Annex 1 to the Stewardship Agreement. Complete one per steward per Asset, before or at the start of stewardship. Read alongside the Asset’s completed Asset DNA — for a Hub, the Agreement 1 Annex 5 — Hub DNA; for another asset, its Permitted Use record (Agreement 1 Annex 2 — Permitted Use and Regenerative Impact). That document is the asset introducing itself; this one is the steward introducing themselves. File completed documents as: “A3-1 — Steward Onboarding — [Name] — [Asset Name].md”.
This template is the Hub (place) onboarding form — its prompts (the slowness, the land, quiet hours, the place becoming what it can be) speak to stewarding a place. It applies as written when the Asset is a Hub. For other asset kinds, adapt this form — keep the same spirit (a stewardship intention, not a job description), replace the place-specific prompts with ones fitting that asset, and read “hub” as “the Asset”. Asset-kind branch templates are drafted when the network first stewards such an asset.
This is not a job description. It is a stewardship intention — written before the role begins, reviewed each season, and completed with handover notes when the stewardship ends. It is read by the Association, the Owner (where relevant), and the incoming steward.
This is not a form. It is a conversation that happens on paper before the real conversation begins.
Steward Onboarding Record — [Full Name]
Hub: [Hub name — link to completed Agreement 1 Annex 5 — Hub DNA] Stewardship start date: [DD/MM/YYYY] Stewardship type: [Seasonal / Ongoing / Project-based] Membership status: [Active — since MM/YYYY] Completed: [DD/MM/YYYY] Reviewed by Association: [Name — DD/MM/YYYY]
My Stewardship Vision
What do you see for this hub? Not what you’ll fix or manage — what you are holding the potential of? Write as if the hub is already becoming what it can be.
[2–4 paragraphs. Specific to this place. What drew you to steward here, rather than somewhere else? What does this hub need that you are particularly suited to offer? What do you want to be true about this place in two years that isn’t yet true today?]
What I Will Prioritise
The three things you will give your stewardship energy to this season. Named in advance, so they are visible and so the community can support them.
- [Priority one] — [Why this, and what it will look like when it’s working]
- [Priority two] — [Same]
- [Priority three] — [Same]
What I am consciously not prioritising this season:
- [Name what you are leaving for later. Stewardship requires choosing.]
What I Will Protect
Every hub has things worth protecting — a culture, a practice, a quality of presence, a relationship with the land. Name what you are the guardian of here.
- [e.g. The slowness — this hub has a quality of unhurried time that I will not let events consume]
- [e.g. The owner’s relationship with the place — I will make sure they always feel welcome and informed]
- [e.g. The quiet hours — they are the boundary that makes everything else possible]
How I Will Hold the Role
Your stewardship style — so the community and the Association know what to expect from you.
My approach to decisions:
- [e.g. I consult before deciding on anything structural; I act immediately on operational matters]
- [e.g. I prefer to make decisions in the open — I’ll name what I’m thinking and invite response]
My approach to conflict:
- [e.g. I address it early and directly — I don’t let things fester]
- [e.g. I escalate situations beyond my capacity to the Association and, where hardship support is needed, request a Council Allocation under GT-4.4(c) (Elder Council row)]
My limits of authority (per Stewardship Agreement Clause 7.3):
- I will not sign contracts, take on debt, or make financial commitments without the Association’s written approval
- I will not make structural changes to the property without the Owner’s consent
- I will escalate [name specific situations] to the Association immediately
What I need from the Association:
- [e.g. Clear communication about network decisions that affect the hub, with enough lead time to prepare]
- [e.g. Seasonal check-ins — I want to be seen, not just managed]
- [e.g. Support when a difficult situation is beyond my capacity — I will ask, but I need to know someone will answer]
What I need from the community:
- [e.g. Honesty — I can work with hard truths but not with silence]
- [e.g. Participation in shared work without being asked twice]
- [e.g. Patience — I am still learning this place]
My Seasonal Note
Updated at the start of each season — what you are attending to right now, what you are asking for, what you are grateful for. Written in first person, in the present tense.
[Season — Year]
[Free text. What is alive for you in this role right now? What is hard? What are you learning? This is not a report — it is a transmission from the person holding the place to the community it holds.]
Handover Notes
Completed at the end of stewardship. For the incoming steward, the Association, and the hub’s living record.
What I am leaving behind:
- [Ongoing projects, their current state, and what they need next]
- [Key relationships — who to call, who needs care, who has been a source of difficulty]
- [What I learned about this place that I wish someone had told me at the start]
What I am proud of:
- [What changed here during your stewardship that you want named]
What I wish I had done differently:
- [Honest. This is for the next person.]
A note to my successor: [Write to them directly. What do they need to know? What should they pay attention to? What does this place need from them?]
Contributions recorded through this stewardship are part of the Steward’s Network Passport and are carried forward across roles and hubs. Previous versions of this document are retained as part of the hub’s living record.
Annex 1 to the Stewardship Agreement. Governed by the General Terms and Conditions.