1. For Free Futures — on the space and its purpose.

2. From Abilities to Needs — on membership.

3. Continuous Direct Democracy — on decision-making.

4. Trust Transparency — on staying honest and our status.

5. Always Accountable — on actions and consequences.

6. Common Conflict — on conflicts and resolutions.

7. Change Everything — on wanting to evolve.

8. Federate — on being just one node among many.

💡 We based these principles on Elinor Ostrom’s seminal book, “Governing the Commons” in which she lays out eight design principles for common pool resources. While numbered, there’s no order of priority.

📍 This is a living document; we will fail, we will make mistakes, and we won’t have covered every possible scenario that can and will happen. But with patience, good faith, common sense and trust, we hope to learn to govern ourselves, together.

🌳 We hope this document feels accessible to all. Our references are not meant to intimidate, and you don’t have know them to get to know us! Please reach out if we can do better! Follow for updates.

1. For Free Futures — on the space and its purpose.

If you’re a member of post-office,

the space is yours as much as ours,and ours as much as yours.A testing ground for sharing resources.A possible society at community scale.A prototype of collective futures.

In practical terms:

→ post-office is a space in Amsterdam, by and for members (and the public)

Everyone who makes the space possible through their membership fees (€36,65 a month which only go towards our costs, not profit) gets to decide what we use the space for: from co-working to socialising, from personal needs to private events to public talks, screenings, workshops and anything else.

→ post-office is not just a shared resource but a directly democratic one

Any member can have direct input at any time; not through a committee, or representative, but personally and immediately. Both the space itself and any surplus income, from member fees or otherwise, are shared resources that every member can use through continuous and directly democratic decision-making; see [3].

→ post-office is for practicing and cultivating freedom

Together we can be more free than by ourselves. With plenty of room for individual needs, post-office is above all a place for people to gather and ask, without profit incentive, what do we want? And how can we create that for each other?

In less practical terms:

As life continues to get more complex, costly and confusing — we need each other more than ever all while having less and less space to do so, both mentally and physically.

And yet, our futures depend on it. We can’t afford to wait on corporations or governments to safe us. We must figure out ways to start saving ourselves. Ways to co-operate. Ways to put all our skills, abilities and resources on a pile and discover what we can, and decide what we want, do with them — together.

So we may become our own tools against powerlessness.

So we may be more free together, than alone.

This is what post-office is ultimately for.

A place to practice, evolve and experience the co-operative values, tools and relationships we need for more democratic and free futures.

Ways we use the space:

☕️ Daily Cafe (members only)
- Generally from 10.00 - 18.00, monday through friday, but available 24/7 for members unless there’s an event.
- Seating is first come, first serve (12 desk seats, 10 stools, +- 12 window seats)
- We ask everyone to be considerate of each other and stick to activities that allow others to do their own thing right along side them:
  - Taking calls Is welcome (if you can keep the volume reasonable).
  - Bringing friends is welcome (if space allows).
  - Even taking over (a part of) the space can be ok, but just check in with the others. See [3].
🌐 Public Fridays (open for all)Most Fridays from 10.00 - 17.00 we are open to everyone, members and non-members alike.Check instagram for the latest updates.
- Every week hosted by another member.
- A chance for non-members to experience the space (come work, hangout, make new friends).
- Ask existing members about membership and apply, see [2].
- Remain considerate of each other and stick to activities that allow others to do their own thing alongside you.
🗓️ Events and other usesEvening and weekends are wide open for members to host events or any other uses of the space.These “standard” uses/events only require short consent or basically 24hr heads up to fellow members. For more details on decision making see [3].
- ☑️ Standard uses/events criteria
  - Member initiated.
  - One-off and non-ticketed (free) event or use.
  - Takes place outside Daily Cafe times.
  - Can be public or private, but fellow members must be welcome.
  - Event/use generates no direct personal profit for organizer.
  - Short consent, i.e. 24hr heads up was provided to fellow members, including the intention of the use/event, and no members expressed any concerns or disagreement (see [3]).
- 💡 Examples of events
  - 😍 Fan of something? Reach out to them!Some of the best ways to use the space is as if it’s your own (because it is) and reach out to your favourite writers, magazines, filmmakers, artists, etc, and invite them to do something in the space. Don’t be shy! You’d be surprised how many people are open to giving a talk in person or a Q&A over Zoom if they’re offered the room to do so.
  - 📖 Bookclub — We’ve hosted bookclubs; gathering a group to discuss a book read the month before.
  - 🎤 Talks / Q&A’s — We’ve hosted many talks and Q&A’s whether in person or by calling people in over zoom.
  - 🔊 Listening session — We’ve hosted listening parties, whether for an album or just as a chill session.
  - **🍿 Screening** — We have a projector and screened both documentaries, art-films and feature films.
  - .🖼️ Exhibition — We’ve hosted members art exhibitions, using the space as a gallery.
  - 🧶 Knitcircle — We’ve hosted knit circles and repair sessions where members even knitting machines!
  - 🌱 Seed exchange — We’ve hosted seed exchanges.
  - 📑 WIP Club — Nights where people come to get and give feedback to each other on non-commercial work-in-progress.
  - 💬 Convo-starters — An event could be as simple as gathering people to start a conversation.
  - 🔁 Bookloops — An event could be a chance to share what you’ve learned from a book.
  - 🏞️ Coffee table bookclub — An event could be everyone bringing their favorite cookbook or photo book!
  - And more! There are no limits to what members can initiate as long as in accordance with [3].
📚 Library, Printing, Tools and moreWhile we share the space, we also use the space to share much more:
- 📚 Books - we have a small library of books that members add to and borrow from
- 🖨️ Printer - we have a printer and scanner, free to use for members
- 🛠️ Tools - we have a set of tools members can borrow
- ✏️ Skills - we have our skills we exchange with each other
- 💸 Money - one day we’ll have enough membership fees to form a surplus that we’ll share too! see [2].

2. From abilities to needs — on membership.

‍

Post-office believes in the mantra “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” In our case, post-office’ own ability is to provide space and resources, with its own needs being the total monthly costs of €2250 which includes rent, electricity, etc (see [4]).

At €36.65 per month every member contributes equally to these costs and so every member gets to decide equally what post-office is used for; both the space itself and any surplus resources (see [3] for how we decide that.)

The only additional cost is effort; the baseline membership fee gives access and the chance to have direct input on anything and everything. Using the space, changing the space (inc. these principles), organising events, having a say over other member’s events, deciding who else can join as member: it’s all possible and available, it just takes some effort.

The more you put in, the more you get out.

That doesn’t mean we believe every member has equal opportunity to make that effort, so we also aspire to the equality of unequals. See more below.

Equality of Unequals

Striving for the equality of unequals means recognising the inherent differences between people’s needs and abilities, and tailoring support to account for these differences. This will always be a “striving for” rather than a perfected process. While we have limited resources we encourage members to look out for each other in a few ways.

Ability to pay more?
- Paying a voluntary higher monthly fee is extremely appreciated and helps support post-office and all its members.
- Having this ability can only be assessed by you for yourself.
- Paying more (or less) does not change a members status, rights or benefits.
  - Any form of gossip, status-games or bragging of members ability to pay more is not tolerated and will be considered a conflict (see [6]).
Need to pay less?
- We believe €36.65 is a fair ask, but we understand that this is not (always) within everyone’s ability.
- Alternative forms of contributing to the collective costs can be considered.
  - I.e. being sponsored by a fellow member.
  - I.e. paying with time by picking up an essential task of the space such as cleaning.
- If needed, a reduced monthly fee can be considered on a needs by needs basis.
  - Whether as a fixed rate or one time exception.
- As of now we ask you express your needs to one of our fellow members, or reach out over email. The decision to allow an alternative contribution would be subject to democratic decision making, see [3].
- Paying less (or more) does not change a member’s status, rights or benefits.
  - Any form of gossip, status-games or shaming of members needing to pay less is not tolerated and will be considered a conflict (see [6]).
Ask and offer help to each other
- Every member has equal rights to plan events or organise uses of the space (see [1]), but we understand not everyone has equal ability (time, energy, headspace, etc) to do so.
- We encourage asking fellow members for help in bringing your needs and abilities to the space, even if you lack the time or capacity to do so yourself.
- We encourage offering help to fellow members if you notice someone lacking the time or capacity to take initiative even though they want to or are hesitating to do so.
- Don’t expect or assume time and energy from each other as a given, but respect it when it is given and be considerate when using your democratic right to flag concerns or question each other’s initiatives.
- More or less initiative taking doesn’t change the right to speak up, see “no status games” below.

No status games

We consider every single member equal to all others no matter how much effort they put into post-office, how long they’ve been member or how many or few events they have been able to organise. Every member at bare minimum is contributing to the costs of the space and its ability to exist.

So in no circumstance do we tolerate any members playing status games or displaying any sense of superiority over others.

Any form of gossip or bragging/shaming because of effort put into post-office or lack thereof will be considered a conflict (see [6]).

How to become member

Because everything is democratically decided within post-office, so are new members. While everyone who is on board with our purpose [1] is welcome to join, we only let people apply via existing members.

If you know a member, ask them for an application form directly. If you don’t know one, see below:

If you don’t know anyone at post-office yet, reach out to visit or drop by during a Public Friday (see [1]) or public event (follow for announced events on our instagram or newsletter).
Once you’ve met with an existing member, ask them for an application form.
The filled out application is posted to our discord where all members can see what you filled in.
All members get 7 days to ask additional questions or flag concerns. We call this long consent, see [3].
If there are questions or concerns, they will be transparently shared with you, the applicant, and you’ll have the chance to respond. This response will be shared with all members, after which a new 7 days window for long consent will start.
Only once there have been no concerns or disagreement for 7 days do you have democratic consent to become a member and sign-up.
While we are open to anyone, that does not mean everyone. We reserve the right to deny membership, as long as not done in conflict with our code of conduct. We believe this is acceptable for an intimate group of people organising themselves around affinity, trust and community-building.

Sharing resources beyond the space itself

We’d like to see post-office as a place to share resources beyond the space itself. One day, with enough members (see [4] for status), we hope to have surplus financial resources to share as well.

For now we share:

Books via our library
A printer and scanner
Coffee and whatever is in the fridge
The post-office instagram (all members can co-run it and post to it)
And we encourage sharing skills and knowledge with each other!
Note: things like paper for the printer, ink, coffee, tea, snacks, beers, toiletpaper, etc, are all provided on a voluntary basis. Whoever finishes the last one usually buys some new for the group and leaves it. If it’s expensive, it’s also possible to ask (via whatsapp or discord) for members to voluntarily chip in (that’s how we bought wine glasses).

So far the pay-it-forward model has seemed to work fairly and pleasantly. Once there’s a surplus to speak of we could consider which amenities to include, or we could collectively decide to increase our monthly costs (and required member count for self-sufficiency) in order to include essentials.

Legalised membership and decentralizing power

Post-Office is registered as “Post Office Coöperatie U.A.,” reg nr 88653803: a co-operative legal entity within the Netherlands. This gives us the ability to register members as legalised members of the entity too.

We are open to discuss any existing member being legalised as such.
Currently this requires a commitment of an annual membership fee, rather than monthly, and/or having been part of Post-Office for more than a year already.
Getting legally registered as a member does not gain benefits, status or rights. If anything it adds responsibility in helping manage Post-Office’ operations.

Even without legal membership, no single person should hold all power or be the sole-decider of post-office — as that makes the whole collective vulnerable as a whole (if anything happens to that one person, the whole movement suffers). That’s why we recognise the need for decentralizing the legally-backed power inherent in being a legal entity as well.

That being said, there will always be informal hierarchy even as we try to actively fight formal hierarchy. Transparency around this can be found in [4].

3. Continuous Direct Democracy — on decision-making.

Post-office is run by continuous direct democracy (aka “CD-D”):

Where all members can impact everything all the time.Where the bigger the decision the more people decide.Where all those impacted by a decision get to decide.

💿 Scales and procedures of “CD-D” decision-making

For now, decision making takes place on a members-only Discord server and Whatsapp group.Email us if you’re a member and don’t have access to these tools

Scales:

・ 1. All you (for individual things)

Applies to: Anything that only impacts you and no one else.

For example: Going to the bathroom, using the kitchen, etc.

Decision making: You do you, no need to involve anyone.

If in doubt: Ask and check in with your fellow members if you’re not sure how to proceed.

◌ 2. Ask the room (for “out loud” things)

Applies to: Things that only impact those immediately and directly around you.

For example: Taking a call, playing music on the speaker, bringing a friend, etc.

Decision making: Simply decide out loud and ask those in the room with you if it’d be ok to take a call, play some music, bring a friend, watch a movie, ask a question, etc.

If in doubt: Ask and check in with your fellow members if you’re not sure how to proceed.

🔘 3. Short consent (for standard events / uses )

Applies to:📆 Standard events and other uses of the space that are:

Member initiated.
One-off and non-ticketed (free) event or use.
Takes place outside Daily Cafe times (see [1]).
Can be public or private, but fellow members must be welcome.
Event/use generates no direct personal profit for organizer.

For example:One-off and free events, get-togethers, workshops, talks, discussions, screenings, etc, see also [1].

Decision making: Short Consent****Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For short consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 24hrs to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

Procedure:
1. Check and block availabilityCheck the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
2. Internally announce with intentionPost your idea for a one-off event or use of the space in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord. Include:
→ [WIP] in the title and the date if you have one in mind i.e. [Fri Aug 9]→ A clear description of the use / event.→ Your intention with the use / event (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, have fun, get to know each other, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ Whether public or private (other members must always be welcome).→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)3. Wait min. 24hrsGive fellow members 24 hrs to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.4. Publicly announceIF after 24 hours no one has explicit disagreements with the event/use or their disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce the event/use publicly if you’d like.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make a collaboration post on the post-office instagram feedDo this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.5. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 24hr window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.6. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the organizer of the event’s responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the next day.

If in doubt: Text the informal whatsapp group-chat (members-only) and check in with your fellow members on how to proceed.

⚪️ 4. Medium consent (for unusual events / new members)

Applies to:

Non-standard and unusual events/uses of the space that are either/or:
- Longer than a single night/afternoon, or not one-off.
- During Daily Cafe times (see [1]).
- Ticketed.
- Led by third-party / non-members (inc. renting out of the space).
Accepting new members (see [2]).
Accepting exceptions in membership contribution (see [2]).
Unusual suggestions I.e. changes/additions to the space that are easily reversible (for more permanent changes see “long consent” procedures).

For example:Holding an exhibition over an entire weekend, bringing in a non-member to do a pop-up, etc. See more examples of past exceptions where we did rent out the space under “procedure for renting out” below.

Decision making: Medium Consent****Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For medium consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 7 days to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

Procedure for unusual events/uses/suggestions:
1. Check and block availability (if relevant)Check the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
2. Internally suggest with intentionPost unusual uses/events in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord.Post other suggestions that require long consent in #💡-ideas-and-changes channel.Include:→ [WIP] in the title→ Date in title if applicable / relevant i.e. [Fri Aug 9-12])→ A clear description of your suggestion including any exceptional details.→ Your intention behind the suggestion and who it is for (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, allow a new audience to hear about post-office, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ If applicable / relevant state your intentions about the exception, I.e. why ticketed, why that price, how will the money be split between p-o, its members, the event’s hosts, etc.→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)
3. Wait min. 7 daysGive fellow members 7 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
4. Publicly announceIF after 7 days no one has explicit disagreements with the suggestion or 7 days after the final disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce it publicly / start organising.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make a collaboration post on the post-office instagram feedDo this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.
5. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 7 day window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.
6. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the organizer of the event’s responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the day following the conclusion of the event / use.
Procedure for new members:Because everything is democratically decided within post-office, new members are too. While everyone who is on board with our purpose [1] is welcome to join, we only let people apply via existing members.If you know a member, ask them for an application form directly. If not, see below:
1. If you don’t know anyone at post-office yet, reach out to visit or drop by during a Social Friday (see [1]) or public event (follow for announced events on our ig or newsletter).
2. Once you’ve met with an existing member, ask them for an application form.
3. The filled out application is posted to our discord where all members can see what you filled in.
4. All members get 7 days to ask additional questions or flag concerns.
5. If there are questions or concerns, they will be transparently shared with you, the applicant, and you’ll have the chance to respond. This response will be shared with all members, after which a new 7 days window for long consent will start.
6. Only once there have been no concerns or disagreement for 7 days do you have democratic consent to become a member and sign-up.
Procedure for “renting” out the space:We prioritise uses of the space that are in our members interest rather than renting out to third parties. But in some cases renting out the space to a third party can be collectively decided to be in the collective interest. To reach this decision, see below.
- Examples of past “rented out” occasions
  - December 2023: Voddenmannen pop-up for 4 days. Paid €300 ex VAT.Reason: value aligned, new audience, and extra funds for the community.
  - March 2024: Chinese community workshop focusing on mental health development (in Mandarin) for 3 hrs on a Sunday. Paid €100 ex VAT.Reason: good faith gesture to other community, weren’t utilising the space that day anyway, and extra funds for the community.
  - March 2024: GOODList workshop on how to get new business as a freelancer, on a friday afternoon. Paid €100 ex VAT. But later agreed on becoming a member (see step 1 below).Reason: spoke to our community but with a slightly more commercial angle, brought in a new audience and extra funds for our own community.
1. Attempt to recruit as new member first!If someone who is not a member wants to use the space, the first step is to always suggest they apply for membership. This way they become part of the community, can suggest and host their event themselves and put their money towards their membership rather than an one-off rental-fee.
2. Act as host-memberIf membership is not an option and renting seems like a good idea, an existing member needs to take on the role of host-member. They will be responsible for the following steps of this procedure while also responsible for the space during the use, and for opening, closing and cleaning the space (unless otherwise agreed upon).
3. Check and block availabilityCheck the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
4. Internally suggest with intentionPost the rental opportunity in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord, make sure to include all details:→ [WIP] in the title→ Date in title i.e. [Fri Aug 9-12])→ A clear description of the event/use it’s being rented for→ Why membership for this third party did not make sense→ How much they’re willing to pay (average has been €100 a day for value aligned parties, but we suggest letting the third party lead with a suggested amount).→ Your/their intention behind renting it out in this occasion and who it is for (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, to get collective funds for a collective goal, for a new audience to hear about post-office, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)
5. Wait min. 7 daysGive fellow members 7 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
6. Publicly announceIF after 7 days no one has explicit disagreements with the suggestion or 7 days after the final disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce it publicly / start organising.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make an announcement post on the post-office instagram feed or as collaboration post with the post-office instagram feed. Do this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.
7. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 7 day window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.
8. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the host-member responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the day following the conclusion of the event / use.

If in doubt: Text the informal whatsapp group-chat (members-only) and check in with your fellow members on how to proceed.

🌐 5. Long consent (for structural changes)

Applies to:

“Permanent” changes to the space
- While nothing is really permanent we mean anything that is hard to reverse and beyond new furniture/devices/objects i.e. repainting, (re)building, hard to move structures, etc.
Changes to the inner-workings of the community
- including these principles
- including membership rules/fees
- including revoking someone’s membership (see [6]).
Adopting members to become part of the legal co-op structure that is post-office.
Changing the legal structure of post-office itself.

For example:Painting the walls a new color, constructing a new wall in the space, changing these principles, joining as a legally recognised member of the legal coöperative that is Post Office Coöperatie U.A., etc.

Decision making: Long consentIn a previous version of these principles, this final decision layer was “consensus.” But for this version we have collectively decided to turn it into long consent; Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For long consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 30 days to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

Why we changed from consensus to long consent
Consensus would mean every single member would need to actively approve the choice. With more than 60 members with different levels of ability to participate at different times, made consensus feel like it could lead to too many holding patterns.
The thinking is that 30 days gives every member ample opportunity to express their disagreement, and in a sense a chance to veto the choice until the disagreement has been resolved. But simultaneously, if a handful of members are not able to participate within the 30 days (which is a freedom all members have the right to exercise; the right to be too busy), the group that has been active can go ahead with their decision without needing to wait for every single member to participate.
We believe 30 days is a fair amount of time, but this Principle is open to change as are all others.
Procedure for structural proposals
1. Consider and prepareCarefully think about what structural change you want to initiate; why do you want it? What do you think it contributes to the collective? Involve members earlier on if you think they could help shape the initiative.Make sure to be ready to propose the change alongside how you think to achieve the change.For example: don’t just suggest to paint the walls green, but propose it alongside how you want to paint it, with who’s help, when, and how you’re going to pay for the paint.
2. Internally suggest with intentionPost your proposal for the structural change in #💡-ideas-and-changes channel on Discord.Make sure to include:→ A concise title that includes [LONG CONSENT]→ A clear description of your suggested change.→ A plan-of-attack on how to achieve the change.→ Your intention/goal of the change.→ The beginning and end date of the 30 days for consent
3. Post on whatsapp/emailMake sure to circulate the announcement on the members-only Whatsapp group and ask us to send out a members-wide email. This way you ensure all members have been notified of the 30 day window to chime into this structural change / decision.
4. Await 30 daysGive fellow members 30 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
5. Reconsider (potentially)If any members expresses concerns or has a strong disagreement with your suggestion, try to work on them together, and don’t be too precious to adjust, change or even let go of your proposed changes.
  - Be considerate when challenging and counter-challenging people’s suggestions and concerns (see [6])
  - If you adjusted your plans after either public or private dialogue, make sure to go back to step 2 and set a new 30 days for the revised plan to gather consent.
6. Make the change
7. ⚠️ Moving forward with your plan can only happen IF after 30 days no one has explicit disagreements with the proposed plan. If this is the case, then you can go ahead and make your changes happen! Make sure to inform fellow members via the #📢-announcement channel on Discord or by asking us to send out a members-wide email.
8. Remain open
9. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Changes may be reversed in the future if such a reversal proposal receives long-consent — always remain open to dialogue.

📊 Optional: Majority Voting

While never the default decision-making process, majority voting can always be used in addition. For example for when there are multiple options to decide between, i.e. trying to collectively pick the movie for a movie night, or find the best evening that fits most members schedule. In those cases a simple poll along with the suggested event can work.

It’s possible to replace the core decision-making with majority vote if that is collectively agreed on.Any decision could be decided with majority vote instead of consent but would require consent to do so. Meaning:

A short-consent decision changed to majority vote requires short-consent for that change.
A medium-consent decision changed to majority vote requires medium-consent for that change.
A long-consent decision changed to majority vote requires long-consent for that change.

For exampleSomeone tries to get long consent in order to paint the floor white. Almost all members are in favour, except for a handful. In this case it could be suggested to move from long consent to a majority vote i.e. if majority of members are in favour then the floor gets painted. BUT, this can only happen if there’s long consent, not on painting the floor, but on moving into this majority decision making. In other words, the members who disagree with painting the floor need to agree with leaving it up to a majority vote first. THEN a majority vote needs to take place, in which the majority votes in favour, and only then can the floor be painted white, despite no previous long consent.

Procedure for additional majority vote
This should only be for multipe-choice decisions within a decision, i.e. which film to screen or which day to screen it: simply add a poll to your event/suggestion on Discord or post one to the Whatsapp members-only groupchat and see which preference emerges.
Procedure for moving into majority voteTo replace the core-decision-making with majority vote, you must suggest moving to majority vote following the same procedure as the decision that it concerns.
- Short consent decision moving to majority vote requires short-consent, follow its procedures from above.
- Medium consent decision moving to majority vote requires medium-consent, follow its procedures from above.
- Long consent decision moving to majority vote requires long-consent, follow its procedures from above.
  - Make sure to include in the suggestion to move to majority vote whether you’re proposing an absolute majority or relative majority vote:
  - Absolute MajorityAbsolute majority means it can not move forward until more than half of all members vote a single way. In the floor painting example from above, more than half of all members need to vote in favour rather merely more members voting in favour than those who vote against it.
  - Relative MajorityRelative majority is simply whatever choice gets the most votes. This could also mean 3 members in favour and 2 member against, while dozens of members didn’t vote at all. This requires to be previously agreed upon including a time-limit for voting so include that in the proposal.
Procedure for the majority vote itself once agreed to replaceIn each case add a poll to the original Discord post and give people the same amount of time as the original decision-making to place their vote:
- Short consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 24hrs window for members to vote.
- Medium consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 7 day window for members to vote.
- Long consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 30 day window for members to vote.

<aside>🚨 All decisions are always openEven in hindsight or after an initial vote we embrace continuous dialogue, disagreement, challenge and counter-challenge by all members at any time.

</aside>

<aside>💶 Financial resources will be decided differently:These scales of decision-making were created for deciding over the use of the space, not its financial resources. We hope in the near-future to have a surplus (see [4] for the status) which will also be available to members to be used via democratic means. The decision-making for these resources are currently being designed by the community.

</aside>

<aside>🗓️ Yearly AssemblyWe are first and foremost a physical space and community. For this reason we will hold a yearly in-person assembly for all members to come together and speak in person.

Members could call on assemblies at anytime or suggest to make them more frequent through long consent.

</aside>

4. Trust Transparency — on staying on honest and our status.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

Members should feel free to use the space in a fair and balanced way — without having to “police” each other’s behaviour. Key to this is a culture of transparency that in turn fosters trust.

Of course a perfect balance is impossible and feelings of unfairness will arise. But when socially working through this, trust and transparency is essential. In some ways transparency is inherent to the space as it’s easy to keep an eye on each other and take notice of each other when within it. But this is also about being transparent about our own feelings, intentions and expectations.

To help each other come into conflict, even minor “conflict”, with as much good faith as possible it’s important to share feelings pre-emptively. Being vulnerable and transparent in this way creates a foundation of trust and further de-escalates any potential for conflict.

<aside>💭 HELP FOSTER A TRUSTING AND TRANSPARENT CULTURE BY KEEPING IN MIND

Call each other in not out.
Don’t assume the worst.
Blame process, not people.
Be transparent with oneself.
Try to share feelings transparently and sooner rather than later, to avoid them snowballing into a conflict or miscommunication.
For escalated conflicts see [6].
We remain open to other low-cost, low-effort solutions to ensure fair use of the space, provided they do not involve surveillance or policing.</aside>

<aside>🌐 P-O’s OWN TRANSPARENT FINANCIAL STATUSIn the spirit of transparency, the overall financial status of post-office:

💶 Total monthly costs: €2250 per month
Rent€1770Electricity/gas€150Accountant€180Insurance€90Internet€60TOTAL€2250
🪙 Membership fee: €36,65 per month inc Stripe fee and VAT (leaving about €30 for p-o)
🪪 Latest member count: 72 members (as of Oct 18, 2024)
🤝 Members needed to be self-sufficient: 75 members (75 x €30 = €2250)
🛬 Runway left to subsidise monthly cost and reach member goal: +- 10 months
💸 Surplus resources to share beyond the space itself? None yet.</aside>

<aside>📐 P-O’s INFORMAL HIERARCHY

While within post-office we actively fight formal hierarchy, there is always such as thing at play as informal hierarchy. We believe it is better to transparently acknowledge this than let it continue unmentioned.

The best way to fight this informal hierarchy would be to have more members divide more responsibilities. Please reach out if you’re a member that would like to help.

We are always open to other ideas on how to fight informal hierarchy as well. While informal hierarchy might never fully disappear, the most important thing is that no one is ever afraid of holding another member accountable, no matter who they are.

Current status
Currently, most informal hierarchy lies with Bryan Wolff, the co-founder of post-office and person with the most available free time to volunteer taking on tasks such as running the email, administration and onboarding new members. That said, he is just another member and his voice should never outweigh any other member.
We only highlight his name here to acknowledge a reality rather than reinstate some authority on his part. He has no more authority than any other members, he is accountable to all others, and subject to all principles and possibilities of being recalled.

</aside>

5. Always accountable — on actions and consequences.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

There is no fairness without accountability.

We believe in forgiveness and ample room for making mistakes, but if responsibility and thus accountability is not taken it can be asked or even lost. While always the result of dialogue and a democratic process (in accordance with [3] and [6]), it can be required that members acknowledge their faults, get their voting rights frozen or in the absolute worst case, their membership revoked.

<aside>👉 Escalation of consequences:

We will always aim to escalate accountability in the following order, with step 1-3 requiring medium consent and step 4 requiring long consent:

Acknowledge fault.First step will always be to acknowledge a role oneself might have played in a transgression or conflict. Ideally this is acknowledged out of one’s own accord rather than having to be asked to do so, although that is an option.
Voting rights frozen.If admittance of responsibility does not suffice, ones voting rights might be restricted for a period of time.
Access frozen.Beyond voting rights, ones direct access to the space might be restricted for a period of time thereafter.
Membership revoked.In the worst of cases we can decide to revoke membership completely — this requires long-consent by the group, excluding the member it concerns.</aside>

6. Common conflict — on conflicts and resolutions.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

Conflict is a natural part of being in community with each other.

Conflict is a chance to relate. So when, not if, conflict arises we want to make sure all members seek resolution, together, following the following steps if needed. Of course this does not mean we accept conflict as a chance at status games.

<aside>🙏 Good Faith above all else: work towards mutual understanding and coordinated action, rather than seeking personal advantage or “winning.” This can already prevent the need to escalate conflict, not to mention add to people’s faith in the value of communicating.

</aside>

<aside>📖 We recommend reading up on good faith if it feels vague (this article is a good start), but generally it should be an instinctually compassionate approach to communicating; calling people in, rather than calling them out.

One extreme form of good-faith argumentation
One extreme form of good-faith argumentation is one wherein both sides of the argument not only present their own argument but give a recap of the other side’s argument and get that side’s co-sign that the recap is satisfactory and accurate. This ensures truly internalising each other’s point of view and helps to work towards a shared truth rather than “winning” the argument. Something to consider and try out.

</aside>

<aside><img src="/icons/escalator_red.svg" alt="/icons/escalator_red.svg" width="40px" /> ESCALATING POTENTIAL CONFLICTOf course sometimes conflicts escalate or need to be escalated. In those cases we suggest the following:

1. Person to personIt’s essential we don’t fall for the social-media-induced trap of turning every argument into a chance to “own someone” or dunk on them in public. Don’t call someone out, call them in; approach them in person or with a private message to engage in genuine conversation about what’s on your mind.
- Take a beat if you’re feeling especially emotional before approaching someone.
- Don’t accuse in absolutes but speak to how something made you feel.
- Remain open-minded and curious to see the other side.
2. Involve an IntermediaryIf a person to person conversation didn’t resolve the conflict, or if this does not feel safe or appropriate, you can involve an intermediary person.
- Make sure to not “gang up” on someone as this is counterproductive to seeking resolutions.
- Choose an unbiased person, or even a randomly chosen member, as your intermediary.
- Consider choosing the intermediary together with who you’re in conflict with to ensure both sides see it as a true third party.
- Make sure the intermediary consents to their role and that they understand what they’re being asked to do.
3. Involve the CollectiveAs a last resort, it’s possible to escalate a conflict to the entire collective and let all members weigh in or even vote, democratically, in order to find a resolution.
- This should only be reserved in the most extreme cases as it expects many others to put effort and emotional labor into your conflict.
- If going down this road, consider agreeing on this approach with who you’re in conflict with, or notifying them, as to not blindside them if possible and safe to do so.
- Bring conflicts to the group via the #conflict channel on Discord.
- See [5] for the accountability/consequences you’d like to ask for and see [3] for the appropriate democratic procedures. Allow other members to offer potential resolutions you hadn’t thought of as options too.
- In the absolute worst of the worst cases, if you think the situation demands revoking someone’s membership and barring access to the space, make sure to emphasise that intention and gather long-consent to do so.</aside>

<aside>🗄️

ARCHIVE OF PAST CONFLICTS

While conflict is healthy, it can be painful and demanding. That’s why we have this archive of past conflicts so they can continue to provide lessons into the future. The point is not to relitigate these conflicts, but to prevent them from unnecessarily repeating.

This is not an invitation to start dealing in what-if’s either; we focus on dealing with conflict and situations at hand, rather than going into endless abstractions and scenarios.

We ask everyone to remain respectful, mindful and considerate when potentially approaching conflict.

7. Change everything — on wanting to evolve.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

*“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.

The only lasting truth is change.” —* Octavia E. Butler

These principles are just a start, they should change.

In fact, as we evolve along with the needs and abilities of our members, striking a balance between collective care and individual interests, we should change altogether.

These principles have already changed once, this is version 2.

Members should always feel free to organize that change, suggest it, and help shape it.

We are for system change, and so we must be a system that can change: as long as we hold on to our diversity of opinions and belief in working together for common futures.

Should anyone ever feel that we’re not open to change or going against this principle, they are urged to escalate the issue as a wider conflict and bring it to the forefront following [6].

8. Federate — on being just one node among many.

[previous] — [overview]

Rather than seeking to infinitely grow as a single group, we hope to become just one node among many.

To federate, to be highly aligned and loosely connected with other independent groups of people and to share knowledge and resources with them. We are already actively federated with Index Space in NYC and welcome all their IRL members to visit anytime (and vice versa).

<aside>🇳🇱 Nested in the NetherlandsUnfortunately post-office does operate within the legal system of the Dutch Nation State. We’ve tried to do this in a way that most closely reflects our inner principles and values by registering as a cooperative. See [2] for info on getting legalised as a member and how we plan to decentralise power in an accountable way.

</aside>

<aside>🤝 We are an Index node (within the network of Garden3D)We are already actively federated with **Index Space** which in turn falls under Garden3D. As part of their highly aligned and loosely connected network, post-office is open to all IRL NYC members and vice versa—while we retain independence as well. We also share a Code of Conduct.

A third node is coming soon, more info here and here.

</aside>

<aside>🌸 The more the merrierWe’d love to federate with any other groups, whether grassroots organizations or cultural institutions, whether local or in other parts of the world.

</aside>

<aside>🔗 Shout outHere are some groups, spaces and organisations we’re not officially federated with (yet) but feel a close affinity for, have collaborated with in the past or hope to collaborate with in the future:

Jaded Forum / 400M
Neo-Metabolism
Trust
Real Review
Social Service Club
OT301
Varia
re:arc
Fabulous Futures
Mokum Kraakt
Stadsgroenteboer</aside>

‍

post-office principles

Post-Office is a member-run space in Amsterdam, built for collaboration, creativity, and co-operative futures. Inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s principles for managing shared resources, we operate as a living experiment in collective freedom and responsibility.

Authored by

Published

2024