Operations Handbook

This handbook is the operational backbone of POIETO INC. It documents how we work: who does what, how decisions get made, what procedures govern our programs, and what we do when things go sideways. It exists so that coordination is visible and does not live only inside any one person's head.

POIETO is a young organization building something ambitious — a technology layer where AI is shaped by community, not extracted from it. Young organizations with big missions can fall into a trap: moving fast on vision while under-investing in the systems that let the team actually move well together. This handbook is a corrective to that trap. It is not bureaucracy. It is the scaffolding that lets us trust each other.

This Is a Living Document

Update this handbook when procedures change — not after the fact, not at annual review, not when someone finally asks. If a section no longer reflects how you actually work, fix it now. Outdated documentation is not neutral: it creates confusion, erodes trust, and forces people to rely on informal knowledge that disappears when someone leaves.

Anyone can flag a section for update. Christine Meinders has final authority on substantive changes. Ginny Song maintains the compliance and HR sections. Samuel-Joey Alleyne flags operational updates. The standard is: if the ground truth changed, update the document.

What This Handbook Covers

Roles and decision authority. Program delivery. Partner site relationships. Finances. Participant privacy. Communications. Contract compliance. Safety and incident response. Technology. Meetings. Onboarding and offboarding. Annual maintenance. It does not cover everything — it covers the things that need to be written down to work consistently. For everything else, ask your supervisor.

How to Use It

• New hires: read this in full during onboarding.
• Returning staff: review any sections relevant to a new program, contract, or situation.
• When something goes wrong: go to the relevant section first. The procedures are there so you don't have to improvise under pressure.
• When something is missing: flag it to Christine or Ginny so it can be added.

Clarity about who decides what is not hierarchy for its own sake — it is what makes fast, confident action possible. Everyone should know which decisions are theirs to make, which need a conversation, and which require escalation. When in doubt: ask up and document the answer.

Decision Escalation Path

For day-to-day program decisions, start with the person closest to the work. Escalate when the decision is outside your authority, involves risk, involves resources over your limit, or you're genuinely uncertain.

External Resources

POIETO programs are not drop-in activities. They are intentional, structured experiences that build trust with participants over time. Consistency is the mechanism by which that trust is built. Procedures that feel rigid in isolation are what make participants feel held.

Session Structure

Every session follows this arc. Every session. Not most sessions. Not when it's convenient. Every session.

1. Check-in — Structured arrival. Participants transition from wherever they came from into the program space. This is intentional, not incidental.
2. Making / Studio — The core activity. Teaching Artist facilitates creative or AI-related work appropriate to the program theme and participant cohort.
3. Impact Question — A structured reflection prompt. Connects the making to participants' broader experience and the program's learning goals. Document notable responses (without names) in session notes.
4. Goodbye Flow — Closing ritual. Runs every session, even short ones. Cards collected and filed. Participants are seen and acknowledged. This is not optional and is not cut when time is short — adjust the studio time instead.

Arrival & Pre-Session Requirements

• Teaching Artist arrives 30 minutes before session start. Not 15. Not on time. 30 minutes early. Setup, site coordination, and safety confirmation require this lead time.
• Two-adult rule: Two POIETO-affiliated or site-affiliated adults must be present before any participants arrive. This is a safety requirement, not a preference.
• Confirm site contact is present and the space is ready before participants enter.
• Review the stamp log. Confirm materials are in place.

Never-Alone Rule

Stamp Log

• Updated after every session without exception.
• Records stamps given, to whom (by identifier, never by name in external-facing copy), and session date.
• Kirtana receives a copy weekly. Teaching Artist is responsible for submitting it.

Session Notes

Session notes are the program's memory. They are also a contract compliance deliverable. Write them the same day. Submit them to Kirtana within 24 hours of session end.

Required fields in every session note:

• Date and site name
• Session duration (start and end time)
• Participant count (headcount only — no names in externally submitted notes)
• Week number and session theme
• Stamps given (count and type)
• What happened — narrative description of the session, including what went well, what didn't, and participant responses to the impact question
• Flags for Christine — anything that needs attention: safety observations, participant concerns, site issues, program challenges

Zero-Attendance Sessions

If participants do not show up:

1. Text Christine immediately: date, site, and that attendance is zero.
2. Run the session structure anyway — check-in, making, impact question, goodbye flow — with staff present. This is practice, documentation, and contract compliance.
3. Stay the full scheduled duration. Do not leave early.
4. Document in session notes that attendance was zero and note the date and full duration of staff presence.

Goodbye Flow & Portfolio Folders

• Goodbye cards collected at the end of every session.
• Cards filed in participant portfolio folders — one folder per participant.
• Portfolio folders remain at the partner site. They are not removed without participant consent.
• Content of goodbye cards is confidential per the participant's consent choices.

POIETO operates as a guest in partner sites — schools, community organizations, facilities. That relationship is not incidental to the work; it is constitutive of it. Our value of Ecosystem Participation means we enter communities prepared to leave them stronger, not just to deliver a program and extract data.

Pre-Program Setup

• Primary partner site contact identified before program start — documented in the program plan.
• Site-specific requirements confirmed: access procedures, safety rules, participant protocols, photo consent processes, emergency contacts.
• Teaching Artist introductions to site staff before first session.
• Site walk-through completed before first session.

Session-Day Site Coordination

• Teaching Artist coordinates arrival and setup directly with site contact — not through Christine unless there's a problem.
• Confirm site staff are present before session begins. This is both a safety requirement and a relationship requirement.
• Site-specific safety rules apply — they layer on top of POIETO safety requirements. If a site rule is more protective, follow it. If a POIETO rule is more protective, follow it. Conflicts: call Christine.
• Teaching Artist wears ID badge at every session. Required by contract.

If Site Staff Are Not Present at Session Start

Access Problems

• Any access issue (locked building, site contact unreachable, security checkpoint, changed access procedures) — Teaching Artist contacts site contact directly first.
• If unresolved after 10 minutes: notify Christine immediately.
• Document in session notes regardless of resolution.

Communications with Partner Sites

• Professional and warm. POIETO's relationships with partner sites are long-term partnerships — not transactional vendor arrangements.
• Program-related concerns or requests that affect the partner organization go through Christine or Samuel-Joey, not Teaching Artists acting independently.
• Complaints, concerns, or site relationship issues: report to Samuel-Joey, who escalates to Christine.

Financial clarity is how we protect the team and the organization. Late timesheets create payment delays. Missing receipts create audit problems. Expenses committed without approval create budget surprises. The procedures below are designed to prevent all three.

Invoicing and Timesheets

• Teaching Artists and contract staff submit hours weekly via QuickBooks or the timesheet format coordinated by Kirtana.
• Submit weekly. Do not batch. Late submissions may delay payment — this is not punitive, it is a downstream payroll dependency.
• Hours submitted to Kirtana. Questions: Kirtana first, Bernie second.
• If you are unsure of the correct format, ask Kirtana before the first submission, not after.

Expense Reimbursement

• Submit receipts to Kirtana within 7 days of the expense date.
• California Labor Code §2802: POIETO reimburses all reasonable and necessary business expenses incurred in the performance of your work. If you spent it doing the job, you get it back — as long as you submit the receipt.
• No receipt = no reimbursement. This is not negotiable. Keep your receipts.
• Expenses over $500 require prior approval from Christine. See financial authority rule above.

Transport Allowance

• Per your offer letter. Paid per on-site program day.
• Processed through payroll. Coordinate with Bernie for setup or changes.
• Not reimbursed as a separate expense — it is built into payroll per offer terms.

Food and Program Supplies

• Use company-provided payment method when available.
• If you pay out of pocket: submit receipt to Kirtana within 7 days.
• A receipt is required in all cases — regardless of payment method.
• Specialty supplies (cyanotype, etc.): ordered by Christine only. Do not order independently. See Section 9.

Contract Billing

• Managed by Christine and Ginny per contract terms.
• Program staff do not invoice funders directly. All billing flows through Christine.
• Billing timelines and amounts are determined by the contract. Questions: Christine or Ginny.

Payroll and Bookkeeping

• Payroll managed by Bernie (bernie@poieto.com).
• QuickBooks managed by Bernie. Staff access as assigned by Bernie with approval from Christine.
• Tax forms (W-2, 1099): Bernie handles. Questions about forms: Bernie first.
• New hire state reporting: Bernie files. Ginny confirms completion.

Participant privacy is not a compliance item. It is a values commitment. POIETO's mission is to build AI shaped by relationship and consent — which means we cannot, as an organization, harvest community data for AI training. We do not extract. We build with.

Names and Identifiers in Records

• Participant names are never included in session logs submitted externally. Headcount only.
• Internal program records (held by Christine or Ginny) may include participant names only as required for program administration or contract compliance.
• Do not create informal notes, lists, or spreadsheets with participant names outside of the formal program record system.

Portfolio Folders

• One folder per participant. Stays at the partner site.
• Contents include goodbye cards, completed work, and consent documentation.
• Do not remove folders from the site without the participant's explicit consent (or, for minors, guardian consent).
• Goodbye card content is confidential per the participant's consent choices. Do not read or reproduce the contents of someone's portfolio without authorization.

Participant Data and AI Tools

Photo and Media

• Document participant work and sessions only when photo consent has been signed (photo consent card, collected at intake).
• Identifiable participant photos are not shared publicly (social media, press, reports) without additional written consent — separate from the intake consent.
• When in doubt: don't photograph. When unsure about consent status: ask Christine before posting.

Data Retention and Destruction

• Participant records retained per the requirements of the applicable contract.
• At the end of the retention period: records are destroyed per POIETO's data destruction procedure (see Ginny Song for specifics).
• Do not retain participant records longer than required.

Clear communication rules protect participants, staff, and the organization. They also make the work faster — when everyone knows who handles what, questions get to the right person and decisions don't get delayed by uncertainty.

External Communications

Social Media

• POIETO official accounts: Coordinate with Christine before posting anything about participant work, program events, or POIETO activities.
• Staff personal accounts: Do not post identifiable participant images or details from program work without Christine's approval. Refer to photo consent requirements (Section 6).
• Participant content: Do not reproduce or amplify participant work (goodbye cards, artwork, writing, AI outputs) on public channels without explicit participant consent and Christine's authorization.

Staff Communications with Participants

• See the Safe Interaction & Abuse Prevention Policy for full guidance.
• Program-purpose direct messages (scheduling, program questions) are permitted via channels established in the program plan.
• Personal relationships with participants via social media or personal messaging are not permitted.
• If a participant contacts you via personal social media: screenshot, do not respond, notify Samuel-Joey and Ginny immediately.

Internal Communications

• Use whatever combination of Slack, email, and text is established for your program role — but maintain consistency.
• Sensitive or personnel-related matters: email only. Email creates a record. Sensitive conversations should not happen only in text chains.
• If you need to document that something was communicated: email, with a clear subject line and date.

Urgent Issues

POIETO's programs are typically funded through contracts with government agencies, foundations, or community organizations. Contract compliance is not optional and is not someone else's job to manage. Every person on the team has a role in delivering what we promised.

Monthly Reports

• Due per contract schedule — confirm specific dates with Christine at program start.
• Template: projects/aviva/POIETO-Program-Package-2026/POIETO_CW_Monthly_Report_Template.md
• Samuel-Joey compiles the draft from session notes and attendance records.
• Christine reviews and submits to the funder. No one else submits reports to funders.
• Timeline: Samuel-Joey delivers draft to Christine at least 3 business days before the due date.

Quarterly Funder Meetings

• Minimum quarterly contact with program funder — in person or video.
• Samuel-Joey coordinates scheduling. Christine leads the meeting.
• Document: meeting date, attendees, topics covered, any commitments made. Retain in program file.

Progress Reviews

• Per contract schedule and requirements.
• Christine leads. Samuel-Joey provides program data and session documentation.

Background Clearances

• All personnel who have participant contact must have an approved background clearance on file before their first participant contact. No exceptions.
• Ginny Song maintains clearance records and confirms compliance.
• Proof of clearance submitted to funder per contract requirements. Ginny manages this submission.
• If a clearance expires during the program: contact Ginny immediately. Do not continue participant-facing work until renewed clearance is confirmed.

ID Badges

• Teaching Artists wear POIETO ID badges at every session. This is a contract requirement.
• Lost badge: notify Samuel-Joey immediately and arrange replacement before the next session.

Service Agreements and Program Plans

• Executed before services begin. Not retroactively.
• Christine signs all service agreements. Samuel-Joey manages program plan documents.
• Both documents retained in program file managed by Christine or Ginny.

75% Spend Notification

Program materials are a budget line and a program deliverable. Ordering without coordination, losing track of inventory, or approaching budget limits without warning creates downstream problems for the program and for the financial close-out. Track it and communicate early.

Who Orders What

Storage

• Program supplies stored at partner program site or POIETO office — per arrangement with site contact.
• Confirm storage location and access with site contact before placing orders that will be delivered to site.
• Do not leave POIETO supplies unattended at sites without confirming secure storage.

Materials Budget

• Per program plan. Track usage against the budget.
• Alert Christine when materials spend approaches 75% of the materials budget.
• Do not assume budget remains available for additional purchases without checking with Christine first.

When something goes wrong involving participant safety, allegations of abuse, injury, or a program crisis — the response matters as much as the prevention. Know these procedures before you need them.

Mandatory Reporting

Incident Response Sequence

1. Ensure safety. Remove the immediate risk. Get help if needed. If there is a medical emergency, call 911 first.
2. If mandated reporting is triggered, report to DCFS (800-540-4000) immediately.
3. Notify Ginny Song. Call — do not email. She will coordinate the organizational response.
4. Complete the Incident Report Form the same day — not the next day, not at the end of the week. The same day.
5. Submit Incident Report Form to Ginny Song.

Insurance Carrier Notification

• Ginny Song notifies The Hartford (800-327-3636) or the applicable carrier within 24 hours of any incident, injury, or allegation.
• Program staff do not contact the insurance carrier directly unless directed by Ginny.

Funder / County Notification

• Per contract, the county program manager is notified within 24 hours of any incident.
• Ginny Song or Christine manages this notification.

Media and Press

After an Incident

• Christine and Ginny debrief within 48 hours.
• Policy or procedure changes identified in debriefing are documented and implemented.
• Staff involved in the incident may be offered support resources — Ginny coordinates.
• Incident records retained per contract and legal requirements. Ginny manages.

Technology governance at POIETO is not just IT policy — it is a reflection of our mission. We build AI shaped by community relationship. That means our own use of AI tools must be consistent with the consent and trust that relationship requires.

AI Tool Policy

If you want to use an AI tool to assist with program work (writing, planning, analysis), ask Christine first. The question is not whether AI tools are useful — it is whether the specific use is consistent with our consent principles and does not expose confidential data.

Email

• POIETO email address (poieto.com domain) is used for all program-related communications.
• Personal email is not used for official business — not for participant communication, not for funder correspondence, not for staff coordination on program matters.
• Email access is provisioned by Ginny. Access issues: contact Ginny.

QuickBooks

• Managed by Bernie. Staff access assigned per role.
• Do not access accounts or records you have not been explicitly assigned to.
• Access requests: ask Bernie, approved by Christine or Ginny.

GitHub and Code Repositories

• Access: ask Christine. She manages repository access.
• Production systems: do not modify without explicit authorization from Christine.
• If you find a bug or need to make a change: document it and bring it to Christine before touching production.

Device Security

• Lock your screen when you step away from your device. Always.
• Do not leave laptops or devices unattended at program sites — whether during a session or after.
• If a device with POIETO data is lost or stolen: notify Ginny and Christine immediately.
• Do not store participant data on personal devices without authorization.

Regular structured communication is how problems get caught early, how staff feel supported, and how the organization stays coordinated without creating meeting fatigue. These rhythms are not aspirational — they are operational commitments.

Weekly Rhythms

Quarterly All-Staff Meeting

• All-staff program review, policy updates, and safety review — required by contract §7.7.
• Agenda includes: program performance review, policy updates since last quarter, safety and abuse prevention review, open questions.
• Minutes documented and retained. Ginny maintains records.
• Attendance: required for all POIETO program staff.

HR and Compliance

• Ginny + Christine meet as needed for HR and compliance matters.
• Issues that require a formal meeting (investigation, policy change, personnel matter): scheduled with 48 hours notice when possible.

Funder/Partner Touchpoints

• Quarterly meeting with program funder minimum — see Section 8.
• Monthly reports per contract schedule — see Section 8.
• Ad hoc contact as needed for program issues, billing questions, or relationship maintenance — Christine and Ginny manage.

How someone enters POIETO shapes their entire experience of the organization. How someone leaves sets the tone for every POIETO relationship after them. Both deserve intentionality.

New Hire Onboarding

• Full onboarding checklist: Desktop/POIETO-Onboarding/Employee-Onboarding/EMPLOYEE-ONBOARDING-MASTER.md
• Read this handbook in full — required, not optional.
• Read and sign: Safe Interaction & Abuse Prevention Policy, Organizational Abuse Prevention Policy, Confidentiality Agreement.
• Background clearance on file before first participant contact. Ginny confirms.
• POIETO email provisioned by Ginny — request before start date.
• QuickBooks access (if applicable) provisioned by Bernie with Christine/Ginny authorization.
• Program system access (GitHub, shared drives, etc.) provisioned by Christine.
• Introduction to partner site contact and site walk-through before first session.

Offboarding

• Return all POIETO property and materials on or before last day: laptop, ID badge, program materials, keys/access cards.
• Transfer or hand off any in-progress work per Samuel-Joey or Christine's direction.
• Confidentiality obligations continue after separation. The agreement doesn't end when employment does.
• Final pay:
  • California: immediate payment on same-day termination by the organization. Payment at end of next regular pay period for resignation with notice.
  • Oklahoma: per applicable Oklahoma law — confirm with Bernie and Ginny.
• Access revoked on the same day as separation — POIETO email, QuickBooks, GitHub, and any other system access. Ginny and Bernie coordinate.
• Exit interview: optional but encouraged. Feedback helps POIETO improve. Christine or Ginny conducts.

Living governance means the document follows the work — not the other way around. This handbook is reviewed on a formal annual schedule, but it is updated whenever the procedures it describes change. Annual review is a floor, not a ceiling.

Annual Review Schedule

• Annual review: June each year. Full handbook review before program year begins.
• Christine and Ginny lead the review. Samuel-Joey provides operational input.
• Any section that no longer reflects current practice is updated at review.
• Updated handbook redistributed to all staff at program start.

Policy Documents

• Harassment prevention, IIPP, Safe Interaction & Abuse Prevention Policy, Organizational Abuse Prevention Policy: reviewed annually and redistributed when updated.
• When a policy is updated mid-year: Ginny distributes updated policy, collects signatures, and retains records of distribution.

Annual Abuse Prevention Training

Mid-Year Updates

• Anyone can flag a section for update. Bring it to Christine or Ginny.
• Procedure changes that happen mid-year should be documented immediately — draft a note to Ginny, who will update the handbook and notify relevant staff.
• Do not wait for annual review to fix something that is wrong now.

Key Rules — At a Glance