YOUtopia Advisory Team

Committee Charter — Draft for Review

San Diego Collaborative Arts Project (SDCAP)

Purpose

The YOUtopia Advisory Team exists to support the continuity, institutional health, and long-term development of YOUtopia. It serves as a permanent infrastructure layer that the Production Leadership Team (PLT) plugs into each production cycle and returns responsibility to at season’s end. The committee’s role is to carry forward institutional knowledge, maintain year-round community relationships, develop leadership, and ensure that each production cycle begins with strong foundations rather than starting from scratch.

The advisory team does not replace the board or the PLT. It is a collaborative working body operating within board-approved guardrails.

Scope of Authority

Year-Round Responsibilities (Always Active)

The following are within the committee’s full authority and do not require board approval to execute:

• Internal agendas and self-organization
• PLT candidate identification, vetting, and interview process

• Board attendance at interviews is required (minimum one board member)
• Board makes final appointment decision

• Department lead candidate identification, recruitment, and interview process

• PLT holds final ratification over dept lead selections; if a candidate is rejected, the process returns to the advisory team for a new candidate

• PLT may strongly recommend candidates to the advisory team; the advisory team retains ownership of the vetting and interview process

• Year-round leadership training — coordination and curation for PLT and department leads

• May draw on CoLab space, instructors, and calendar as a resource

• Quarterly theme camp leads forum

• Experienced leads: project exchange and peer knowledge sharing
• New camps: onboarding, introductions, and orientation to community norms
• Each forum generates a post-mortem report to the board

• Post-event survey design, distribution, and synthesis
• Alumni and talent pool tracking (past PLT members, department leads, key contributors)
• Burning Man Project regional relationship continuity
• County and permitting relationship continuity (non-venue)
• Spending within board-approved annual budget allocation

• Approved expense categories: trainings, programming, forums, small events, and related logistics
• Spending outside the approved ceiling requires board approval

Seasonal Responsibilities (Off-Cycle: Activates Post-Event, Hands Off at Production Kickoff)

The following activate after each YOUtopia event concludes and hand off formally to the PLT at production kickoff:

• After-burn report draft
• Post-mortem recommended actions for next production cycle
• Production calendar recommendations (proposed event date window, key milestones, handoff date)
• Budget input submission ahead of board budget cycle
• Off-cycle vendor and venue relationship management

• Includes DSR relationship, key contacts, and renewal tracking
• Handed off to PLT at production kickoff via formal protocol (see Pending Actions)

Outside the Committee’s Lane

The following are explicitly outside the advisory team’s authority:

• Any direct involvement in active event production decisions
• Finalizing budgets, contracts, or vendor payments
• Conducting department lead meetings or check-ins during production season
• Directing the PLT or department leads on how to perform their roles
• Unilateral action — all formal recommendations route through the board

Performance or conduct concerns regarding PLT members or department leads are escalated to the board, not handled by the committee directly.

Reporting and Decision Flow

Annual Calendar Framework

The advisory team operates according to a board-approved annual calendar that governs all key process timelines. The calendar is established at the start of each year and includes:

• Committee convening date (post-event, approximately November)
• PLT candidate search open, close, interview, and appointment dates
• Department lead recruitment timeline
• Budget input submission deadline
• After-burn report and post-mortem due dates
• Quarterly theme camp forum dates
• Production handoff date to PLT (approximately late March)

Note: The annual calendar itself is a pending action item to be developed and approved by the board.

PLT Representation

Once the incoming PLT is appointed by the board, the PLT automatically designates one member to serve on the advisory team through the production kickoff. This seat exists to facilitate knowledge transfer, coordination between the advisory team’s seasonal work and the PLT’s preparation, and a clean handoff of responsibilities. The PLT representative is a voting member of the committee during this period.

Relationship to the Board

The advisory team operates within guardrails set by the board. It does not act as a governing body or as a single authority over YOUtopia. The board liaison serves as a non-voting observer and communication conduit between the committee and the board. All formal recommendations from the committee are received by the full board.

The board retains authority over: final officer and PLT appointments, budget approval and ceiling-setting, bylaw compliance, and any decisions with significant legal, financial, or reputational implications.

Pending Actions

The following items are required to fully operationalize this charter and are pending board action:

• Establish annual budget allocation: define spending ceiling and approved expense categories for advisory team programming
• Develop formal PLT handoff protocol: documented handoff meeting or checklist governing transition of seasonal responsibilities from advisory team to PLT and back
• Develop and approve annual calendar template governing all key process timelines
• Recruit and seat initial advisory team members (4–8)
• Name board liaison to the committee

This document is a working draft for board and community review. All items marked TBD require board action before the committee can be formally constituted.