Moderator Governance Contract

Preamble and Purpose

This Moderator Governance Contract (“Agreement”) establishes a framework for shared, accountable governance of the online community known as [Community Name] (“Community”). The parties to this Agreement are the individuals currently serving, or hereafter elected, as moderators or governance participants of the Community (“Moderators”). The purpose of this Agreement is to decentralize administrative power, ensure transparent collective decision-making, and provide procedural continuity consistent with platform Terms of Service.

1. Definitions

• “Platform” means the online community (e.g., Reddit, Discord, Facebook).
• “Admin Powers” means technical and administrative authorities granted by the Platform, including but not limited to adding or removing moderators, changing community settings, or managing content.
• “Committee” or “Moderator Governance Committee (MGC)” means the representative body empowered under this Agreement to exercise Admin Powers collectively.
• “Moderator” means a signatory to this Agreement bound by its terms.
• “Supermajority” means 2/3 of the votes cast unless modified in Annex A.

2. Formation of the Moderator Governance Committee

• Composition. The MGC shall consist of 5 Moderators elected by the Community or appointed according to Annex A. The method and procedures for conducting elections are determined by the Community and fall outside the scope of this Agreement, except as specified in Annex A.
• Term. Each Moderator serves for 12 months, renewable by community vote.
• Vacancy. If a Committee seat becomes vacant, the remaining Committee members may appoint a temporary replacement by majority vote.
• Removal. A Moderator may be removed for cause by Supermajority vote (e.g., inactivity, misconduct, breach).

3. Decision-Making and Voting

• Authority. All Admin Powers shall be exercised by the MGC collectively.
• Voting Thresholds.
  • Ordinary decisions: > 50% majority vote.
  • Structural amendments or removals: 2/3 Supermajority.
• Quorum. A quorum of 50% of Committee Moderators is required to conduct business.
• Procedures. The Committee may determine its own voting procedures; the mechanics of elections or voting are outside the scope of this Agreement.
• Recordkeeping. The Committee shall maintain a record of decisions in a publicly or semi-publicly accessible location designated by the Community.

4. Implementation of Decisions

• Execution Duty. Any Moderator holding technical Admin Powers must implement duly adopted Committee decisions within 72 hours.
• Non-Compliance. Failure to implement constitutes a material breach of this Agreement.
• Temporary Delegation. If the responsible Moderator is unavailable, the Committee may authorize another Moderator to execute the decision.

5. Enforcement and Dispute Resolution

• Internal Enforcement. The Committee may issue public notice of breach, suspend roles, or initiate replacement procedures.
• External Enforcement. Where necessary, disputes arising under this Agreement shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by AAA under its Expedited Rules, seated in New York.
• Remedies. Arbitrators may issue declaratory or injunctive relief requiring compliance but not monetary damages, except for costs.
• Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of New York without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

6. Continuity and Succession

• Founder Departure. If the founding administrator withdraws, deletes their account, or becomes inactive for 30 days, the Committee may reassign Admin Powers by Supermajority vote, to the extent permitted by the Platform's technical and policy constraints.
• Succession Register. Annex A shall list the designated order of succession for critical platform roles.
• Emergency Provision. If all current administrators are unavailable, the next designated Moderator shall petition the Platform for ownership transfer consistent with Platform policies.

7. Amendment and Transparency

• Amendments. Any amendment requires 14 days written notice and Supermajority approval.
• Public Access. The current version of this Agreement and voting records shall be maintained in a publicly accessible archive (e.g., shared drive or pinned channel).
• Dissolution. The Community may dissolve this Agreement by Supermajority vote, after which Admin Powers revert to Platform defaults.

8. Platform Relationship and Disclaimer

• Platform Supremacy. The Parties acknowledge that the Platform's Terms of Service and enforcement powers take precedence over this Agreement, and that the Platform retains ultimate authority over both technical and policy aspects of community management.
• Scope. This Agreement governs only the relations among the signatories and shall not be construed to limit the Platform's rights or create obligations for non-signatories.

9. Miscellaneous

• Electronic Execution. This Agreement may be executed electronically via click-to-agree, e-signature, or comparable digital assent.
• Entire Agreement. This document and its Annex constitute the full agreement among Moderators regarding community governance.
• Severability. If any provision is held invalid, the remainder remains enforceable.
• Effective Date. This Agreement enters into force upon execution by 3 initial Moderators.