Governance Overview

The NIL Taxonomy is a proprietary, board-governed standard. This ensures the taxonomy remains stable, legally sound, and authoritative.

Governance Principles

1. Single Source of Truth - One canonical taxonomy, no forks or derivatives
2. Board Authority - All changes require board approval
3. Legal Compliance - Every change reviewed for legal implications
4. Stability - Changes are deliberate, versioned, and backward-compatible where possible
5. Transparency - Change logs are public; decision processes are internal

Advisory Board

Composition

Total Board Size: 9 members

Terms

• Board members serve 2-year terms
• Terms are staggered for continuity
• Members may serve up to 2 consecutive terms
• Chair elected annually by board vote

Decision Authority

Change Management Process

Process Flow

1. Proposal Submission

Changes may be proposed by:

• Board members
• Internal stakeholders
• External stakeholders via governance@nil-taxonomy.org

2. Review Phases

3. Documentation Requirements

Every approved change must include:

• Rationale - Why is this change needed?
• Impact Assessment - Who is affected? What breaks?
• Legal Opinion - Sign-off from Legal Counsel
• Version Impact - Major, minor, or patch?
• Migration Notes - How should consumers adapt?

4. Implementation

After approval:

1. Change documented in internal changelog
2. Database/API updated in staging
3. QA verification
4. Production deployment
5. Public changelog updated
6. Version incremented

Submitting External Proposals

To suggest a change to the taxonomy:

1. Email governance@nil-taxonomy.org
2. Include:
   • Detailed description of proposed change
   • Rationale and use case
   • Impact analysis
   • Your contact information
3. Timeline: Expect response within 10 business days

Proposal Template

# Proposal: [Title]
 
## Type
- [ ] New dimension
- [ ] New dimension value
- [ ] New base license
- [ ] Other
 
## Description
[Describe the proposed change]
 
## Rationale
[Why is this needed? What problem does it solve?]
 
## Use Cases
[Specific scenarios where this would be used]
 
## Impact
[Who would this affect? Any breaking changes?]
 
## Alternatives Considered
[What other approaches were considered?]

Internal Documentation

Maintained privately by the governing body:

Conflict of Interest

Board members must:

• Disclose any financial interest in NIL platforms
• Recuse from votes where they have direct commercial interest
• Not use board position to gain competitive advantage

Violations result in removal from the board.

Amendment Process

This governance document may be amended by:

• 2/3 board majority vote
• 30-day notice period before vote
• Legal review of proposed amendments

Contact