Stewards Phase 1 Guide

Published v0.1

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v0.1 — Drafted May 2026

Purpose of This Document

This document is for the first cohort of elected Stewards of a new FREE chapter. It covers the 90-day period from election to the first Steward rotation: what Stewards do, how they hold the chapter’s coordination, how they support the chapter’s transition from founding moment to ongoing assembly, and how they prepare for the next cohort.

Read F1, P1, P2, P3, and P4 before this document.

What Stewards Are

Stewards are a small cohort of chapter members, elected at the second GA, who hold the chapter’s coordination, external connection, and operational continuity for a 90-day term.

The word steward is chosen deliberately. A steward tends something that does not belong to them. The chapter belongs to its members, expressed through the General Assembly. The Stewards’ job is to tend the conditions that allow the chapter to function: the meetings, the documentation, the relationships, the external connections, the practical follow-through.

Stewards are not a board. They are not the chapter’s voice. They do not decide what the chapter does. They serve the chapter’s process.

The 90-day term is short on purpose. It distributes responsibility, prevents burnout, surfaces new leadership, and prevents any single cohort from concentrating informal authority. A chapter that rotates its Stewards every 90 days for two years has had eight different cohorts of leadership; a chapter that does not rotate has had one.

What Stewards Do

The first Stewards’ work falls into five areas. Each one is significant, and the cohort should distribute these areas among themselves rather than expecting any individual to hold all of them.

1. Hold the Meeting Cadence

The General Assembly is the chapter’s center. The Stewards make sure it happens.

Confirm the location for each GA at least one week in advance
Set the agenda in collaboration with members and any active Circles
Send reminders to the chapter’s contact list 72 hours and 24 hours before each GA
Ensure Facilitator, Stack-Keeper, and Note-Taker roles are filled for each GA
Hold the meeting on schedule even when attendance is lower than hoped; a small GA that happens on time is more durable than a large GA that gets canceled

2. Maintain Documentation

The chapter’s institutional memory lives in its documentation. The Stewards make sure it gets created and stored.

Ensure each GA produces a synopsis within 72 hours
Maintain the chapter’s shared documents folder, calendar, and communication channels
Keep the contact list up to date as new members join
Archive decisions made by the chapter so they can be referenced in the future

See X1 (Documentation Standards) for the full set of expectations.

3. Support Circle Formation

By the third or fourth GA, the chapter will start naturally dividing along interests. People who want to plan events will find each other. People who want to handle communications and outreach will find each other. The Stewards facilitate this division by:

Naming the pattern when it emerges (“It sounds like a group of you want to work on X — would you like to form a Circle around that?”)
Helping new Circles structure themselves (who convenes the first meeting, how they will report back to the GA, what their initial mandate is)
Connecting Circles to one another when their work overlaps

The first Circles a chapter typically forms include some combination of: Events, Communications and Outreach, Treasury (if the chapter handles money), Conflict Resolution, and one or more issue-specific Circles aligned with the chapter’s chosen focus areas. See P6 (Circles Formation Guide) for more.

Circles operate with significant autonomy. The Stewards do not direct Circle work. They make sure Circles know what they are responsible for and that their work is connected back to the broader chapter through the GA.

4. Adopt and Hold Conduct Standards

Within the first 30 to 60 days of the Stewards’ term, the chapter should adopt:

A Code of Conduct (the FREE template, R1, with any local adaptations)
Digital Communication Norms (R2)
A Conflict Resolution Process (R3, coming soon)

These documents are not optional, and they should be adopted before the chapter experiences its first significant interpersonal conflict, not in response to one. The Stewards lead this adoption process by:

Surfacing the documents to the chapter at an early GA
Allowing time for review and discussion
Bringing them back to a subsequent GA for adoption using the chapter’s decision-making method
Designating an initial Point Person for conduct concerns (often a Steward, with the option to rotate)

5. Hold External Connection

The chapter’s relationship to the broader FREE federation runs primarily through the Stewards.

One Steward is designated as the primary contact for FREE Foundation
Stewards attend G+Local sessions when possible
Stewards share the chapter’s synopses with the FREE network on the agreed cadence (typically monthly summaries)
Stewards request support from FREE Foundation when needed: speaker connections, template review, troubleshooting

How Stewards Work Together

Internal Meeting Cadence

Stewards should meet weekly for the first 30 days, then bi-weekly or aligned with the GA cadence afterward. The Stewards’ meetings are not GA meetings; they are operational coordination meetings.

A Steward meeting typically runs 60 to 90 minutes and covers:

Updates from each Steward on their area of responsibility
Upcoming GA agenda and logistics
Active Circle work and any support needed
External connection (FREE Foundation, partner organizations, public outreach)
Anything requiring decision before the next GA

Steward meetings should also be documented, with a brief synopsis shared internally with the cohort and accessible to the chapter on request.

Decision-Making Among Stewards

Within their scope of authority (operational matters that do not require GA consent), Stewards use the same decision-making method the chapter adopted at the second GA. For most operational questions, consent is fast: a Steward proposes, others affirm or raise concerns, the proposal moves forward.

Stewards do not have authority to make decisions that are the chapter’s to make: campaign direction, public statements on contested issues, financial commitments beyond routine operations, changes to founding documents. These go to the GA.

Conflict Among Stewards

Stewards will sometimes disagree. The first response is the same as for any chapter member: address it directly between the people involved. If that does not resolve it, the Conflict Resolution Process applies.

A Steward cohort that cannot work together will struggle to hold the chapter. If a serious internal conflict emerges, the Stewards should request support from FREE Foundation early, rather than letting it fester until it affects the broader chapter.

The 90-Day Arc

Days 1 to 14: Settling In

Stewards meet for the first time within one week of election
Divide the five areas of responsibility among the cohort
Set Steward meeting cadence
Send the first GA invitation under Steward signature (rather than Seed Team)
Establish or confirm the chapter’s shared documents space, calendar, and communication channels

Days 14 to 30: First Operational GAs

Hold the third and fourth GAs of the chapter
Move from “founding” mode to “operating” mode in how meetings are conducted
Surface the Code of Conduct and Digital Communication Norms for discussion
Notice and name where Circles want to form

Days 30 to 60: Structure Solidifies

Adopt the Code of Conduct, Digital Communication Norms, and Conflict Resolution Process
Support the formation of the first one to three Circles
The chapter commits to its first concrete project beyond meetings (a campaign, study group, mutual aid initiative, public-facing media project, or other action)
Establish reporting cadence between Circles and the GA

Days 60 to 90: Preparing for Transition

Begin surfacing the next Steward cohort: name the rotation publicly, invite people to consider serving
Hold an open conversation at a GA about how the first cohort has gone and what the next cohort should know
Document the first 90 days for the handover (see T7: Stewards Handover Document)
Hold the election for the next Steward cohort at the GA closest to day 90
Conduct a handover meeting between outgoing and incoming Stewards

What the First Project Should Be

By the end of Phase 1, the chapter should be working on one tangible project beyond meetings. What that project is depends on the chapter’s chosen focus, but it should:

Be specific enough to actually do (not “fight capitalism,” but “host a teach-in series on rent in our city this fall”)
Be sized to what the chapter can sustain (a small, completed project is more valuable than a large, abandoned one)
Engage at least one Circle as its operational home
Have a clear timeline and a way to evaluate whether it worked

The first project does not need to be the chapter’s defining act. It is a way to practice doing something together. The chapter learns from doing.

Common Failure Modes

Stewards try to do everything themselves. The five areas of responsibility become one person’s job. Burnout follows. Fix: distribute responsibilities formally at the first Steward meeting and stick to the distribution.
Stewards become a shadow board. Decisions that should go to the GA get made by the Steward cohort instead. The GA gradually becomes a ratification body rather than a deliberating one. Fix: when in doubt, take it to the GA. Err on the side of involving the chapter.
The Code of Conduct adoption is rushed or skipped. The chapter operates informally until the first major conflict, at which point there is no agreed process. Fix: adopt conduct documents in days 30 to 60, before they are needed.
Circles are not actually formed. The chapter remains a single body with all work flowing through the GA. The GA becomes overloaded and unable to function. Fix: actively support and encourage Circle formation; do not wait for it to happen on its own.
No first project commits. The chapter discusses, deliberates, and analyzes, but does not act. People who came to organize leave. Fix: by day 60, the Stewards surface the question of “what is our first concrete project” and hold the GA accountable to choosing one.
The Steward rotation is treated as optional or postponed. “We’re not ready for new Stewards yet” is a sign that the first cohort has concentrated too much knowledge and is making itself indispensable. Fix: rotate on schedule, even if imperfectly. The next cohort will learn faster than the first one expects.
Documentation slips. Synopses are produced inconsistently, decisions are not recorded, the chapter’s memory degrades. Fix: treat documentation as a core Steward responsibility, with one Steward specifically accountable for it.

Coordinating with FREE Foundation

For Stewards in Phase 1, FREE Foundation can offer:

A welcome onboarding call with the new Steward cohort, within the first two weeks
Review of the chapter’s Code of Conduct adoption process
Speaker connections for chapter events
Templates for Circle structures, conflict resolution, and the Steward Handover Document
Connection to Stewards from other chapters for peer learning
Quarterly federation calls bringing together Stewards across chapters (cadence may vary as the federation grows)

Steward Rotation and What Comes Next

At the end of Phase 1 (day 90 or the closest GA), the chapter elects its second Steward cohort using the same process used at the second GA. The outgoing Stewards prepare a handover document (T7) covering:

What worked and what did not in the first 90 days
Status of ongoing projects, Circles, and external relationships
Outstanding issues or decisions for the next cohort
Practical operational details (account access, document locations, communication channels)
Personal reflections from each Steward on what they wished they had known at the start

The outgoing and incoming Stewards meet jointly to walk through the handover document. Outgoing Stewards remain available to incoming Stewards for at least 30 days as informal advisors.

After the handover, outgoing Stewards return to ordinary chapter membership or take on other roles (Circle convener, drafting groups, project leadership). One consecutive renewal is permitted; serving more than two consecutive 90-day terms is discouraged.

A Note on Sustainability

The 90-day term is a defense against the most common pattern in organizing: a small group of founders carries the work until they cannot anymore, and the organization collapses with them.

The Stewards system distributes the work over time. Each cohort holds the chapter for a season, then hands it on. Over a year, four cohorts have served. Over two years, eight. By the time the chapter is two years old, leadership has been broadly distributed, and the chapter has resilience that no single founder could have provided.

This requires discipline. It is faster to keep doing it yourself than to teach the next person. It is easier to extend your term than to hold elections. The Steward system asks you to resist both of these defaults, in service of the chapter’s longer life.

A Note on This Document

This is v0.1 of P5, drafted in May 2026. It will be updated as chapters complete their first Steward cycles and surface what is missing.

This is a living document. It will be reviewed and updated as the network grows.

The FREE Chapter Starter Kit is published by FREE (Forum for Real Economic Emancipation). freefreeforum.org