Why Governance exists
Keep Calm's operating principle is that authority follows the work, not the title: Sport Leads decide their sport, and Governance only gets involved once something affects the whole community (see Decision Making). Formalising Governance, rather than leaving the big calls to whoever's loudest in a general chat, is the same aspiration behind Core, the organiser one-pagers, and the RACI matrix: a community that keeps its inclusive, volunteer-hearted feel while becoming structurally hard to break - one that survives any single person stepping back, founders included.
That only works if the room where those decisions happen is one where people actually build together rather than just react to each other. That's what the standard below exists to protect.
What Governance is not
- It is not a rank above Core or Organisers - it's a different, narrower function (community direction), not a bigger badge.
- It is not where day-to-day organising happens - that's still the Organisers group and each sport's own space.
- It is not a permanent seat - see Losing Governance status below.
Who's in Governance
Invite-only, and deliberately smaller than Core. Two paths in, both still by invitation:
- Organisers and Admins in good standing. Taking on the role already proves real investment - 3+ months in the role is enough to be considered.
- Established Core members. 6+ months in Core, with a track record of constructive, respectful contribution - not just attendance.
Meeting the bar above gets someone considered, not automatically in. Conduct is what actually decides it - see the standard below.
The Governance standard
Governance directly shapes where Keep Calm goes, so more is expected here than anywhere else in the community:
- Disagree with ideas, not people. Push back on a proposal without attacking whoever raised it.
- Come to build, not just to complain. If you're flagging a problem, bring a way forward, or stay open to one.
- Respect a decision once it's made, even if you argued against it at the time.
- Keep sensitive discussion inside the group - money, member conduct cases, and association matters stay in Governance, not the wider groups.
- Write like newer members are reading, because eventually they will be.
How you join
Vouched for by an existing Governance member or the Community Lead, then confirmed by the group - not something you apply for. If someone clearly fits but hasn't been raised, anyone in Governance can put their name forward.
Sending the invitation
- Replace
[first name]and the Why you? line with something specific and real - a general "you'd be great" reads as a form message. - Send it as a direct message, not in a group, so it can be a real conversation, not an announcement.
- No pressure either way - if they say no or want time, leave the door open and check back later.
- When they say yes, add them to the Keep Calm Governance group.
Invitation message
Hi [first name]! 👋
We'd love to invite you to join *Keep Calm Governance* 🏛️
*Why you?*
[Specific reason - e.g. their track record organising/admin-ing, or steady, thoughtful contribution in Core]
*What is Keep Calm Governance?*
It's the small group where Keep Calm's bigger community-wide decisions actually get made - new sports and activities, community-wide policy, external partnerships, and anything that affects the whole community. It's smaller and more selective than Core or Organisers on purpose: these conversations need people who show up ready to build something, not just react.
*What's expected of you*
Same as everywhere else in Keep Calm, you're a volunteer giving your own time - there's no rota, no duties, no quota of meetings to attend. What actually matters is how you show up when it counts:
- Disagree with ideas, not people
- Bring a way forward when you flag a problem, or stay open to one
- Respect a decision once it's made, even if you argued against it at the time
- Keep sensitive discussion (money, member conduct, association matters) inside the group
*A few things it's not*
Not a rank above Core or Organisers, and not a reward - it's a different, narrower job (community direction), and it comes with a genuinely higher bar on how discussions go, because these are the conversations that shape where Keep Calm goes next.
*No pressure at all* - it's completely fine to say no, or take some time to think it over.
Any questions, just ask! 🤗
Welcome message (post in the Keep Calm Governance group)
Post this once someone's said yes and been added to the group.
Welcome to Keep Calm Governance, [name]! 🏛️
[Name] is joining us here - the smaller group where we work through the bigger decisions and direction for Keep Calm.
Since it's a smaller space, let's use it well: come with ideas, be honest, and let's build things together rather than just react to them.
A quick intro so we all know a bit about you 👇
👤 Your name, and how long you've been part of Keep Calm
🎾 Which activities or roles you're most involved in
💡 One thing you'd love to see Keep Calm do better or differently
Ask anything here anytime - this group only works if we're honest with each other. Welcome aboard! 🙌
Losing Governance status
This is the one place in Keep Calm where the bar is genuinely stricter than Core's. A pattern of dismissive, disrespectful, or bad-faith engagement in Governance is enough to lose Governance membership specifically - it does not automatically touch someone's Core, Organiser, or Admin status elsewhere, though a serious enough issue might separately.
Decided by the remaining Governance members (or the Community Lead if Governance itself is deadlocked), handled privately, with the chance to be heard, per Decision Making.
Related documents
- Decision Making - what Governance actually decides, and how
- Keep Calm Core - the wider, more social group Governance is often drawn from
- WhatsApp Groups - the group description
- Community Conduct - the conduct rules Governance is held to at the highest bar
- Who Does What (RACI) - where community-wide decisions sit in the wider responsibility map