The Paranormal Team Starter Checklist: Creating Bylaws
GOALS AND MISSION
First and foremost you need to know what you want out of a team. Ask yourself these questions:
*When are you planning to investigate and how often?
*How many people do you want to have on the team?
*Will members/ investigators be required to have a probationary period?
*Will members/ investigators be expected to have experience or can they be trained?
*Will you be having meetings? How often will the team meet? In person or online?
*Will the team own the equipment or will each individual bring equipment? Or both?
*Will members be required to pay a membership fee?
*When doing data review and analysis, will you be doing it as a team?
*Does your team have deadlines to complete review?
*Do you plan to have positions and structure for the team?
*Where will your headquarters be located?
*Will you be doing events or community service?
*Will the team have a say or be able to vote on topics or changes with the team?
*Will the team be investigating places that will require payment?
Make sure that when you begin to generate your bylaws, you include what the team mission and goals are so there is a clear vision for the team and members. Without knowing what you want for your team there can be a serious disconnection with the members and investigators that are involved. Knowing a direction and having structure will engender a lot of confidence in clients, associates, and members of the team.
MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
There are many teams or groups out there that don't worry about who joins their team or whether the individuals are willing to meet certain requirements to maintain membership, and that is their prerogative. I do feel that any organization or group should create them to keep their team running smoothly and fairly. This is where you get to decide if there requirements for age, residence, transportation, attendance, experience, etc. In the bylaws you should clarify disclosure of criminal history, physical impairments, and possible time constraints. Start your process of bringing members into the group or team by having them fill out an application, complete an interview, and go on an investigation. You'd be surprised at how quickly they decide it's not for them and they are not for your team.
CODE OF CONDUCT AND PROTOCOLS
Paranormal Investigation seems to draw in a lot of very... passionate people. Some of them definitely not people I would want representing my team or even going into my home. Providing proper protocols and guidelines for how to conduct themselves is an important precedent to set in place. So what types of things would you include?
As part of the team...
*Attendance. If you are an active team make sure you have a guideline on attendance. How often they are required to attend meetings, investigations, review, events, etc. Remember that for most this is a hobby, so make sure it is feasible and there is leniency when life happens. However, not having any requirements could mean they come and go as they please. Too many teams have issues when their members are wishy washy or don't show up!
*Probationary Period. This is not always important especially if your interview process is a good one, but you may need a period of time to make sure that someone is a right fit for the team or that they are properly trained before they can participate with certain events or investigations.
*Respectful and professional behavior. Make sure to outline the unacceptable behaviors like bullying, foul language, sexual advances/commentary/propositions, fighting, etc. Teams fall can fall apart when their members don't have any rules in place to account for misbehavior.
*Clothing. Will your team have team gear? When can they wear it? In many cases this may not be a concern but if you wish for your team gear to remain for members only, make sure you include that in your code of conduct or protocols.
*Team events and publicity. Make sure there are guidelines on when members can utilize the team name and the proper procedures to getting permission.
*Group Structure. The group structure of positions should be listed with an outline of the duties required of each. Whether they are the founder, secretary, treasurer, case manager, social media manager, or equipment tech; each position should have clear details for their expectations. Are there levels to the investigators? Core, auxiliary, part-time, junior? Forming clear levels of membership, investigators, and administrative positions is key to keeping your goals for your team.
*Confidentiality. Documents should always be in place for every member to sign agreeing to maintain confidentiality. Outline the circumstances for confidentiality for cases, team information, and more.
*Change in Circumstances. While this goes along with membership criteria, you should have a plan in place for when someone's membership may be in jeopardy due to life circumstances. Pregnancy, jobs, death in the family, etc. Each should have an outlined action so that every member feels confident their membership and place on the team is not in jeopardy. Make sure you have a good Leave of Absence protocol to make sure they get the time they need away. Also include a protocol for how members decide to terminate their membership, like a letter of resignation or an email that can be kept for reference.
*Liability. All members should be aware of the risks of being part of paranormal research and investigation. Outline the hazards they may face and make sure that everyone involved signs a liability agreement.
*Non-Member or Guest rules. There are a few people that just think they can bring anyone they want to events or investigations. Will your team have restrictions? Make sure they are outlined clearly. I also recommend that Guests have their own guidelines they follow with a confidentiality and liability waiver they are required to sign.
*Accepting Payment. While the members may pay a membership fee and each member may have to pay a portion of the investigation costs, make sure that there are rules regarding accepting money from people for favors, information, etc. While many in the paranormal field are against charging clients and others for their services, making sure that what you do and don't accept avoids any messy situations that only money can create.
*Emergency Situations. There should be forms for members to fill out that are CONFIDENTIAL that outline any emergency contacts, surgeries, chronic illnesses, allergies, etc. If something happens on an investigation and the individual cannot give you this information; having these documents available could mean life or death.
*Administrative Actions. For some behaviors, actions, or inaction; there has to be consequences. A good rule of thumb is if what they did or didn't do can have negative impacts on the safety of the team, the reputation of the team, the structure of the team, or on members of the team; there needs to be consequences.
*Responsibility. Members should be aware that their safety, personal property, equipment, guests, trash, etc are their responsibility. This should be built into their liability waiver.
*Complaints or Issues. There should be a clear chain of command when it comes to issues within the group. Who do the members address issues to in privacy? Make sure that if the issue is with the person that is who they would lodge a formal complaint that they have a secondary person they can share the issue with securely. After the complaint is received there should be a structure and chain of command to which the complaint is addressed.
For the Investigation... (before, during, and after)
This is more of a etiquette lesson and what you should expect for investigations. These can be added to or expanded to explain their reasons, but they are all important protocols.
*Read plans, details, and expectations for investigation.
*Be on time.
*Wear appropriate clothing.
*No alcohol or drugs before or during the investigation.
*Be aware of your surroundings.
*No fooling around or inappropriate behaviors
*Bring required supplies.
*Do not go alone. (We do this sometimes but we require them to take a 2-way radio.)
*No smoking or vaping.
*Do not touch client property. (Unless the client has stated otherwise but be respectful!)
*Keep all information confidential.
*Leave the cell phone at base in airplane mode.
*Leave your drama at home.
*Be respectful to the location, the client, your team members, the spirits, and yourself.
*Complete required tasks outlined or delegated in the investigation plan.
*Utilize a digital voice recorder (and/or video camera) to document the investigation.
*Submit an investigation report to form a well rounded conclusion for the case.
TRAINING
Everyone who joins the team, whether they are experienced or not, should be trained for your teams expectations. I can't say what each team does on their investigations but you should put together how you structure your cases/ investigations, any documents you have for running the team or investigation documentation, how equipment is set up and used, baseline readings, the expectation of the sessions, how to properly put equipment away when finished, and how you wrap everything up. Make sure you have details on audio collection, storing data, analyzing data, commonly used software, common paranormal theories, and more. A good training guide is very valuable to a new investigator. Don't just leave the training to books, television, or the internet; sometimes a hands on approach is the best.
OTHER
Is your team a part of other organizations? Do they have rules or bylaws? As a participant of Maryland State Highway Administrations Adopt-A-Highway program we include their participation rules that our members need to know before going out on a Clean-up. Making sure you outline the details of your association with other organizations, their rules, and your rules to maintain a healthy relationship is very important.
There are so many more things you can include, but don't go too far. We all want a good dynamic with our teams and making sure the rules are just enough but not too restrictive are imperative. Now I also agree that people who push the boundaries of your team because rules are too restrictive, may not be the right people for your mission or goals. Just be proactive when it comes liability, safety, fairness, and fun.
To read more about Ethics and a Code of Conduct that is important for anyone who is involved with paranormal research or investigation, check out my blog...
https://antietamparanormal.blogspot.com/2024/01/code-of-ethics-and-protocols-for.html
Rebecca Boyer
Co-Founder/ Case Manager
Antietam Paranormal Society
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