Ownership begins with relationship
Collective Spaces members bought this farm together. Our monthly contributions help pay for the land, care for it, improve it, and make new work possible. But ownership is not simply a subscription or a financial investment. It is a relationship with the land, the other owners, and the decisions we share. Financial contributions and membership itself represent direct ownership of the LLC that owns and manages everything on and in the farm, from the land to equipment, and buildings.
Money does not buy a larger voice here. A member who contributes more financially does not gain more authority than one who contributes less. The legal and accounting details matter, and every incoming member should review the current documents before making the decision to become an owner, but the governing principle is simple: ownership is shared and decision making authority is equal between members.
We often picture three overlapping circles. Funders help make the land financially possible. Builders bring time, skill, initiative, governance, infrastructure, or care. Residents want to live in close relationship with the place. A person may be in one circle, two, or all three, and that can change over time. This is a way to understand what the community has and needs - not a ranking system, a labor requirement, or a promise of housing. Much of the plan for how the farm will develop in time remains unfinished, and new members are directly able to help shape it.
Monthly dues are on a sliding scale. Around $200 is our current reference point, and some members contribute more while others contribute less. Financial accessibility and class solidarity are part of the structure, not side exceptions. We are not looking for everyone to fit one number. We are looking for a contribution that is honest about both personal capacity and the farm's real needs.
There are no firm hourly requirements for working on the farm or doing other Collective Spaces work. There is still a great deal that needs to get done. Members contribute in different ways and at different times.
We make big shared decisions through sociocracy. In practice, that means beginning with a need, hearing the people affected, and developing a proposal together. It does not mean the group controls every daily choice. Members retain meaningful independence once location, resources, impacts, and shared boundaries are clear.
There is no finished housing on the farm. A self-contained van, bus, RV, yurt, or other primitive setup may be possible only after we discuss location, sanitation, safety, duration, and shared impacts together. Current infrastructure is basic, with no well or septic and very limited power.
The best way to begin is to join one of our Monday online meetings. You can listen, introduce yourself, ask questions, and see whether you want to come back. Email info@collectivespacesfarm.com or use the Contact Us form and ask for the current meeting details.
How membership works
After those first meetings and conversations, interested people and current members decide together whether to begin the incoming-member period. Before contributions begin, we review the current legal documents, governance rights, escrow terms, and a sustainable contribution. Incoming-member dues are held in escrow during the trial period, and the membership review happens at or before 90 days.
A meeting, form response, or visit is the beginning of a relationship, not automatic membership or land-use approval.