Question

Rules and regulations for making an organisation

Answer 1

Always start with the most important rules and work your way down. People tend to stop reading the rules part of the way if the list is too long.

Base your rules on the rules of similar organizations. Creating an organization centered around an online game? Use the rules of the game as guidance for your organization's rules.

Don't be redundant. In this case, posting the same rules twice, making universally illegal activity against the rules, or adding rules from different sources without altering them may be considered redundant. To solve the second rule, merely make a "No illegal activity" rule.

Don't be too harsh. If you start making rules like, "All profit goes to me" or "Obey my every command or get kicked out for a month", you aren't going to get very many people to join.

Don't be too soft. If you don't make enough rules, or if there are few punishments for breaking the rules, people will just break the rules. You must also ensure that these rules are enforced.

Offer a clause for forgiveness. The "let someone off with a warning trick" does work. Sometimes, people have no idea that they are breaking a rule, and simply need to be told to stop.

Be prepared to alter your rules when necessary. If people begin taking advantage of what the rules say, they need to be written more soundly.

Ask for input from your organization's members. They might have a few good rule ideas that will keep your organization running with few problems. If they come up with bad ideas, you don't have to add them to the rules.

Avoid democratic decisions for the rules. Sometimes, the majority may not have the right idea. Either way, it is important to be impartial and think of what rules benefit your organization.

If someone threatens to quit because they don't agree with the rules, side with the rules and let the person quit. Unless, of course, they have a point. If someone wants to cause trouble by getting a rule removed, they shouldn't be able to.


Some organizations don't need rules. In many cases, the members of an organization have a shared understanding and mutual respect, and don't need to be tied down by regulations. If this is your organization, don't bring rules up.

Only create rules you know can be enforced. If you are running a virtual organization, and one of your rules is not to do something in real life, there is little chance that you know someone would break that rule.

Only create rules you can follow. If your organization is boys-only and you are a girl, for example, you would be breaking a rule.

For more immature organizations, offer rewards for following the rules.Everyone likes positive reinforcement. However, don't make the reward so great that the rules are the only thing your members are focused on, or so little than no one will try to get it anyway.

Once you have created your rules, be proud of them and follow them. Rules are rules for a reason