Back to CST Investment Portal
8. CST Governance
Decisions, Leadership, & Accountability
Next
together...
We are in this together...
The CST brings together local residents to co-own and steward properties. This means consistently engaging the community. It means building trust among diverse stakeholders, aligning priorities, and making collaborative decisions. Ultimately, our community stewardship work requires a clear, defined governance structure that shares power and responsibility between CST Stewards, CST board leadership, and The Guild.
Next
Intro to Governance Video
Here's The Guild's Mary Jane to help us get started exploring CST Governance.
Next
CST
Governance
Diagram
^ Dani walks you through the CST governance diagram.
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
Assign the correct responsibilities, based on the CST Governance Model:
Next
The Guild's Role & Stake
Community organizer
Hover your mouse over each speech bubble for a brief explanation
Guarantors for property mortgager
Class C, non-financial shares
Most of the risk, none of the return
Asset and property manager
Developer fee, property acquisition equity
awesome team!
Next
How Governance Works for CST Investors
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Learn about the different aspects of our flagship property by clicking on each image below. Once you've viewed all three, click "Continue."
Direct Voting & Decision-Making
Board Circles & Meetings
Dual Board Structure
Continue
VOTE!
VOTE!
Time to VOTE!
Vote
Next
Next
Vote AGAIN!
Now let’s say you have the option to allocate a percentage of the $38,850 surplus cash to each item. What percentage of the surplus cash would you dedicate to each of the following options that are on the table? (Remember, you can only allocate up to 100% total, not any more!)
Next
Other ideas?
Next
Types of Decision-Making in the CST
DECISION TYPE
DESCRIPTION
Proposal passes with no major objections
CONSENT
DEMOCRATIC
Election or vote held
DELEGATION
Responsibilities assigned to a person or committee
CONSULTATIVE
Group opinions gathered to inform a decision
CONSENSUS
Proposals pass when everyone agrees
Next
CST Decision Matrix
A much more detailed decision matrix is outlined in the CST’s Governance Manual.
DECISION- MAKER
HOW IT'S MADE
DECISION EXAMPLE
TYPE OF VOTE
APPROVER
Allocating Surplus Cash Flow
Class A & Class B
Democratic
Simple Majority
Fiduciary Board (Majority Vote)
Property Manager
NewCommercial Tenants
Consultative
None
Class A & Class B (Majority Vote)
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
DECISION TYPE
DESCRIPTION
CONSENT
DEMOCRATIC
DELEGATION
CONSULTATIVE
CONSENSUS
Next
Chapter Eight Check
Did you review all pages and complete all interactive elements in Chapter Eight?
Yes!
For more on "How is the CST governed?" see the CST FAQ
Chapter Eight Completed
Go to Chapter 9
Back to CST Investment Portal
Orientation to the Community Stewardship Trust
Index - Course Chapters
Technology Intro
6. Overview of the CST Investment Portal
1. Objectives
7. CST and Land Development
2. Why Now? The Present Context
3. Introducing Solidarity Economy
8. CST and Governance
4. What is the Community Stewardship Trust (CST)?
9. Challenges & Opportunities
10. Next Moves to Get Involved
5. Investing in the CST
Back to CST Investment Portal
(Re)Start Chapter 8
Course Guide
CST FAQ
© 2025 by David Ferris and The Guild CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Dual board structure
Fiduciary Board - Financial & Legal (Board of Directors)
- Manages financial oversight, legal compliance, and fiduciary responsibilities
- Ensures legal and financial integrity of the organization
CST Stewardship Board - Neighborhood Property & Mission
- Oversees mission alignment and community impact
- Manages physical properties and strategic community objectives
Dual Board Structure
Elected by Class A, B, and C investors
5 are elected by community investors 2 are appointed from CST Property Operators 1 also serves on the Board of Directors
7 community leaders who govern the CST's strategic direction, and safeguard its financial and legal health
7 community investors who steward CST properties, guided by neighborhood priorities and purpose.
Direct Voting & Decision-Making
Community Stewards:
- Decide how to use surplus cash flow (community van, mutual aid, dividends)
- Elect Board Members
- Vote on commercial tenants
- Vote on key decisions called by the CST Stewardship Board (one person, one vote)
- Help steward local properties
Consent
Different than Consensus
A proposal passes if there are no principled and reasoned objections ("blocks") when the final vote is called. Blocking concerns should be raised and addressed during earlier stages of the proposal process (e.g., understanding, exploration, and initial reaction rounds). Those with blocking concerns bear responsibility for proposing amendments that resolve their objections while honoring the original proposal’s intent. Key distinctions from consensus: - Not unanimity: Participants may "stand aside" (disagree but permit the proposal to move forward) if their concerns are not blocking. - No surprises: Blocks must be justified and ideally resolved through iterative collaboration before the final decision point.
Board Circles & Meetings
Collaborate and govern with neighbors and friends!
- Community Stewards can apply to join CST Board Circles to engage in the day-to-day collective problem-solving and tasks related to land stewardship.
- Investor meetings offer transparency and enable direct participation in the organization's strategic direction.
- Together, these forums strengthen community connections and collective governance.
These are numbers that show how well a building with apartments and stores is doing financially.
OPERATING PARAMETERS
NOI stands for "Net Operating Income." This is how much money the building makes in a year after paying for things like maintenance and utilities, but before paying for big expenses like loans. The word "stabilized" means this is what they expect to make in a normal year, after the building is up and running smoothly.
- NOI (stabilized): $338,336
This means that 95% of the spaces in the building (like apartments or store areas) are being used or rented out. It's a good sign when this number is high because it means the building is popular and making money from most of its space.
- Occupancy Rate (stabilized): 95%
- Cash Flow (stabilized): $163,862
Cash flow is the money left over after paying for everything, including loans. This is the actual profit the owners can use or save. Again, "stabilized" means this is what they expect in a typical year.
Ch 8 - CST Orientation
CST Education Series
Created on September 26, 2024
In the name field, enter the email address associated with your CST investor profile. If your email is "already taken," add a number (e.g., "email2") to continue.
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Customer Service Course
View
Dynamic Visual Course
View
Dynamic Learning Course
View
Akihabara Course
Explore all templates
Transcript
Back to CST Investment Portal
8. CST Governance
Decisions, Leadership, & Accountability
Next
together...
We are in this together...
The CST brings together local residents to co-own and steward properties. This means consistently engaging the community. It means building trust among diverse stakeholders, aligning priorities, and making collaborative decisions. Ultimately, our community stewardship work requires a clear, defined governance structure that shares power and responsibility between CST Stewards, CST board leadership, and The Guild.
Next
Intro to Governance Video
Here's The Guild's Mary Jane to help us get started exploring CST Governance.
Next
CST
Governance
Diagram
^ Dani walks you through the CST governance diagram.
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
Assign the correct responsibilities, based on the CST Governance Model:
Next
The Guild's Role & Stake
Community organizer
Hover your mouse over each speech bubble for a brief explanation
Guarantors for property mortgager
Class C, non-financial shares
Most of the risk, none of the return
Asset and property manager
Developer fee, property acquisition equity
awesome team!
Next
How Governance Works for CST Investors
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Learn about the different aspects of our flagship property by clicking on each image below. Once you've viewed all three, click "Continue."
Direct Voting & Decision-Making
Board Circles & Meetings
Dual Board Structure
Continue
VOTE!
VOTE!
Time to VOTE!
Vote
Next
Next
Vote AGAIN!
Now let’s say you have the option to allocate a percentage of the $38,850 surplus cash to each item. What percentage of the surplus cash would you dedicate to each of the following options that are on the table? (Remember, you can only allocate up to 100% total, not any more!)
Next
Other ideas?
Next
Types of Decision-Making in the CST
DECISION TYPE
DESCRIPTION
Proposal passes with no major objections
CONSENT
DEMOCRATIC
Election or vote held
DELEGATION
Responsibilities assigned to a person or committee
CONSULTATIVE
Group opinions gathered to inform a decision
CONSENSUS
Proposals pass when everyone agrees
Next
CST Decision Matrix
A much more detailed decision matrix is outlined in the CST’s Governance Manual.
DECISION- MAKER
HOW IT'S MADE
DECISION EXAMPLE
TYPE OF VOTE
APPROVER
Allocating Surplus Cash Flow
Class A & Class B
Democratic
Simple Majority
Fiduciary Board (Majority Vote)
Property Manager
NewCommercial Tenants
Consultative
None
Class A & Class B (Majority Vote)
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
Art by Kate Morales, asthecrowfliesdesign.com
Next
DECISION TYPE
DESCRIPTION
CONSENT
DEMOCRATIC
DELEGATION
CONSULTATIVE
CONSENSUS
Next
Chapter Eight Check
Did you review all pages and complete all interactive elements in Chapter Eight?
Yes!
For more on "How is the CST governed?" see the CST FAQ
Chapter Eight Completed
Go to Chapter 9
Back to CST Investment Portal
Orientation to the Community Stewardship Trust
Index - Course Chapters
Technology Intro
6. Overview of the CST Investment Portal
1. Objectives
7. CST and Land Development
2. Why Now? The Present Context
3. Introducing Solidarity Economy
8. CST and Governance
4. What is the Community Stewardship Trust (CST)?
9. Challenges & Opportunities
10. Next Moves to Get Involved
5. Investing in the CST
Back to CST Investment Portal
(Re)Start Chapter 8
Course Guide
CST FAQ
© 2025 by David Ferris and The Guild CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Dual board structure
Fiduciary Board - Financial & Legal (Board of Directors)
- Manages financial oversight, legal compliance, and fiduciary responsibilities
- Ensures legal and financial integrity of the organization
CST Stewardship Board - Neighborhood Property & MissionDual Board Structure
Elected by Class A, B, and C investors
5 are elected by community investors 2 are appointed from CST Property Operators 1 also serves on the Board of Directors
7 community leaders who govern the CST's strategic direction, and safeguard its financial and legal health
7 community investors who steward CST properties, guided by neighborhood priorities and purpose.
Direct Voting & Decision-Making
Community Stewards:
Consent
Different than Consensus
A proposal passes if there are no principled and reasoned objections ("blocks") when the final vote is called. Blocking concerns should be raised and addressed during earlier stages of the proposal process (e.g., understanding, exploration, and initial reaction rounds). Those with blocking concerns bear responsibility for proposing amendments that resolve their objections while honoring the original proposal’s intent. Key distinctions from consensus: - Not unanimity: Participants may "stand aside" (disagree but permit the proposal to move forward) if their concerns are not blocking. - No surprises: Blocks must be justified and ideally resolved through iterative collaboration before the final decision point.
Board Circles & Meetings
Collaborate and govern with neighbors and friends!
These are numbers that show how well a building with apartments and stores is doing financially.
OPERATING PARAMETERS
NOI stands for "Net Operating Income." This is how much money the building makes in a year after paying for things like maintenance and utilities, but before paying for big expenses like loans. The word "stabilized" means this is what they expect to make in a normal year, after the building is up and running smoothly.
This means that 95% of the spaces in the building (like apartments or store areas) are being used or rented out. It's a good sign when this number is high because it means the building is popular and making money from most of its space.
Cash flow is the money left over after paying for everything, including loans. This is the actual profit the owners can use or save. Again, "stabilized" means this is what they expect in a typical year.