What your community is about.
Date for the Moderator Confirmation.
Voting thresholds, notice periods, and other requirements.
General decisions (e.g., "majority", "> 50%").
Major decisions: removal, dissolution, amendments.
How long each Moderator serves.
% of Members who can oppose a replacement.
Before succession procedures begin.
For implementing adopted policies.
Advance notice before name/structural votes.
Written notice before MGC convenings.
Advance notice before dissolution vote.
Notice before proposed amendments.
Optional detailed clauses from the Appendix.
Cumulative voting for MGC elections: Members distribute votes among candidates as they see fit.
Tiered process: notice, waiting period, internal enforcement, then optional mediation and binding arbitration.
Quorum requirements: a majority must agree to initiate a vote, with adjusted quorum provisions.
Requires the MGC to maintain records of the agreement, amendments, votes, and signed Confirmations.
Welcome to the Moderator Governance Agreement! This is a simple contract to set up shared governance of your online community. Customize, download, sign.
There are three parts to this document:
This Moderator Governance Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of April 3, 2026 for governance of Community Name on Platform, and is entered into by individual Moderators as defined in Article 1 (each a “Moderator,” and collectively, the “Moderator Governance Committee”), with reference to the following facts.
Note: All future-elected MGC Moderators will sign a confirmation to this Agreement (see Moderator Confirmation below). Confirmations should be dated on the first day of an MGC term. They will establish that newly elected Moderators are parties bound to the Agreement's static terms.
Community Name (the “Community”) is an online social group formed under the terms and conditions of Platform (the “Platform”).
The Community desires to adopt and approve a governance agreement to operate in addition to and in accordance with Platform terms and conditions.
Now, therefore, the Parties to this Agreement establish the Moderator Governance Committee and set forth the Moderator Governance Agreement for the Community upon the terms and conditions described herein.
1.1 Establishment. A Moderator Governance Committee (MGC) is hereby established to oversee the Community's operations and policy implementation, including but not limited to membership management, removal, post censorship, and Community name and structural change. The MGC may be contacted at contact details.
1.2 Committee Composition. The MGC shall be made up of no fewer than 3 Moderators and no greater than 9 Moderators (“Moderator(s)” means those individuals actively bound to this Agreement by their consent and signature to the attached Moderator Confirmation). Each Moderator shall serve on the MGC for a term of one year which may be renewed with the Election process described herein. Moderators must be participants in the Community prior to and for the duration of their term to serve on the MGC. Moderators must be at least 18 years old and in good standing with the Platform. For avoidance of doubt, good standing shall mean the Moderator has active and ongoing access to use of the Platform per its terms and conditions.
1.3 Moderator Governance Committee Selection. All Moderators shall be elected for their initial term through a Community-wide vote (“Election”). Any Member may nominate oneself or be nominated by another Member of the Community (“Member(s)” means any Platform participant to the Community who is not a Moderator). Specific voting mechanisms for Elections shall be determined by the MGC.
Moderators are considered an active and voting party to the MGC once they have submitted a signed Moderator Confirmation (“Moderator Confirmation” means the confirmation to this Agreement which names and binds the elected Moderator Governance Committee participants).
Note: Communities in which Members already serve as moderators may either (i) formalize those moderators' roles as the MGC through a Community-wide vote, or (ii) include those individuals in the Community-wide election process for establishing a new MGC.
1.3.1 Moderator Governance Committee Removal. Moderators may be removed from the MGC only for cause by two-thirds vote of the remaining MGC for inactivity, misconduct, breach or other causes as determined by the MGC. The removed Moderator may remain in the Community as a Member provided good standing with active and ongoing access to use of the Platform per its terms and conditions.
1.3.2 Moderator Governance Committee Moderator Replacement. If a vacancy on the MGC arises due to any cause, including voluntary resignation, the open Moderator spot shall be filled by majority vote of the remaining MGC for the remainder of the spot's original term, unless opposed by more than 30% vote of all Members (“Majority” meaning more than 50% agreement). Upon election of a successor Moderator, written Notice of such election result shall be made to all Members (“Notice” means in writing and shall be deemed given when publicly accessible to such required Moderators or Members). Unless and until such vacancy is filled, the MGC shall function with reduced membership. The MGC shall reallocate any authority held by a vacated Moderator among the remaining Moderators and the successor Moderator.
1.3.3 Moderator Governance Committee Complete Replacement. If all Moderators are unavailable by withdrawing from the Community, deleting their account, or becoming inactive for 30 days, any Member may initiate and administer the MGC selection procedures per Section 1.3.
2.1 General Duties and Responsibilities. The MGC shall be responsible for and undertake the following:
2.1.1 Member Removal. Members may be removed for spam, abuse of other Community Members as reported to the MGC, violation of Community norms or bylaws, violation of Platform terms and conditions, or for other causes as determined by the MGC. For any violation expressly described herein, a Moderator may remove a Member without the approval of majority of the MGC. To remove a Member for a cause which is not listed herein, a Moderator shall propose a vote on the removal to the MGC and may proceed only with approval of majority of the MGC.
2.1.1.1 Removal Appeal. Removed Members may appeal their exclusion from the Community by written request to the MGC. Upon receiving the appeal, the MGC shall vote to approve or deny the appeal on the earliest occasion as is reasonably possible. A majority vote in favor is required for member re-inclusion.
2.1.2 Policy Development. The MGC may develop and implement Community policies, such as posting guidelines or bylaws. Such policies must be posted publicly in a format viewable to all Members at any time. Policies may only be adopted when two-thirds of the MGC approve by vote.
2.1.3 Policy Implementation. Any policy developed by the MGC shall either be (a) implementable by a single Moderator of the MGC or (b) implementable by majority approval of the MGC. Adopted policies must stipulate implementation requirements and shall be implemented promptly, in any event within 14 days of adoption unless impracticable.
Note: If a Community develops a posting rule, for example, the policy should describe if a single Moderator can decide if a post is in violation of the posting rule OR if the decision requires the Majority to agree.
2.1.4 Name and Structural Change. The MGC may change the Community name or structure, including but not limited to the Community's description, logo, and privacy settings, only by two-thirds approval vote of the MGC. Prior to any such vote, the MGC shall provide written Notice to the Community's Members at least 5 days in advance. The written Notice shall include, at minimum, a description, rationale, and intended benefits of the proposed change. The MGC shall consider Member feedback on a change before proceeding. If a change occurs, the MGC shall provide a written Notice, as soon as reasonably possible, to all Members which lists the Community's previous name or structure, its new name or structure, and a brief explanatory statement for the change.
2.2 Dispute Resolution between Members. In the event of any disagreement, dispute, or alleged breach arising under this Agreement, any Member or Moderator may initiate dispute resolution proceedings with the MGC. The MGC shall define and manage dispute resolution processes.
2.3 Meeting and Communication Requirements. The MGC shall convene in a manner of their choosing which may include, but is not limited to, a group messaging chat on or off the Platform. MGC convenings must be reasonably accessible to all Moderators. As necessary, the MGC must provide written Notice of date and time for a convening to all Moderators not less than 10 days before it occurs. Any Moderator may call for an MGC convening via written request provided to all MGC Moderators.
Note: We recognize that MGCs may operate through group messages which do not always require active or synchronous presence to be operational. However, for any call or in-person meeting, Moderators should be given advance written Notice to ensure their reasonable accessibility.
2.4 Voting. Each Moderator shall be entitled to one vote. Votes may be conducted electronically through verifiable digital means acceptable by majority of the MGC which may include, but are not limited to, polls, recorded logs, and upvotes in messaging chats (i.e., WhatsApp). Further voting specifications may be decided and implemented by the Majority of the MGC.
Note: Per Section 2.3, MGC members liking a message in a group chat can be deemed to be the MGC's meeting model. Therefore, this Agreement dispenses with the requirement for synchronous meetings to exercise voting authority. Each MGC should decide if this suits their needs or if they want to further specify provisions determining how voting will occur for decision-making.
2.5 MGC Compliance. In carrying out its responsibilities, the MGC shall comply with (a) this Agreement, (b) the Community's bylaws, and (c) all Platform terms and conditions. Upon a written allegation by any Member or Moderator that the MGC, as a whole body, has failed to comply with this Agreement in a material way, the MGC shall initiate and execute dispute resolution procedures per Section 3.2 or may elect to initiate MGC dissolution per Section 3.6. If the MGC determines that any of its Moderators has engaged in persistent or willful non‑compliance, the MGC shall initiate removal and replacement per Section 2.3.
2.6 Dissolution. The MGC may be dissolved only by written approval of at least two-thirds of the MGC. Dissolution is effective immediately upon MGC approval vote. All Community Members shall be given 14 days of advance written Notice before any vote on a resolution to dissolve the MGC and given immediate written Notice of an outcome following such vote on the day it is completed. Dissolution of the MGC does not affect the validity of actions taken before the effective date. This Agreement shall be immediately terminated upon dissolution of the MGC.
3.1 Amendment to this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended, modified, or supplemented only by a written agreement (a) stating that it is intended to amend this Governance Agreement, and (b) approved by two-thirds of the MGC by written consent. Amendments are effective immediately upon MGC approval. No amendment to this Agreement shall be effective to the extent it conflicts with Platform terms and conditions or conflicts with Community bylaws, except to the extent such bylaws are simultaneously amended to eliminate conflict.
3.1.1. Notice to Amendment. The MGC may recommend amendments to this Agreement at any time. Any such recommendation shall be delivered to all Members in reasonable, publicly accessible writing which summarizes the reasons for the proposed amendment, not less than 14 days prior to the deadline for written consent by which the Moderators will consider the proposed amendment.
3.2 Recordkeeping. The MGC shall not be required to keep any records unless otherwise determined by a two-thirds vote of the MGC.
3.3 Platform. Platform terms and conditions govern all technical aspects of this Community and underlie this entire Agreement. The MGC shall give best effort to maintain this Agreement's compliance with Platform's terms and conditions.
3.4 Electronic Execution. This Agreement and its component Moderator Confirmation may be executed electronically via click-to-agree, e-signature, or comparable digital assent.
3.5 No Waiver. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written agreement signed by two-thirds of the MGC. No failure or delay by any party in exercising this Agreement shall operate as a waiver.
3.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding and agreement in the Community with respect to its governance and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, whether written or oral, relating to the same subject matter. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between this Agreement and Community bylaws, this Agreement shall control first.
Note: All elected Moderators must sign this confirmation prior to beginning their role on the Moderator Governance Committee.
Add moderator names in the Customize panel.
Note: Distribute this memo to your community members to inform them about your new governance structure.
Dear Members of Community Name,
We are writing to inform you that our community has adopted a Moderator Governance Agreement (“MGA”) to establish a clear, fair, and transparent governance framework for Community Name.
The MGA is a shared governance agreement for online communities. It establishes a Moderator Governance Committee (“MGC”) made up of elected community moderators who are responsible for managing and governing our topic community on Platform.
Add moderator names in the Customize panel.
If you have questions, feedback, or would like to learn more about the MGA, please reach out to the MGC at contact details. A full copy of the Moderator Governance Agreement is available upon request.
Thank you for being part of Community Name. We look forward to building a stronger, more transparent community together.
Sincerely,
Your Moderator Governance Committee
Community Name, 2026