Dear Psychedelic Club of Denver,

The seasons are beautiful and as they change, so do we. We’re in a new season for the Club. The dawn of next year will bring new growth not only from the ground but for our community.

Since 2016, hundreds of people have slowly grown a space where we can connect and share the psychedelic experience. With more growth and more members than ever, the Club has stayed a close community. We’ve heard the passion and commitment of the members, new and existing, and we’re excited to put these community members in place as a new driving force behind the Club. We’re excited to share our next steps.

• Board member application (Open now – Nov 20!)
• Bylaws and committees coming
• Future plans and vision

Board member application:

The backbone of the organization is the board of directors, it needs to be made of a diverse range of community members to serve us properly. We aim to have a team of seven passionate people with a variety of skills recruited by January. That group of seven will break into committees to do the work that makes PCOD run. Importantly, community members who are not on the board will be able to serve on committees.

Here you can find an application to join the board. The application will be open until November 20th. After the close of the application there will be an interview process. In January we’ll schedule the first board meeting where we’ll establish several other committees. There will be some information about board leadership below, we are looking for people to learn and grow into these positions so you don’t have to be an expert to apply. If you want a deeper look into what you’d be getting into, the Little Book of Board Members is a ~100 page book that covers the ins and outs of a small organization. We would be glad to lend you a copy if it would help make a decision about applying.

The expectations are listed here. We encourage you to apply if you’re on the fence. This application is a chance for you to tell us about skills that we might not know about, and for us to answer any questions you have before committing. Equity and representation will be a consideration with the selection process. All board members are on a volunteer basis.

• 1 year starting commitment.
• Attend the regular board meetings (every 1-2 months).
• Must donate to PCOD (we will discuss, do not let funds stop you from applying).
• Sit on a minimum of one committee and attend PCOD events regularly.
• Participate in fundraising/special event efforts 1-2 times per year.

Apply now!

What’s new:

We recently revised our bylaws document to give the board and larger community a toolkit to work with. Here they are, so future board members can get a peek and also so anyone can see how we operate. We welcome constructive criticism and getting involved with the board is an excellent way to help us develop an even stronger foundation.

Board work will be done via committees. Committees will have a main point of contact who is elected from the board and can contain board members as well as general community members. We are considering creating these committees among others: harm reduction, governance, finance, community, special event planning. We will also elect a few positions on the board, some of which are legally required and all will help us going forward. While these roles are time intensive, board members will support each other and distribute work through committees in particularly heavy seasons.

Positions:

The Secretary will file our nonprofit report and other documents, ensure meeting votes are recorded, and represent the structure of the organization. This person will be key in holding the board accountable and creating transparency with the wider community. 

The Treasurer will hold a finance committee, work with a bookkeeper, and fundraise. This person will help the team agree on a budget and then report back to the board about progress. We have a wonderful professional accountant who will be able to orient and help with this.

The President will organize the agenda and lead board meetings, speak at events, and oversee the committee chairs. This person will check in with the various board members and manage the process of finding an executive director, should we decide that would help us years down the road.

The Vice President will be a resource for the committees and act as President when called upon. This position is also intended to provide a space for ambitious board members to learn and be in a central role. The Vice President is not obligated to be the next President and it is not a guaranteed path, however this role will prepare someone and naturally leads into the President role.

These positions will be created after the general board is elected so that new board members can contribute to their formation. Everything in the bylaws, including these positions, can and will be amended by the new board members.

What else is changing?

Nothing. We’re the same community and we’re providing the same services.

The goal of introducing new board members is to reinforce what we have. We also want to give the opportunity for people to contribute to something they love in a committed and very meaningful way. It’s been an incredibly fulfilling experience leading PCOD and we know there are people in the community who want to step up and carry that torch. While dreams of state grants and member growth are exciting, it’s even more inspiring to imagine the support that will be created for our already existing events and harm reduction team. 

While we have no immediate need for change, we do imagine the group 3 years down the road. Where do you want to be? What does the future hold for psychedelics? We may be just a fledgling group but we have a unique opportunity within the psychedelic renaissance in Denver. Consider this report that three percent of Coloradans use psilocybin. Let’s assume one in twenty of those people would be interested in joining a club involving psychedelics. That would mean there are at least five thousand people in the Denver metro area who might need our services and company. Imagine how many people will learn about psychedelics in the coming years with decriminalization and therapy. How can you help the Club to guide our wider Denver community?

The message we want to leave you with is that we appreciate all our members and the wider psychedelic community beyond words, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll create in this next year with a new team and fresh ideas. We believe this larger board will make our services and events more consistent, and be a platform for our friends and psychedelic colleagues to grow as leaders. We’ve been incredibly humbled in stewarding this wonderful group, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what vision we can all create together. 

Apply to join the board. Let us know what you want to see in the future at info@pcodenver.com or come talk to us at an event. Thank you for being a wonderful group of humans. 

• Cherie, Jordan, and Wesley