How We
Work
We are building toward a community where more people can participate, contribute, and help shape what happens, instead of everything flowing through one person or one institution.
Shared responsibility.
Clear coordination.
Room to grow.
InitiatED is still taking shape. We are not presenting a finished governance system so much as a direction of travel: away from top-down leadership and toward a community where responsibility, voice, and care can be shared more widely over time.
For now, that means building simple structures that help people participate, contribute, and gradually take on more responsibility as the community grows.
We want people to help shape the community, not just consume what it offers.
People need to know how things work, who is handling what, and how to step in when they are ready.
The community should support real people with full lives, not reward whoever can perform the most publicly.
Leadership, facilitation, and coordination should be things people can grow into, not titles reserved for a few insiders.
Simple structures
Coordinating Circle
3–5 people · Rotating annually
A small group helping hold communication, coordination, and follow-through while the broader community grows.
Think of this less as leadership at the top and more as people helping keep the threads connected.
Working Groups
Self-organizing · Project-based
Small groups that form around real needs: an awards cycle, a cohort, a project, a resource set, or a practical challenge.
Regional Nodes
Location-based networks
A longer-term possibility for people who want to connect locally while still being part of a wider network.
Ways people can contribute
Process Keepers
Help conversations stay grounded, respectful, and workable when things get hard.
Knowledge Stewards
Help gather resources, keep track of what we are learning, and make useful knowledge easier to find.
External Liaisons
Help represent the work publicly, build relationships, and connect InitiatED to partners, supporters, and funders.
Communications Coordinators
Help keep the communication clear, welcoming, and accessible across the website, messages, and shared platforms.
How decisions are being handled at this stage
Major decisions
Affect the direction of the project
- Handled with conversation, feedback, and revision rather than announced from above
- Kept visible enough that more people can understand what is changing and why
- Treated as revisable while the community and nonprofit structure are still emerging
- Shaped by what is practical, sustainable, and aligned with the long-term vision
Project decisions
Day-to-day work
- Made close to the work whenever possible
- Open to input when they affect other parts of the project
- Documented clearly enough that others can step in and help over time
- Used as opportunities to build habits for future shared governance
Urgent decisions
Time-sensitive
- Handled by the people carrying the work, with consultation when possible
- Shared afterward with enough context that people understand the reasoning
- Adjusted if better information or broader participation changes the picture
- Used to improve the way we coordinate next time
What does this mean in practice?
Right now, some people are carrying more responsibility than others because the project is still being built. The goal is to widen that circle over time, not keep everything centralized forever.
No. It is more accurate to say that InitiatED is moving in that direction. The values are here now; the formal nonprofit and governance structures are still being built.
Because structure shapes culture. We want people to know the project is being built to invite participation, not just to collect attention around one person.
Join a Signpost Sessions cohort, nominate someone for the Divergent Awards, read the writing, or reach out directly. The best entry point is the one that helps you start a real relationship with the work.