¶ Member Handbook
Welcome to Pawprint Prototyping! This handbook collects our governance principles, rules, and cultural norms into one place so you can understand how the space works and what's expected of everyone in it.
These are the cultural foundations that guide how we operate day-to-day:
| Principle |
Summary |
| Excellence |
Be excellent to each other. Treat everyone with respect and good faith. |
| Do-ocracy |
If you want something done, do it. The people who do the work make the decisions. |
| Participation |
The space is only as good as the people who show up and contribute. |
These are the formal rules from Appendix A of our Bylaws. All members and guests are expected to follow them.
- Be excellent to each other — respect your fellow hackers, their privacy, and their property. Abide by the Code of Conduct.
- Obey all laws — local, state, and federal, while in the Space or at any event associated with the Hackerspace.
- Do nothing to bring the Hackerspace into disrepute.
- Promote the purposes and mission of the Hackerspace.
- Treat all property with care and respect — all workspaces and tools are shared among all users.
- Keep the Space clean — pick up after yourself when you are done working on a project, and clean up after others.
- Use common sense and personal responsibility in the Space.
- Do not use tools you are not authorized to use. See Tool Certifications for details.
- Err on the side of doing things — if you want to do something at PawPrint Prototyping, just do it.
- Hold others accountable — maintain safety and decorum of the space by holding others accountable to these rules.
Pawprint Prototyping is dedicated to providing a harassment-free space for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, or anything else. We do not tolerate harassment of hackerspace users in any form.
All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other members or guests.
Members or guests violating the Code of Conduct may be asked to leave. The full Code of Conduct is in Appendix B of our Bylaws.
Pawprint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit governed by its members and managed by a Board of Directors comprosed of elected community members.
The Board handles day-to-day paperwork, administration and consists of at minimum:
- President — chairs meetings, primary spokesperson
- Treasurer — manages finances and dues
- Secretary — maintains records and meeting minutes
- Chief Technology Officer — maintains IT infrastructure
Board members are elected by the membership at least once every 12 months. Any member who has been active for at least 6 months is eligible to run.
Ideally, the board exists mostly to file paperwork and ensure bills get paid. Healthy spaces mostly run themselves with little board intervention.
- General Body Meetings — held monthly (every 4th Tuesday at 7pm). Open to all members, guests, and the public. This is where motions are proposed and voted on.
- Board Meetings — held at least monthly. Open to members in a non-participatory capacity.
Most things at Pawprint are decided by do-ocracy — just do it. For bigger decisions that affect the whole organization:
- A member makes a motion during New Business at a general body meeting.
- Another member seconds the motion.
- The motion is discussed, then tabled until the next meeting (to give everyone time to consider it).
- At the next meeting, the motion is voted on. A simple majority passes most motions. Some motions (changing rules, limiting the board, etc.) require a two-thirds majority. Votes are also collected by electronic proxy if you can't make it to the meeting.
Motions can also be submitted asynchronously via email, Telegram, Signal, or written letter — see the full Bylaws for details.
Votes require at least half of all active members to be present (in person or via teleconference). Proxy votes are allowed for most motions.
For details on how to join, see Becoming a Member.
In short: $100/month dues, a signed membership agreement, and two board member signatures.
What you get:
- Key to open up the space
- Voting rights on motions at general body meetings
- Eligibility to run for the board (after 6 months)
Your obligations:
- Support the mission of the Hackerspace
- Open the space to provide equitable public access
- Complete required orientation and education
- Follow the rules and Code of Conduct
- Welcome — First-day orientation info: Wi-Fi, HVAC, parking tickets, safety, and how to find things around the space.
- Becoming a Member — What you need to sign up: dues, the membership agreement, and getting two board signatures.
- Tools — An index of the larger shared tools in the space, including usage notes and maintenance history.
- Tool Certifications — Some tools require certification before use. This page explains which ones and how to get certified.
- Leaving Stuff at the Space — How the parking ticket system works for storing personal gear or in-progress projects at the space.
- Space Lockup Checklist — If you're the last one out, here's what to check before you lock up.
- The Board — Who's currently on the board and how to reach them.
- Full Bylaws — The complete legal governing document, including the Rules (Appendix A) and Code of Conduct (Appendix B).
- Interest Groups — Smaller groups of members who meet regularly around a shared topic. Start one if you want — that's do-ocracy.
- Pawprint Web Services — Documentation for the space's digital infrastructure: Home Assistant, LDAP, wiki, and other self-hosted services.
Our governance principles are adapted from the broader hackerspace movement, particularly Noisebridge in San Francisco and the Hackerspace Blueprint. Our Code of Conduct is forked from the !!Con Code of Conduct.