare for the upcoming monthly meeting and plan strategy for upcoming Fellowship events.
Cadence: One (1) per calendar month.
Duration: Two (2) hours.
Some events may be designated as mandatory-on-signup. At some point before the event, at a time decided on an event-by-event basis, a sign-up sheet will be distributed to indicate your desire to participate. Signing-up for the event indicates your commitment to attend and the leadership’s commitment to plan for your attendance. At the point of sign-up, the event is considered mandatory for you, and attendance will be recorded and judged as if it were any other normal mandatory event.
Examples of events which fall under this category include but are not limited to:
- Technical conferences, where tickets cost the Tech Fellowship money.
- Workshops with limited capacity, where filling your seat at the last minute isn’t possible.
Every effort is made by the leadership team to plan events which can be attended by everyone in the Tech Fellowship. That being said, some events may have limited attendance availability, due to the nature of the event or venue.
For events of this nature, at least twenty-four (24) hour notice is given before sign-up sheets go out. When it comes time to sign up, the sign-up sheet is distributed by email and Slack. At this point, the event is first-come first-serve.
With oversight from TechPoint, the event coordinator is given the right to prioritize or de-prioritize a Fellow’s ability to attend events of this nature. This could be done in circumstances such as an event being especially applicable to a Fellow’s career path, or a Fellow having recently attended other similar events.
Fellow attendance at mandatory and select elective events will be logged by the event coordinator in charge of the event. The exact process of this attendance logging is not defined by the Bylaws, but can be expected to be something like a secure spreadsheet accessible only to executive board members and TechPoint.
The event coordinator is trusted to accurately report the attendance at that event. Should a Fellow be falsely reported as absent from an event which they attended, they should register a complaint with a TechPoint staff member, including evidence of their attendance, such as a witness or selfie. These situations will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by TechPoint.
If a Fellow believes they will be unable to attend an upcoming mandatory event, they are expected to alert their absence to the event coordinator, an executive board chair, or a TechPoint representative before the event. The deadline for submitting an absence and reasoning to be considered for excusal is one week before the event occurs, unless otherwise stated by the event coordinator.
An absence will be considered excused if the majority of the executive board agrees that it should be considered excused. This decision is made as quickly as possible after the absence is reported, and the result is communicated back to the Fellow immediately.
If the reason for the absence is particularly sensitive to the Fellow, the Fellow may ask the executive board member or TechPoint to keep the reasoning confidential. In situations like this, the executive board member or TechPoint is given the authority to bypass the formal voting process and immediately declare the absence as excused or unexcused. If the Fellow is unhappy with the decision, and still desires it to be considered sensitive, they may escalate the decision to TechPoint for a final ruling.
Examples of excused absences can include, but are not limited to:
- Permanent or temporary disability which affects your ability to participate in the event.
- Medical appointments.
- Municipal obligations, such as jury duty.
- Work-related commitments, such as product launches or training.
If a Fellow comes to discover that they will be unable to attend an event beyond the deadline for submitting an excused absence, they should immediately alert the event coordinator of their upcoming absence. This absence may still be considered excused, per a vote by the executive board.
Civic engagement and community service is a core pillar of the Fellowship, and it is expected that all Fellows feel both an excitement and responsibility to give back to the local community and world we live in.
Fellows are expected to log at least four (4) hours of community service with the Civic Engagement committee, per calendar quarter.
The Civic Engagement committee will provide official events to help meet this quota. For every official Civic Engagement event a Fellow attends, the Fellow may log at least two (2) hours toward their current quota, even if the event was shorter. The logged duration of an event will be decided by the event coordinator at the conclusion of the event.
Fellows are also welcome to identify and complete their own Civic Engagement opportunities should the opportunities provided to them by the Civic Engagement committee be unfulfilling.
Generally speaking, a valid unofficial Civic Engagement opportunity is any instance where a Fellow spends time helping the community without receiving direct compensation. Examples of valid unofficial Civic Engagement include, but are not limited to:
- Volunteering at local animal shelters
- Donating blood at a blood drive
- Providing career mentoring for local young adults
Fellows are expected to log all community service hours they complete with the Civic Engagement committee. The Civic Engagement committee reserves the right to deny submitted volunteer hours.
Fellows can elect to serve on the committee of one of the executive board chairs. Participation in a committee is decided primarily based on availability within that committee.
It is expected that Fellows who accept this opportunity will fulfill what their committee leader asks of them to the best of their ability, to further that committee’s goals under the banner of the Tech Fellowship.
A committee member may recuse themselves from their committee at any time.
From time to time, Fellows might be asked to help TechPoint and the executive board in their mission to grow the Tech Fellowship. The following is an incomplete list of opportunities you may expect to hear about.
- Participation in campus recruitment events.
- Writing or appearing in blog posts for Tech Fellowship associated blogs.
- Taking pictures of Fellowship events.
- Telling your story in TechPoint marketing materials.
These opportunities are elective, but Fellows should consider their importance in the future growth of the Fellowship, and participation is greatly appreciated.
Active participation and engagement in the Fellowship is necessary for all Fellows to have a meaningful experience. To such ends, a degree of attendance is expected from every Fellow. This section outlines the thresholds at which Fellows can expect to begin a conversation with TechPoint to recognize their absence.
- Reporting three unexcused absences from mandatory events in one calendar quarter.
- Reporting fewer than four hours of community service in one calendar quarter.
Fellows may ask any executive board member or TechPoint representative for a status report on their standing, at any time. Fellows can expect to be contacted by an executive board member before they reach this threshold.
The process TechPoint initiates can be expected to include the following steps.
- Informing the Fellow of their failure to meet expectations.
- Holding a conversation between a TechPoint representative and the Fellow to determine the cause of their failure to meet expectations.
- Crafting a plan which empowers the Fellow to meet their expectations in the future.
Should a Fellow consistently fail to meet the expectations outlined above, TechPoint is given the sole authority to separate a Fellow from the Tech Fellowship. This separation does not remove the Fellow from their position at their host company, but the host company will be notified that it has happened.
The Tech Fellowship recognizes that Executive Board Chairs may, at times, fail to perform the duties expected of them by TechPoint and other Fellows, or be unable to serve due to unforeseen circumstances. If, at any point, a Fellow feels that a Chair is not performing to their expectations, they should register a complaint with a TechPoint representative.
A complaint against a Chair will begin a process which can be expected to include the following steps. TechPoint reserves the final authority to impeach a Chair.
- Sourcing additional opinions and data about the performance of the Chair.
- Convening a meeting of the remaining Executive Board Chairs to discuss the accusal.
- Notifying the offending Chair of the accusation.
- Designing a plan to improve the offending Chair’s performance.
- Removing the Chair from their position.
Should a Chair be impeached more than one (1) month before the pre-scheduled annual elections, an emergency vote will be held at the next monthly meeting to replace the chair, following the process of a normal emergency vote.
The Tech Fellowship is governed by TechPoint, a division of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. TechPoint has ultimate authority in all decisions related to the operation and governance of the Tech Fellowship, including superseding clauses in these Bylaws in extreme circumstances.
The Tech Fellowship will elect members of the Fellowship to positions of leadership. This collective group of seven leaders is referred to as the Executive Board, with each individual member holding a Chair in their respective domain. What follows is a list of the seven Executive Board Chairs who help TechPoint advance the mission of the Tech Fellowship.
Responsible for assisting the TechPoint team in the planning and execution a comprehensive Fellowship wrap-up experience. This may include: sourcing fellow interest in the Capstone Experience, identifying learning opportunities, planning business leader sessions, and aiding the TechPoint team in the logistics of planning and executing the trip. The focus of this position is to construct a collaborative hands-on experience that strives to reinforce and nurture a strong peer network and ongoing industry education.
Responsible for planning and managing industry and non-industry specific volunteer events that enable the Fellows to give back to the community. This Chair will determine the frequency and overall impact desired from these events. Additionally, this Chair serves as the Catapult Mentorship program liaison. The focus of this role is to ensure the Tech Fellowship is an organization known for its engagement in our greater Central Indiana community.
Responsible for sourcing and executing curriculum that incorporates the cross-section of Fellow interest and industry need, from both a hard skill and soft skill perspective. This Chair creates industry informed programming to equip Fellows with the skills needed to become leaders, and assists in the planning of events including: Professional networking meetings, case competitions, the Mark Hill Entrepreneurial seminar, pitch competitions, and others. The focus area of this role is to create opportunity for continued learning.
Responsible for leadership of all marketing efforts, both online and offline, in conjunction with the TechPoint Staff. These efforts may include: sourcing content, offline marketing, and blog and social media. The Marketing Chair educates the Fellows on brand standards to maintain consistency in our messaging. The focus of this role is to act as a liaison between the Tech Fellowship and the TechPoint team for all all things content and social media.
Responsible for administrative functions within the Tech Fellowship and Executive Board. This chair will work with other Executive Board members and TechPoint to build sustainable budgets, manage financial instruments within the Fellowship such as a day-to-day spending debit card, identify and schedule physical meeting spaces when necessary, schedule meeting times when necessary, and ensure the accuracy of attendance records for mandatory events.
Collaborate with the TechPoint Talent Team to successfully recruit the next generation of Tech Fellows. This Chair is responsible for organizing Fellow involvement in both on and off-campus recruitment events, coordinating opportunities with representatives from other TechPoint Talent Programs, including Xtern and Xtern Bootcamp, and assisting TechPoint with new Tech Fellow onboarding.
Responsible for creating and fostering an inclusive culture among Fellows. This Chair is tasked to make sure Fellows are staying active in their interests and passions outside of the workplace. This may include: holding social gatherings and events, planning and executing quarterly social events, and running point on combined Tech and Orr Fellowship social gatherings. The focus of this role is to foster consistent participation and fun!
A Tech Fellow is considered eligible for a position of leadership if all of the following qualifications are met.
- Have served on any executive board committee.
- There is no present reason to believe that the candidate’s Fellowship will end before the next planned elections and inauguration.
Executive Board elections are held in the first calendar quarter of each year at a time and place selected by TechPoint and the existing Executive Board.
After the elections, the existing Executive Board members will hold their positions and onboard the new Chair Elects into their positions until June of the same year, at which point the existing Executive Board members will step down and the Chair Elects will be inaugurated.
At least two weeks prior to election day, all current Tech Fellows will have the opportunity to nominate eligible Fellows for each Executive Board chair. Beside what is outlined under Candidate Eligibility, there are no restrictions on nominations. Fellows may nominate themselves, nominate multiple people, or nominate the same person to multiple positions.
These nominations will be due one calendar week prior to when the election is scheduled to happen. Nominations will be compiled by TechPoint staff. TechPoint staff will then notify nominated individuals of the positions they have been nominated for.
Nominated individuals will have forty-eight (48) hours after this communication to accept or decline their nomination for each position.
After all nominations have been finalized, at least forty-eight (48) hours before the election is scheduled to occur, all Fellows will be given a list of all Fellows nominated to each position.
All Fellows are expected to attend election day, and will be given ample notice of its time and location.
Should a Fellow be unable to attend and has properly notified the Executive Board or TechPoint of their absence in the manner outlined for mandatory events, the Fellow may submit an absentee ballot to TechPoint.
A two-thirds (67%) quorum of Tech Fellowship members must be present or have submitted absentee ballots in order for an election to take place. If this quorum is not met, the election is rescheduled.
On election day, the final ballot will be read by a TechPoint staff representative. Elections for each position will proceed in alphabetical order by Chair name.
Each nominated individual will be given the opportunity to present a five (5) minute position statement to the group. During these position statements, all other nominees for the chair that is being voted will exit the room.
After all of the position statements for the current Chair have been given, the room will be opened to discussion among Fellows who are not running for that chair.
Voting will take place after all nominees have given their position statements for all chairs. Each Fellow may elect a single nominee for each chair. A Fellow may abstain from a vote, which indicates that their vote for that Chair is not considered in the pool of all votes for that Chair. A Fellow may vote No Confidence for a Chair, which indicates that they do not have confidence that any nominee for that Chair is a suitable candidate.
Votes will be submitted to a present TechPoint staff member. This staff member will count the votes for each chair and report a winner.
The nominee who receives a greater-than 50% majority of the votes cast for them, including both present votes and absentee ballots, shall be declared the winner for that position.
In the event that no nominee receives a simple majority of the votes cast, the nominee who received the fewest votes will be dropped from the ballot and the balloting will be repeated until one nominee receives the majority and is declared elected.
If No Confidence votes result in a chair having no acceptable candidates, the election process for that chair will be rescheduled, until a suitable candidate is elected.
If a single candidate receives the simple majority of the votes cast for more than one Chair, that candidate can select which Chair they would prefer to serve as from the ones they won. Voting will then repeat for the Chairs which they did not select.
If a candidate is not present the day of the election, they may submit a position statement to a representative of TechPoint. This statement will be read by a representative of TechPoint prior to voting for that position.
Any Tech Fellow may propose an amendment or modification to these Bylaws. This proposal may happen at any monthly meeting. The proposal should include:
- A short summary of what changes are being proposed.
- A written explanation on why the Fellow feels these changes are necessary.
- A copy of the entire Bylaws with their proposal merged in (the “Composite Draft”).
This proposal will enter the amendment process if it has the support of at least one (1) other Fellowship member and at least one (1) other executive board member or TechPoint staff representative.
After approval at the monthly meeting, the proposal will enter a one (1) month incubation period. During this time, the Executive Board, TechPoint, and the Fellow who proposed the amendment are expected to:
- Finalize the composite draft of the Bylaws with the proposal merged in.
- Circulate this finalized composite draft to all Tech Fellows no later than two (2) weeks before the next monthly meeting.
- Ensure their availability for any questions or concerns Fellows may have about the new amendment.
Barring conflicting circumstances, amendment ratification will happen at the monthly meeting following the initial proposal. At this monthly meeting, a vote will be held to ratify the composite Bylaws draft. Should a Fellow be unable to attend this meeting and have given the Executive Board or TechPoint proper notice of their absence pursuant to the mandatory event section above, they may submit an absentee ballot with their vote.
The composite draft is considered ratified if it receives all of the following.
- A three-fourths majority affirmative vote of all votes cast.
- An affirmative vote from a representative of TechPoint.
The amendment will go into effect immediately after ratification.
Amendment ratification may be delayed until the next monthly meeting if more than 15% of the voting population onboarded into the Tech Fellowship within the previous month.
Below is a list of summaries of amendments these Bylaws have undergone since their inception.
| Revision | PR | Date | Proposed By | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| r2 | #1 | 2017-09 | EBoard | Reclassify Finance Chair -> Operations Chair |
| r1 | - | TBD | - | - |