Committees and How to Join One

Why committees exist
Waukesha Makerspace is run entirely by volunteers. Beyond the Board of Directors, the space relies on volunteers and committees to support day-to-day operations, events and community outreach. Committees take on a defined piece of work, give the board feedback, help with programming and keep the facility accessible and well equipped.
Some committees are standing (they keep going year after year). Others are ad hoc: formed for one job, such as planning an event, and wound down when it is done.
How a committee works
The board creates a committee and decides what it may and may not do. The Space Improvement Committee is a good example of how this works:
The board appoints a committee chair.
The chair recruits committee members, and the board confirms them.
The committee works inside a written scope. It can plan and coordinate work, but spending money, structural changes and anything that changes member access or hours need board approval.
The chair reports to the board regularly, and the board reviews the committee's work.
Committee positions are appointments, not entitlements. The board can change or dissolve a committee.
The full description of each standing committee is in Organization and Board: Committees.
Current committees
To be confirmed: the list of active committees and how to contact each one. Committees named in 2026 board records include the Space Improvement Committee (Project Barnraising), the Membership Tier Planning Committee and the governance committee for board nominations (Project Groundswell).
How to join
Find the committee. Check Organization and Board: Committees, or listen for calls for help at the monthly open house (committee openings are a standing agenda item).
Say you are interested. Ask in #general on Discord or talk to a board member at the space.
Talk with the chair. The chair decides who joins, and the board confirms committee members.
You do not need to join a committee to help. Many jobs, such as leading orientations, giving tours at open houses, cleanups and Barnraising work days, are open to any member in good standing. See Running a New Member Orientation and Hosting an Open House.
Starting a new committee
If you think WMI needs a committee that does not exist, write it up as a board proposal. See Organization and Board: Submitting a Board Proposal.