Getting Involved

The 3 Hour Rule

If you have an idea about what might make the space better, it's best to discuss with several other members, but we do have an unofficial rule that we refer to as "the 3 hour rule"

It is generally acceptable to make a change to the space as long as it can be undone in 3hours or less (by you,) if it is deemed to be an undesirable change.

Forming a Committee

You may notice a need or have a desire to change something at HackRVA. We have found that one effective way to make big changes is to form a committee. This committee will take it upon themselves to make informed decisions and plan how to execute changes. The committee will then report to the Monthly Membership meeting before enacting the changes. When large build outs or large HackRVA projects are presented to the monthly membership meeting. We should encourage a committee to be formed to plan and execute. This will reduce the planning that happens at membership meetings and allow for more than just one topic to be discussed at the meeting.

How To Form a Committee

• Attend a member meeting (last Wednesday of the month) or join the #leadership channel on slack
  • state your idea/plan and declare that you would like to form a committee to accomplish the goal,task,project, and/or change.
  • share with membership that the committee exists and what its goal/purpose is.
• Start a Slack channel (This is optional, but can be a great way to communicate)
• Schedule meetings to plan or discuss entirely on slack channel
• Schedule time to execute plans

Be sure to report progress back to the membership (either at a member meeting or the #leadership channel on slack)

Some examples of successful committees:

• Room swap - Swapping the woodshop with the techlab
• Purchasing the laser
• Planning for secondary clean space
• Building arts and crafts area/cabinets & counter in main room
• XCarve restore and station build out
• CNC router purchase

If you have further questions about how to start a committee join the #leadership channel on slack.

Volunteering at HackRVA

• We have no staff. That means YOU are the staff. We all share the tools and space maintenance. Always try to leave the space better than you found it.

• Get on Slack. You should get an invitation when you get your RFID tag assigned, but just in case, you can ask at info AT hackrva.org or at a Thursday open house. We use Slack to communicate. The app is free and on all platforms.

• We have Space Improvement days on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm night. Come in and do whatever needs to be done, from dusting and taking out the trash to repairs to improving things.

• We have a member meeting in person the last Wednesday each month at 7PM with virtual link posted in Slack. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Any members at the meeting will be included in discussions. If you want a tool or improvement, come and tell us about it. If you have a problem at HackRVA, this is one place to tell us about it.

• Last, we are a community. Be a part of it. Talk to other members. We all have our special skills, and you will likely find others with similar interests, and skills you can use.

Other Volunteer Activities

• Lead a workshop or host an event (contact us for Meetup or social media advertising)
• Improve the Wiki (just create an account, and start adding useful info)
• Post a project to the Project Showcase channel
• Research and recommend a purchase (add them to our acquisition spreadsheet)
• Socialize with other members during open house (Thursday nights, 7pm)
• Attend monthly member meetings and help figure out the way forward at HackRVA (last Wednesday of the month, 7pm)