Version: 1.0 | Date: January 2026
What Is This?
The Network Nations Alliance is a community dedicated to exploring and supporting Network Nations — online communities that organize, govern, and coordinate themselves across borders. We are not a Network Nation ourselves. We’re the gardeners tending the space where Network Nations can grow.
This is the single governing agreement for all members. By joining, you agree to follow it.
Core rule: You’re free to do anything that serves the Alliance’s purpose and your role — as long as you don’t break any protocols and you uphold our values.
1. Identity
Purpose
Steward the shared knowledge, definitions, and infrastructure around Network Nations so communities can experiment and learn together.
Vision
A world where networked communities can legitimately govern themselves and flourish beyond legacy institutions.
Mission
Connect and support people and organizations exploring Network Nations through collective sense-making, coordination, and experimentation.
Values
- Mimetic stewardship — Guide narratives responsibly, not manipulatively
- Plurality — Honor many interpretations while keeping core protocols coherent
- Distributed experimentation — Trust diverse communities to try new things
- Collaborative learning — Build knowledge together through dialogue, practice, self-awareness, and good-faith challenge
- Cultural coherence — Balance openness with intentional curation
- Practical sovereignty — Respect communities’ right to self-determination
- Transparency — Be clear and open in decisions and processes
What We Do
- Convene — Bring people together (online and in-person)
- Steward knowledge — Curate definitions, frameworks, and case studies
- Publish — Create research, guides, and commentary
- Support activities — Enable member-led projects, grants, courses, etc.
Commitments
- Carefully maintain the Network Nation definition
- Keep the Index open and inclusive (we’re not gatekeepers)
- Engage thoughtfully with public narrative
- Serve the movement, not our own institutional growth
What We Are Not
- Not a Network Nation ourselves
- Not a hierarchy controlling member projects
- Not a certification authority or gatekeeper
- Not a regulatory body
- Not a commercial entity
2. Structure
Roles
| Role | What They Do | How Selected |
|---|---|---|
| Member | Core participant with governance voice | Application + values alignment |
| Steward | Runs operations, maintains infrastructure | Self-appointed with existing Steward consent |
| Activity Coordinator | Leads a specific member-organized project | Emerges when proposing an activity |
Members
- Participate in governance, discussions, and activities
- Access community channels, resources, and the Index
- Must attend at least one Assembly per year
- Annual participation check; inactive members may be contacted
Stewards
- Maintain platforms, manage treasury, facilitate gatherings
- Serve the membership (not direct it)
- Have admin access to all Alliance tools and treasury signing rights
- Participate in weekly/bi-weekly Steward Council meetings
- Give 30 days notice when stepping down
Activity Coordinators
- Organize a specific project (mapping, initiative, grant, course, etc.)
- Need support from 2 other members to start
- Keep Alliance informed of progress
- May request resources from Steward Council
- Role lasts for the duration of the activity
Groups
| Group | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Alliance Assembly | All members — the sovereign democratic body |
| Steward Council | All stewards — the operational coordination body |
| Activities | Self-organized member projects |
Alliance Assembly
- Ultimate authority over constitutional amendments and fundamental changes
- Meets monthly (online), annually (in-person), and ad-hoc as needed
- Quorum: 20% of members or 10 members (whichever is greater)
Steward Council
- Handles day-to-day operations, platform admin, treasury, and communications
- Cannot change the constitution or fundamental direction (that’s the Assembly’s job)
- Meets weekly/bi-weekly, with quarterly strategic planning
- Reports to the Assembly with regular updates
Shared Assets
- Constitution — This document (public, amendments require Assembly approval)
- Network Nation Definition — Living definition maintained on GitHub (public)
- Network Nations Index — Public directory of projects/communities (open contributions via GitHub PRs)
- Brand Assets — Name, logos, visual identity
- Multi-Sig Treasury — Shared funds in a multi-signature wallet
- Platforms — Website, Notion, Telegram, social media, member directory, password manager
3. How Things Work (Protocols)
Decision-Making
Three methods, escalating in formality:
| Method | Used For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Lazy consensus | Routine matters | Propose it, wait 7 days (48hrs for Steward ops). No objections = approved. |
| Consent-based | Significant decisions | Present, discuss, address objections. Passes if no one raises a “paramount objection” (i.e., it would cause harm). |
| Supermajority vote | Constitutional changes | 14-day discussion, then 2/3 vote at Assembly. |
Valid objections must be: (1) about potential harm to the group’s aim, not personal preference; (2) reasoned and evidence-based enough for others to assess; (3) ideally include a suggested fix. Unbacked unease or preference is a concern, not an objection.
Emergency: Any Steward can act immediately, but must get Council ratification within 7 days.
Amending the Constitution
| Type | Examples | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Typos, clarifications | Lazy consensus (14 days) |
| Standard | New protocols, structural changes | 2/3 Assembly vote |
| Fundamental | Changes to identity, purpose, values | 2/3 Assembly vote + 30-day discussion |
Any member can propose amendments. Steward Council manages the process and implements approved changes within 7 days.
Joining & Leaving
Joining: Apply with your background and statement of alignment. Steward Council reviews within 30 days via lazy consensus. If accepted, you get access to platforms and an orientation.
Leaving: Notify any Steward. Access removed within 7 days. No approval needed.
Removal: Only after the Conflict Transformation process recommends it, decided by Steward Council majority vote.
Re-engagement: Inactive members get contacted. No response in 30 days = inactive status. Can reactivate anytime by contacting a Steward.
Conflict Transformation
Prioritizes restoration over punishment. Steps escalate only as needed:
- Self-Assess — Self-evaluate the tension or conflict, and whether you have something to request or offer of the other(s). A request can be about a need that you have, or a tension in your shared accountability with the other(s). An offer can be feedback from your perspective for the other(s), or impacts you are experiencing (offered without attachment to outcome).
- Direct resolution — Parties try to work it out (1-2 weeks)
- Report to any Steward — If direct resolution does not resolve or transform the tension or conflict. Steward evaluates severity (minor/moderate/severe) and determines mediation or council review.
- Mediation — Neutral mediator facilitates (2-4 weeks)
- Council review — Steward Council decides consequences if needed
Possible outcomes range from “no action needed” to behavioral agreements, suspension, or removal. Confidentiality maintained throughout. Any conflict or tension that we navigate closes with shared learning.
Assembly Gatherings
- Monthly online meetings (1-2 hrs): updates, decisions, discussion
- Annual in-person gathering (1-2 days): strategy, community building
- Special sessions: 7 days notice minimum (48hrs for emergencies)
- Schedule: announced 14+ days ahead; agenda finalized 7 days ahead; outcomes documented within 48hrs
Starting an Activity
- Draft a proposal (purpose, scope, timeline, resources needed)
- Get 2 other members to support it
- Announce it to the Alliance
- Start working — no Steward Council approval needed
Activities can: complete, transition to a new coordinator, pause, wind down, or get archived after 6 months of inactivity.
Treasury
Multi-sig wallet — all Stewards are signatories.
| Spending Amount | Signers Required |
|---|---|
| Under $500 | 2 Stewards |
| 2,000 | 3 Stewards |
| Over $2,000 | Majority of Stewards |
| Over $10,000 | Majority + Assembly notification |
Quarterly financial reports to members. Annual comprehensive report. Emergency spending up to $500 allowed by any single Steward (reported within 24hrs).
Index Moderation
- Open by default — contributions welcome via GitHub pull requests
- Light moderation for alignment with the Network Nation definition
- Reviews within 14 days; rejected PRs can appeal to full Steward Council
- Annual review of entries for accuracy and activity
Brand Usage
- Members can reference membership and share content with attribution
- Commercial use, merchandise, and implied endorsements require Steward Council approval
- Never misrepresent the Alliance or use the brand against Alliance values
4. Participation Ethics
All members commit to:
- Good faith — Engage genuinely; assume good intentions in others
- Honesty — Represent yourself and your work accurately
- Respect — Honor everyone’s dignity; make space for diverse voices
- Accountability — Follow through on commitments; own your mistakes
- Alignment — Act in line with Alliance purpose; support collective decisions
By joining the Alliance, you affirm this constitution in its entirety. The specific rights, responsibilities, and expectations for your role(s) — Member, Steward, or Activity Coordinator — are defined in the sections above.