Savvy Charter

Under constant evaluation by the members of Savvy, revisions and additions may be made. The charter is a long read and was created as a reference to keep the guild's philosophy intact. Don’t let the size scare you. Savvy will always be fun and casual.

Last amended on May 11, 2011

Guild Vision and Principles

We pledge to be a guild geared towards the more mature, casual player, where rushing to endgame content and guild raid progression is NOT our primary focus. This should not be misunderstood to mean that we are not serious about being a guild. We are a guild that supports friendship and fun over the “OMG Gimmie phat lewtz!” approach. We are not hardcore, but a group that tackles instances with a balance of seriousness and silliness.

Savvy realizes that real life comes first. Whether you have school, work long hours, have small children, or need to work on spouse faction, we support you. There are those who are able to enjoy WOW more often, for longer hours, and we support you as well. Nobody will be required to specialize or play a certain way to meet the needs of the guild.

We are a guild of casual players focused on small group instances, world interaction, PvP, crafting and socializing. We are serious about being a guild family and are open to mature, fair-minded people of all classes and professions. Courteous behavior and a commitment to support our growing guild community are the primary expectations of all members.

Being a guild for casual players, Savvy has not set any endgame raiding goals and will never mandate leveling requirements or class builds. As Savvy matures and players hit level cap, endgame content will be amended by guild members. Under no circumstances would raid attendance be mandatory.

Don't let these rules or the size of the charter fool you, we are very easy going. But it is easier to make sure everyone stays easy going if we all know where the boundaries are.

Courtesy, Demeanor, and Behavior

Have Fun, and be sure others have fun too.
No member of any rank can demand that any member behave in a way in violation of the charter. This includes but is not limited to: required grouping, required playtime (with the exception of “abandoned characters”, defined as a character that has not been logged in for a determined period of time), required leveling, required advancement, etc.
No member of any guild can actively work to the detriment of the guild.
No member can act in a way that is determined to be insulting, demeaning, or embarrassing to the guild; everyone is a guild representative. This includes, but is not limited to: begging, harassing other players, bannable behavior in a public channel, explicit behavior, publicly insulting the guild or its members, knowingly cheating other players out of goods, etc.
No member shall insult another member based on their race, religion, political affiliation, sexual preference, ***, etc.
No member shall post or introduce into chats pornographic material, illegal references, or excessive foul language, nor any material that is an advertisement or link to knowingly harmful material such as Trojans, spyware, etc.
No member shall violate the “maturity” clause of the charter. As this is such an indefinable term, the guild shall use its best judgment on a case-by-case basis.
No member of any rank shall enforce or encourage a role-play environment. As a corollary, no member of any rank shall discourage or disallow a role-play environment.
This Charter may be altered, amended, or added-to at any time by the process described in the "Charter Changes" section.
The behavior of Savvy members regarding loot shall reflect the guild's guiding principles, namely generosity, fairness, and a primary concern not for our virtual toons within the game, but for the flesh and blood people playing those toons outside the game.

Guild Recruitment

Decisions on where and how to recruit new members shall be determined by the officers with input by the entire guild. The recruitment process is a multi-step function consisting of submitting application on website and an officer(s) interview. If necessary, experience (running with the guild), officer vote, and guild consensus.

Membership Limitations

Applicants must have achieved at least level 10 on their main; there is no level requirement for alts.
Savvy is a guild of pirates and rum swillers geared towards mature adults and is not suitable for most children. Applicants under the age of 18 will not be considered for membership unless they have a parent or legal guardian who is a full member of the guild.
Applicants with a character name in bad taste will not be considered for entry.
Each full member gets one vote in all matters.
Only full members are eligible to be become officers.
Any character that doesn't log on for 28 days will be considered inactive and may be removed from the guild. If leaving for an extended period the member may request inactive status for a longer period, but must check in at the end of that date or be subject to removal to keep the roster clear of “dead” characters.

Guild Structure

Membership Ranks

Timeout Rank: Deck Hand - For those who are in violation of the guild chart and on probation. This rank can only view guild chat, but not interact with it.
Alternate Rank: Scurvy Dog - All alternate characters in Savvy will carry this designation except for the alternate characters of Officers. Alternate characters of Officers may carry the Master title.
Normal Ranks: Scallywag - New recruit. They cannot have alts or vote on issues. Trial duration of at least 2 weeks.; Rascal - Full member. Automatic promotion to this rank after the trial period & agreeing to the Savvy Charter.
Officer Ranks: Master - Handles recruitment and enforces the charter. Also moderates the Savvy forums. There shall be a minimum of 3 Officers (including the Captain). The current officers may assess their work load and determine if any adjustment to the number of officers is required. Changes to the number of officers should be made during officer elections. Officers positions are generic, but specific jobs will be split among them in the most efficient manner (i.e. maintaining the forums, handling the bank, recruitment drives, special events, etc.); First Mate - Second in command. Essentially handles the Captain's duties when the Captain is not available.; Captain - First among equals. The Captain is the official spokesperson for the officers and the guild. The Captain shall act as the chair person for any officer or guild meetings. In the event of a tie in any guild or officer vote, the Captain may cast an additional vote in order to break the tie.

Other than the rights and responsibilities mention in the preceding paragraph, the Captain has no extraordinary privileges or powers. The Captain, like all other Officers and Members is bound by and must uphold the Guild Charter.

Selecting the Officers

Officer terms are 6 months. Any full member who has not been subject to disciplinary action within the past 60 days may run, including the previous officers. Any Officer may step down at any time. New officers may be elected by the same procedure as the guild grows and positions are mandated by the population count. The Captain will alert the guild membership well in advance when an officer's term is set to expire so as to solicit new nominations for the position

Additionally, it shall be required that before any member is promoted to an officer rank with unlimited access to the guild vault that they provide verbal confirmation that a battlenet authenticator is attached to their account.

Selecting the Captain

The Captain shall serve a term of six months. The Captain’s term shall coincide with the election of officers. After an officer election where the captain’s term has, or is about to end, the officers shall elect the captain from within the officer ranks by a simple majority vote.

If the captain is unable or unwilling to complete his or her term, the captain must transfer the captaincy to the First Mate, who shall serve for the remainder of the Captain's term. If the First Mate is unable or unwilling to serve as captain, the officers shall elect a new captain from within the officer ranks by a simple majority vote.

Selecting the First Mate

The First Mate is appointed by the Captain from within the officer ranks. The First Mate serves at the pleasure of the captain, and shall serve as first mate until the captain’s term of office ends or the captain selects a new first mate.

Removal of Officers

Any full member may petition for the removal of any officer including the captain by obtaining the agreement of 10% of the active members of the guild. The names of the members who support the removal must be provided to the officers. A vote of confidence shall be held to determine if the officer will be removed from office. The voting must begin within 4 days from the receipt of the petition. The vote shall remain open for 5 days. A simple majority vote shall determine the outcome.

Removal of the Captain

The officers may remove the captain at any time by a two thirds majority vote. The First Mate shall assume the duties of Captain until the officers elect a new Captain.

Replacement of an Officer

If an officer position becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining officers shall use one of the following options to address the vacancy:

If there are at least 3 officers remaining, the vacant officer position does not need to be filled.
The officers may select the first runner up from the previous election to fill the vacant position for the remainder of the term.
A special election can be held using standard officer election procedures.

Guild Requirements for Class, Spec, Gear, Race, and Attendance (beyond minimum activity requirement)

There are no guild requirements for class, spec, gear, or race. Any character who has not logged on for more than 28 days without prior notification is subject to removal from the guild.

Alternate Characters

Any Savvy full member may have as many active alts as they like in Savvy.
All alts will be given the rank of Scurvy Dog. Members that begin to play an alt more than their main may request that the two characters in question have their ranks switched.
If a member leaves or is removed from the guild, all their characters will be removed.

Public Notes

All Scurvy Dogs must have the name of their main posted in their public note.

Mods/Alternate UIs

In general members of Savvy are not required to run any particular third party software. However, software beyond the game can make certain activities far easier. If they desire to participate in those activities, members may be required to use software in addition to the game itself. Examples include but are not limited to the use of a notification addon for raiding, or the use of third party voice chat software for guild meetings.

Policies

The officers may establish policies as required in the performance of their duties, pursuant to the guiding principles of the guild as outlined herein.
New policies or alterations shall be proposed in forum for member comment and subsequently ratified by an officer majority vote. The comment period shall be 7 days for new proposals and 3 days for revisions. In the event that circumstances restrict available time for debate, that debate period shall follow during a trial period prior to permanent adoption.

Grievance Procedures

In the case of interpersonal problems with another member, please always take the matter directly to the one you have the problem with before escalating this further. Direct communication between honorable adults is the fastest way to solve a disagreement. If you are unable to resolve your grievance in this manner, speak to either the Captain or an available Master. If the officer is unable to resolve the issue, you may request meeting of the Masters which includes the Captain. The decision of the officers on the stated issue at this stage will be final.

Disciplinary Action

Any violation of the Savvy Charter is subject to disciplinary action. These may include:

A verbal warning with all officers having full knowledge of said warning.
Being demoted to Deck Hand status for a period of time to be determined by the Captain and Officers.
After a unanimous vote by all officers, resignation/removal of all characters from the guild.

Please note: Due process (Disciplinary Action) will be strictly enforced to avoid any issues regarding conduct.

If an officer is present for the violation, they may invoke the appropriate disciplinary action immediately, to the limit of placing the member in the Deck Hand rank. The actions are therefore subject to review by the Captain and/or the entire officer’s group. If a member reports a violation made by another player, then the officer should initiate an investigation of the incident before confronting the accused. The officer/officers must then decide if a violation was made. The severity of the punishment is left up to the officer involved, who will take into consideration the nature of the violation and previous problems with the player. Decisions on disciplinary action taken by officers are subject to review and reversal by the officer, and must be reported to the Captain as soon as possible. Abusive or discriminatory use of disciplinary power by an officer is itself a violation of the charter and swill subject the officer to disciplinary action. Any further issues regarding guildies that could potentially lead to a /gkick will be discussed and voted on by all officers. Before the vote takes place, a message will be posted in Savvy Cove announcing the issue and that a vote will be held. Any violation of the Blizzard User Agreement will result in the immediate removal from the guild.

Leaving the Guild

Not everyone fits within every guild. Hopefully we are a fair but discriminating guild and by the time one has passed the recruitment process you will fit in and be happy within our family. There is no negative connotation to that, but we do make a couple of requests. If you decide to leave, drop a note on the forums saying goodbye, it's only polite, and contact a guild officer for an exit interview. There is no one as direct and clear about how the guild is running as someone who is leaving. SAVVY is interested in hearing your views on how we can improve the guild for those who are staying behind.

Charter Changes

Any full member may post a proposed amendment to the charter in the forums. If a motion to second the proposed amendment is made, then the officers will review the proposal for conflicts with the rest of the charter and return it to the submitter if problems are found. During the discussion period, other members may offer "friendly amendments" which the original author may accept or decline. After two weeks a vote shall be conducted. Only full members of the guild may vote. Voting shall remain open for 1 week. The amendment must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote. In addition, 25 votes or 50% of the full membership, whichever is lower must participate in the election for the amendment to be ratified.