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Governance

As more people become part of the NiT GitHub organization it becomes increasingly important to articulate the governance structure for this organization to make transparent how certain roles and responsibilities are awarded and given to those in the community. For those interested in being a more integral part of the community, hopefully, this outlines the path one might take to gain more responsibilities. For those just observing, I hope this explains how you fit into the larger structure.

Natives in Tech GitHub Org vs Natives in Tech, Inc.​

The NiT GitHub org was the first incarnation of an entity that represents Native technologist working in the open-source software ecosystem. We met initially online via Slack and this naturally grew to become a GitHub org since most of us have used or are using GitHub. It is a central location where we can collaborate and build open-source software. It is where the NiT website git repository is hosted as well as a few others. Over time, it felt important to start a non-profit foundation to apply for grants and accept donations. It helps to have such an entity to build the organization over time especially since we do want to grow and become a self-sustaining org that supports the work we all are doing in the Native communities we are a part of. The two are not intrinsically linked but because of how the community has grown over time, those that have been active on Slack and GitHub also have positions on the NiT, Inc. board. This might change in the future and we hope that it does since the two organizations can and should operate independently. Someone who is on the NiT, Inc. board does not have to also be a NiT GitHub org admin, and vice versa. These two organizations can be distinct, with separate leadership, and still function towards common goals. For now, though, these two organizations are interlinked.

GitHub Roles and Permissions​

Several roles can be added to a GitHub org. To learn about how these roles impact permissions take a look at this GitHub Help article: https://help.github.com/en/github/setting-up-and-managing-organizations-and-teams/permission-levels-for-an-organization.

Security Policy​

We require that anyone who wants to become a member or admin in the GitHub org to have 2FA enabled in their GitHub account. This adds an extra layer of security to, although it doesn't entirely prevent, just anyone having access to our GitHub repositories. GitHub Members

Members are added to the organization based on whether they are a) a Native person working in the software field or b) a non-Native person who is building software that supports Native communities. Native identity is a very complex topic but regardless of identity, we want to bring together persons interested in supporting the development of open-source software that supports Native communities, and we gladly welcome anyone willing to work towards that.

GitHub Admins​

Admins are added to the organization based on the above qualifications for members and their work within the NiT community. Questions we ask before someone becomes an admin are: Is this person active on GitHub? Do they have a good relationship with the NiT community? Are they making commits to repositories in the org? This is not an exact science by any stretch but these are just a few things we look at before we make someone an admin.

Outside Collaborators​

Outside collaborators are added on a per-repository basis based on their contributions to it. This role works well for GitHub users who either don't identify as being a Native software developer or do not see themselves working actively to support software that supports Native communities outside of the specific repository they are contributing to.

Becoming an Outside Collaborator, Member, or Admin​

If you, or someone you know, should be an outside collaborator then open an issue in the respective repository with their GitHub username in the description.

If you, or someone you know, should be a member or admin then please reach out on Slack, email (hello@nativesintech.org), or open an issue in this repository, with their GitHub username.

As part of our security policy, we do require anyone that becomes part of the GitHub org to have 2FA enabled on their GitHub account.

Roles and Permissions Outside of GitHub​

Based on the person's role within the organization they may be given access to third party services such as Netlify or Digital Ocean. Invitation to these third party services is at the discretion of the admins and based on the person's contributions to the NiT community and/or repositories.