Becoming a Member of Collective Spaces Farm

Thank you for your interest in our farming community! Deciding to join a project like this is a big decision for everyone involved, and we are grateful for your consideration. The process below is designed to give time and space for incoming members to be a part of our space and process while stepping into the full benefits and responsibilities of membership.

Becoming a member of Collective Spaces farming community is a two-phase process that may take up to six months. In this time, incoming members have a chance to experience the CS community both online and on the land, and make the rounds in our Circle meetings to ease into our governance process.

First, anyone interested in joining CS will communicate their desire with the group and will be sent a link to fill out an online questionnaire if those initial communications show potential alignment.

The second step is an online interview with CS members to go over your responses and discuss the project in greater detail, as well as your experiences, skills, and ideas you’re bringing with you. Once these steps are completed, the Membership Circle will discuss and decide to move forward.

Step 1: Become a Participant (This is Optional)

An incoming member who is not ready to apply for full membership may begin as a Participant for up to three months (90 days), a period that gives incoming folks a chance to attend any circle meetings and access additional areas of the Collective Spaces Discord server and shared Google Drive. Participants may also attend CS camping weekends or join in on projects happening on the land. During this time, Participants may bring proposals to a circle by working with an existing member.

Participants do not have Governance Rights and so do not have intrinsic rights to serve as any of the four roles within circles or object during proposal processes. At the end of the Participant phase (90 days), the Participant has the option to start on the path to becoming a Member, to remain a Participant for another 90 days, or to step away and disengage from the community.  Should they disengage, they are still welcome to join us for community events, but will lose access to closed meetings, internal documents, and internal discussions.

Step 2: Provisional Membership

If someone is ready to jump in and they have engaged with the group at any level, they can work with an existing member who may propose that the interested person become a Provisional Member, a phase that lasts three months (90 days). The incoming member will begin to pay monthly contributions, which will be held in escrow during the trial period. If the incoming member decides not to officially join at the end of the trial period, those contributions will be returned to them in full.

Within the 90 day period of Provisional Membership, an existing member can make a proposal to the group to expedite the process by eliminating the need to wait the full 90 day Provisional Period and immediately granting Full Membership and Governance Rights to the trial member, including the ability to hold any of the four roles in Circle meetings and vote in proposal rounds. This proposal is automatically put forward at the end of the 90 day period.

This proposal will result in one of two general results:

  1. We will grant Full Governance Rights to the new member, resulting in them becoming a full member in all ways.
  2. We will deny Governance Rights to new member, resulting in them becoming a full member without Governance Rights. In this case a reason, resolution path, and timeline to revisit the decision (usually 90 days) will be provided. The trial member will have several options for where to go from here.
    1. They can remain a full member without Governance Rights if they do not want them.
    2. They can work to address the reasons given and can revisit gaining Governance Rights at the end of the timeline given.
    3. They can exit the path to Membership and have their contributions that were held in escrow returned in full.  In this case, they can remain a Participant or they can disengage more completely as they and the group desire.

One note on Governance Rights:  We WANT all members of our farming community to have governance rights - after all, more people and more diversity in experience and thought *always* leads to better and more thoughtful decisions. We balance that reality with the very real need to provide a gentle point of entry for new members, which helps provide support and stability for both the new members and the community at large.

Step 3: Full Membership, With or Without Governance Rights

At this point, the transition into Full Membership is complete, pending some the legal formalities and paperwork. Once the papers are signed, you'll be a full Member of Collective Spaces.

Benefits of Collective Spaces Community Farm Membership

  • Set up and continuity of a capital account for the member
    • This means that you OWN a portion of the LLC that owns the shared assets of the community, including the land, farm, equipment, structures, and businesses owned in part or in full by the community (LLC)
  • General use of the land (within bounds set by the organization)
  • General ability to farm (sylviculture, floriculture, agriculture, etc.) small plots of the land after proposal approval
  • General use of the land for larger projects after proposal approval
  • Ability to start and run business ventures on or related to the land and organization after proposal approval
  • Taking part in the future of the project and farming community as it grows
  • The intrinsic rights to fully engage in Sociocratic process relating to any proposals that are deemed to greatly impact the full community (regardless of governance rights status)
  • The ability to be join and participate in Sociocratic Circles after proposal approval
  • Participation in a farming community that seeks inclusion, class solidarity, and conservation / sustainability

Benefits of Governance Rights

  • The intrinsic rights to fully engage in Sociocratic process within Circles that they are a member of
    • Holding Roles within Circles
    • Engaging in Proposal forming and approval processes
  • Fully engaging in the decisions that impact the direction of the growth and success of the community

Responsibilities of CS Membership

  • Take part in the CS governance process (If you desire to obtain and retain Governance Rights)
  • Abide by the decisions of the organization
  • Show interest in protecting and utilizing the land according to CS values
  • Contribute to monthly membership dues
  • Sign the CS Operating Agreement and other necessary paperwork

Ready to take the next step? Click here to join our Collective Spaces Discord!