The Functional Circles & Connecting Circle of DAF Governance

DAF is a living, evolving entity. A new governance model emerged in September 2023. Many dedicated people infused DAF with their hearts, energies and abilities. Some have moved on, while many others are still active. To honor the efforts of all who came before, a chronicle of DAF’s governance journey is underway. It will be published on this website when completed. 

As of September 2023, the Deep Adaptation Forum has a new, volunteer-based  governance model.  Considered good enough for now and safe enough to try, the Sociocracy-based model has 6 self-organizing Functional Circles that take care of DAF’s many diverse, operational needs. Each Circle is a group of 2 or more volunteers generously giving their time and energy to make sure DAF not only stays up and running, but also upholds its purpose and intention. 

Each Circle seeks consent from all members when making decisions about their work.  Functional Circles work in attunement with the DAF Charter, the DAF non-violence statement and our continuous striving for inclusion of all human and more-than-human beings on the planet. 

A huge thank you to everyone who participates in keeping DAF’s governance strong! 

The 6 Functional Circles are:

Moderators Circle

Our moderators are dedicated to informing, monitoring, welcoming and guiding the thousands of DAF participants on both Facebook and in our Community Space. DAF moderators are experienced volunteers who practice gentle communication, are compassionate toward all levels and types of collapse-awareness. Moderators also guide participants toward the resources that may help answer collapse-related questions. 

About the Moderators’ Circle:

• The Moderators’ Circle provides a space for moderators managing any DAF discussion platform (or discussions in any DAF Affiliated Group) to support each other in their activities.
• It also serves as a sounding board for moderators to offer and request feedback from each other when encountering difficult or problematic situations in the groups they manage. In this way, it helps moderators be accountable to each other and the wider community for their role, and reflect on existing processes in dealing with various issues.
• The Circle communicates via a dedicated space on the DAF Community Space. Calls are convened on an ad hoc basis, at the initiative of any Circle member.
• Each DAF (or DAF Affiliated) moderated platform has an explicit and easy-to-find set of user guidelines, as well as an established process for raising appeals (i.e. expressing disagreement with decisions or statements coming from the moderation team of this particular platform). These are to be shared with any user inquiring about moderation rules and processes on the platform.
• Any user wishing to share an appeal about moderation should follow three steps:
  1. Raise their issue directly to the moderation team on the relevant platform (see link/email address on the guidelines page for each platform);
  2. If response to this first message is unsatisfactory, raise the issue with the Moderators’ Circle (moderators@deepadaptation.info);
  3. And if they still receive no satisfactory response, raise the issue with the DAF Weavers’ Circle (see email addresses here).
• Moderators and Weavers commit to responding to appeals within a week at most.

If you are interested in joining this Circle or wish to contact the Moderators for any reason, please do so here: moderators@deepadaptation.info.

Facilitators Circle

Facilitators are the visible heart of the Deep Adaptation Forum. Our DAF facilitators are experienced, deeply collapse-aware volunteers who offer a broad spectrum of  weekly and monthly events. 

The events provide compassionate support to enable and embody loving responses to our predicament. Most of these events are free and donations are vital to keeping them available. 

DAF Facilitators also publish the events calendar and facilitators newsletter. The Facilitators Circle meets monthly. If you are interested in joining our Facilitators Circle or wish to contact them for any reason, please email: events@deepadaptation.info .

Tech-Support/Artisans Circle

Maintaining, designing and monitoring the Deep Adaptation Forum website and all DAF platforms requires constant attention and excellent technical skills. 

DAF tech-support reacts quickly, clearly and kindly to technical questions, to site navigation problems and to the many issues that arise on our unique digital platforms. Without these people, the Deep Adaptation Forum wouldn’t exist. 

The Tech-Support/Artisans Circle is made up of both volunteers and (minimally) paid contractors. If you are interested in joining our Tech-Support/Artisans Circle or wish to contact them for any reason, please do so here: @DAF-Tech-support or, for those not on the DAF Community Space: techsupport@deepadaptation.info

Financial/Legal Circle

Volunteers with expertise in non-profit management give their time and energy to keeping DAF afloat legally and financially. They track and report expenses, while coordinating the fundraising campaigns that make DAF possible. 

DAF financial/legal volunteers work closely with the Schumacher Institute, DAF’s fiscal sponsor. If you are interested in joining our Financial/Legal Circle or wish to contact them for any reason, please email admin@deepadaptation.info.

Comms/Editorial Circle

The Communications/Editorial Circle volunteers are responsible for most written content on the Deep Adaptation Forum. This includes writing and/or editing website updates, the DAF blog, DAF NEWS & VOICES – Deeply adapting together newsletter and external DAF-related content.

The focus is to relay DAF-related content as simply, inclusively and eloquently as possible, in alignment with the DAF Charter. Comms/Editorial Circle meets whenever the need arises. If you are interested in joining our Comms/Editorial Circle or wish to contact them for any reason, please email blog@deepadaptation.info.

Weavers Circle

Weavers Circle volunteers sustain the DAF ethos and mission to enable and embody loving responses to our predicament. 

This 7-member circle commits to supporting all functional circles and the entire DAF community through research, outreach, conflict transformation (upon request) as well as through promoting inclusion of all humans and more-than-humans in all endeavors, reduction of harm, and much more.

The Weavers Circle meets weekly and invites all DAF participants to regular open meetings. Open meetings are recorded and can be viewed for 14 days following the meeting. You can contact the Weavers directly via the Weavers Circle web page

Connecting Circle

The Connecting Circle is the central meeting place for all six functional circles. Like a dance, the volunteers come together in the center to exchange information, bring news and ideas as well as discuss decisions affecting more than one functional circle. 

This regular interweaving of all volunteers and their appointed tasks ensures relationships evolve, an optimal flow of information and a strong sense of community.

Inclusion and solidarity are the lifeblood of all DAF activities. Each meeting of the Connecting Circle holds an Empty Chair, symbolic of all life forms, human and more-than-human, past present and future. It is a reminder for Connecting Circle participants to consciously hold space for all those not present.

These words open each Connecting Circle meeting:

This group stands heart to heart with those not present in this room, including and foregrounding BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), people on the front lines of collapse, people of all genders, sexualities, classes, political, spiritual and cultural backgrounds, and the Earth and the more than human world. We aspire to center compassion in all our work by noticing and deeply listening within ourselves, being aware of our emotions, inviting vulnerability and acting from our hearts.

Connecting Circle meetings are recorded and available for viewing for 14 days. Monthly open Connecting Circle meetings will invite the entire DAF community to bring their ideas, struggles, projects and energy to our endeavors. You can reach the Connecting Circle at info@deepadaptation.info

Updated December 4, 2025/Ramey