GOVERNANCE

Great Works

Spirit Haven, Inc. is a member-driven organization. Every year (barring extenuating circumstances), on the Sunday of our Beltane and Samhain Festivals, we hold our Great Works meetings. These are considered General Business meetings, as required by Article 2 Section 4 of our Bylaws.

Referendum items must be submitted to the Director of Records 30 days prior to the start of Festival to be added to the Great Works meeting Agenda. Any item submitted after that deadline may be discussed, but not voted on, during the Great Works meeting and can be added to the Great Works Agenda for the subsequent Great Works meeting.

Voting & elections

Who can vote?

Active members (those who are over the age of 18 and have purchased 12 months of membership for $30, or 6 months for $15) of Spirit Haven, Inc. are entitled to the following:

  • Voting for the Representatives of their regional Area.
  • One (1) vote per role present on the ballot during the yearly Board of Directors and Transparency Advocate election.
  • One vote on each referendum presented at the twice yearly Great Works Meetings (business meetings held on the Sunday of each Festival)
  • If you’re unable to attend Great Works, you may designate someone who will be attending as your proxy.

Who can we vote for?

Spirit Haven’s Area Representatives are elected to serve a term of One (1) year, with ballots collected in-person at Area Meetings held during our Samhain Festival.

Spirit Haven’s Areas are as follows:

  • Austin
  • Central Texas
  • Coastal Bend
  • North Texas
  • Outlands
  • San Antonio
  • Southeast Texas
  • West Texas

 

Spirit Haven’s Board of Directors and Transparency Advocate are elected to serve a term of  one (1) and two (2) years, respectively.

Spirit Haven’s Board positions are as follows:

  • Executive Director (ED)
  • Assistant Executive Director (AED)
  • Director of Communication (DoC)
  • Director of Finance (DoF)
  • Director of Member Services (DoMS)
  • Director of Property and Assets (DoPA)
  • Director of Records (DoR)
  • Transparency Advocate (TA) 

6 months

$15 for 6 months

Yearly

$30 for 1 year

Student yearly

$30 for 1 year

and reduced Festival prices

Proxies

While every active member of Spirit Haven is entitled to one vote on each referendum item during the Great Works meetings, sometimes members are unable to be present in order to cast their vote. In that situation, a proxy may be assigned: someone who will be present and will cast your votes for you.

Please keep in mind that BOTH the individual whose vote is being proxied AND the person who will be present at the meeting will BOTH need to have active memberships with Spirit Haven on the date that the proxy will be used for voting. Proxies should only be assigned to someone you trust to vote in your best interest.

Don’t know who to assign your proxy to? Get in touch with your Area Representative and ask about how they vote!

Meet our Board of Directors and Transparency Advocate!

Executive Director

Amanda Boehm

The Executive Director (ED):

  • Addresses tasks customarily performed by the office of the President in a Texas Nonprofit
  • Acts as a Fiduciary Officer of the corporation
  • Presides over Board & general business meetings
  • Has general and active management of the affairs of the Corporation
  • Serves as an ambassador and fundraising officer for the corporation
  • Sees that all orders and resolutions of the Board are carried into effect
  • Supports the Safety Services Team (Guardians and Healers)
  • Acts as a Board liaison to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

The ED also performs duties as outlined in the Executive Director policy (20241020M1).

Assistant Executive Director

Asa

The Assistant Executive Director (AED):

  • Performs the duties and exercises the powers of the Executive Director in their absence
  • Coordinates onsite festival preparation efforts
  • Supports the Entertainment Team, Guest Speaker coordination, and the Vendor Team
  • Acts as a Board liaison to the Ritual Committee
  • Supervises Spirit Haven Societies

The AED also performs duties as outlined in the Assistant Executive Director policy (20240421M2).

Director of Communications

Chloe "Sunshine" Brown

The Director of Communications (DoC):

  • Has general and active management of information distribution for the corporation
  • Manages Spirit Haven’s social media presence
  • Oversees production of the corporation’s newsletter
  • Manages the Spirit Haven Events Calendar
  • Supports the Marketing Team, Web Ops Team, Festival Publications Team (Festival Schedule & Guide), and Badge Coordinator
  • Oversees Spirit Haven Photographers and Videographers

The DoC also performs duties as outlined in the Director of Communications policy (20241020M3).

Director of Finance

Hunter White (Interim)

The Director of Finance (DoF):

  • Addresses tasks customarily performed by the office of the Treasurer in a Texas Nonprofit
  • Acts as a Fiduciary Officer of the corporation
  • Keeps records of the finances, writes checks, and receives all money paid to the Corporation
  • Deposits all funds to the corporate accounts
  • Ensures tax returns are filed in a timely manner
  • Provides the membership with semi-annual financial reports of the Corporation
  • Supports the Carol’s Corner Team, Happy Pagan Cafe Team, and Bridge Trolls Team

The DoF also performs duties as outlined in the Director of Finance policy (20241020M5).

Director of Member Services

Abbi Jane

The Director of Member Services (DoMS):

  • Acts as a voice of Membership on the Board
  • Accepts requests, comments, suggestions, and complaints from any Spirit Haven Member
  • Manages yearly campsite stewardship leases and serves as liaison to the Ranch Manager per the campsite stewardship agreement
  • Oversees Spirit Haven Area Representative Teams
  • Supports the Newbee Hive Team (new membership coordination) and Festival Community Service Team

The DoMS also performs duties as outlined in the Director of Member Services policy (20151018M8).

Director of Records

Mike Glass

The Director of Records (DoR):

  • Addresses tasks customarily performed by the office of the Secretary in a Texas Nonprofit
  • Acts as a Fiduciary Officer of the corporation
  • Acts as secretary for all meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors
  • Ensures all notices of the Corporation are distributed properly (including distribution of meeting minutes)
  • Maintains the organization’s books, records, documents, and instruments, including membership rolls for record keeping
  • Manages membership vote proxies
  • Oversees elections
  • Supports the Registration Team, Front Gate Team, Historian, and Archivist
  • Acts as a Board liaison to the Policy Review Committee
  • Serves on the Bylaws Committee as a committee member

The DoR also performs duties as outlined in the Director of Records policy (20241020M4).

Director of Property and Assets

Sara (Interim)

The Director of Property + Assets (DoPA):

  • Oversees management of all maintenance and projects, on or about Spirit Haven Ranch (SHR) Real Property and Rolling Stock
  • Has working knowledge of SHR and basic knowledge of our electrical systems, plumbing systems, facilities, buildings, and Sacred Spaces
  • Attends at least 1/3 of the workends scheduled between January and December of the year they are in office
  • Coordinates with the ED and the DoF to write and facilitate all contracts for use/rental of SHR
  • Maintains a list of assets on our physical property
  • Supports the Ranch Team, Onsite IT, Fire Crew Team, and the Sacred Spaces Coordinators

The DoPA also performs duties as outlined in the Director of Property and Assets policy (20151018M7).

Transparency Advocate

Killina Rose

The Spirit Haven Inc. Transparency Advocate (TA) position is a member-authorized and approved position. This staff position is designed to provide oversight for the Board of Directors, officers, and staff, as well as the financial operations of Spirit Haven. The TA is not a Board Member.

The Transparency Advocate (TA):

  • Provides a transparency report to the membership during business meetings
  • Documents, reports, and presents transparency issues according to the TA policy
  • Accesses (read-only) all bank accounts, credit statements, board meeting minutes, contracts, and other governance documentation

The TA also performs duties as outlined in the Transparency Advocate policy (20151018M7v2).

Requirements to run for the Board of Directors

Candidates for a Board position must meet the following requirements, and the meeting of these requirements will be verified by the current Director of Records. Completing verification means someone is, according to our bylaws, eligible to run for an hold a Board position. Whether someone is competent, suited for, or desirable as a Board Member can only be determined by a vote of the Members.

To serve on the Board of Directors, a Member must meet all 4 criteria below:

  • Be a current Spirit Haven Member and in good standing.
  • Have been a Spirit Haven Member for a minimum of one year and one day in the time period immediately preceding the declaration of candidacy.
  • Serve as any of the following:
    • Lead Area Representative for a minimum of one year
      Area Representative for a minimum of two years
    • Senior Festival Staff for a minimum of one Festival;
    • Service or experience matching the position sought for two years minimum, and have been a member of Spirit Haven for at least five years (i.e. CPA and a member from January 2011 to February 2016)
  • Sign an Affidavit of Disclosure regarding any felony convictions.
    • Felony conviction does not preclude candidacy or service on the Board of Directors.
    • All Affidavits of Disclosure shall be held in confidence in the official archives of the Corporation by the Director of Records.

Additionally, election to the position of Director in Spirit Haven requires the use of your Legal Name. Spirit Haven Officers have to be listed on public legal records. The Executive Director, Director of Records, and Director of Finance must all be prepared to file paperwork for Bonding as Fiduciary Officers of a 501(c)3 corporation. There is no expectation of privacy when running for election or serving as a member of our Board of Directors.