Guideline 1.
Our common welfare comes first. Personal development depends on the unity of the group. Unity is priority. Any personal ambitions or desires should not be allowed to affect or interfere with the group. And no individual has the authority to punish or expel any other member from the group.
Guideline 2.
Leaders in Expert Giver Groups are trusted servants; they do not govern. When someone decides to start an Expert Giver Group, he or she initially assumes the three roles of Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. When the group has three or more members, they can decide how to divide up these responsibilities. The Chairperson leads the general meetings and business meetings. The Treasurer takes money from a passed basket, banks it, pays rent and other bills with it, and makes a regular report at the group’s monthly business meeting. The Secretary takes notes at business meetings, keeps a list of members with contact information, and posts meeting notices on the web. All of these positions are voluntary and temporary, with specific term limits to be decided at the first business meeting. Initially, the Chairperson finds a location for the meetings, arranges terms for rent, if any, decides on a time to hold the weekly meetings, and posts the time and location on the web at ExpertGiver.com. The meetings can be held in a member’s home or in a church or library. When starting the very first general meeting, the Chairperson will propose a date and time for the monthly business meeting, to be agreed upon by the members. The date and time of the business meeting, which will be open to all members, will be announced at the beginning of every subsequent general meeting. At the first business meeting, and those following, the goal is to fill positions for the group with voluntary commitments from the members. The business meetings should operate according to Roberts Rules of Order (available at ExpertGiver.com), a simple formal way to hold meetings in an orderly fashion.
Guideline 3.
The only requirement for membership in an Expert Giver Group is the desire to become an Expert Giver. You are a member of an Expert Giver Group if you say you are. No one may be refused. There are no religious or political belief requirements, and no membership regulations of any kind.
Guideline 4.
Each Expert Giver Group is autonomous. Autonomous means that every Expert Giver Group can manage its affairs exactly as its members please. An Expert Giver Group should never affiliate itself with anything or anyone else. With respect to its own affairs, each Expert Giver Group should be responsible to no other authority.
Guideline 5.
The purpose of each Expert Giver Group is to support the methods and content provided by the 7 Steps.
Guideline 6.
An Expert Giver Group should never offer or lend the Expert Giver Group name to any facility or outside enterprise. An Expert Giver Group should never go into business of any kind.
Guideline 7.
Every Expert Giver Group should be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. Each Expert Giver Group should be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of its own members. There is to be no public solicitation of funds using the name Expert Giver Groups. The Treasurer of each Expert Giver Group should only collect and maintain a prudent reserve of money. It is up to each group to determine at its first business meeting, by a majority vote, what that prudent reserve level should be, as well as what its expenses should be. One suggestion for a prudent reserve would be to have enough money to cover the group’s rent for two months. If the reserve ever exceeds that level, any further voluntary collections occurring at meetings should cease until funds return to a two-month prudent reserve level. Aside from rent, a group’s expenses might include providing snacks and beverages at its meetings.
Guideline 8.
Expert Giver Groups should remain forever voluntary and nonprofessional. The Trusted Servants and the mentors should never be paid for their services. In fact, members should never pay other members for any services related to the Seven Steps.
Guideline 9.
Expert Giver Groups have no opinions on outside issues, so the name Expert Giver Groups should never be drawn into public controversy. Expert Giver Groups should never take a stance or side concerning any public controversy or argument. The sole purpose of the groups is outlined in the 7 Steps. Expert Giver Groups have no opinions on outside issues. The meetings’ primary focus should be on the 7 Steps of Expert Giver Groups. Avoid religious or political debates in meetings.
Guideline 10.
At general meetings, there is to be no discussion of outside business of any nature. At business meetings, the discussion is to be confined to the group’s business.