Membership

This page needs to be reorganized and edited to fit the following headings, which are on the table of contents will become their own articles:

* Recruiting
* Membership process and types
* Membership agreements
* Integrating new members and dealing with turnover
* Founders syndrome
* Expulsion

To have an income-sharing group, there must be a way to decide who is part of the group.

Founding Members

- find a group of interested individuals
- work towards deciding the shape of your commune-to-be
- decide on the rights and responsibilities of members
- mutually approve each other as capable of living and working together under those rights and responsibilities
- become the first members of your commune

Membership (entrance)

- egalitarianism = consistent rights and responsibilities for all members (based on ability and needs)
- process by which existing members can get to know and feel comfortable with potential new members
- process of application and group acceptance of new members (e.g., clearnesses, voting, consensus, approval by committee...)

Recruiting to find new members

- cultivating inclusion and diversity

* Using membership to shape demographics: will the community do this, and if so how?
* Fair Housing Law and Intentional Community

- finding new potential members
- making expectations and goals clear to allow potential members to self-select

Membership acculturation

- how to keep all members on the same page about what their commune is about
- orientations / conveying norms of the group
- the importance of a common culture and continuity
- dealing with membership turnover

Membership (exit)
- temporary exits:  vacation, leave of absence, emergency/crisis
- financial responsibilities of the commune to leaving members (equity, leaving grants/loans...)

Membership (expulsion)
- actions or attitudes by members that would cause other members to question their suitability to remain a member
- process by which members can be expelled
- way to protect members from potential expulsion and provide for them afterwards

# Outline

When sharing income together, it's necessary to decide who is within the group.

Starting a new group
- Who are the founding members?
- What are their commitments to each other and/or the project?

Incoming members - how can new people join?
- Anyone who wants to be part?
- People who have done a certain process?
- People that meet certain specific or vague criteria as decided by members?

What are rights and responsibilities of members?

Recruitment
- encouraging diversity?
- requirements of applicants?

Integration

Non-members who might reside together with members
- guests
- temporary residents (interns, friends of community, people deciding whether to join the group)
- renters? (long-term residents who do not intend to share income with the group but contribute in traditional financial sense)

Members that might not reside with other members
- working away from home
- vacation
- leave of absence

# Introduction

An income sharing community must have some method of deciding who will be a part of the community.

Typically, membership of a community is decided by putting potential new members through some sort of membership process, then admitting the potential members that have been deemed acceptable/desirable by the existing members of the community.

# Prospective Membership

Most membership processes begin with a potential member showing interest in joining the commune, initiating the stage of the membership process that could be referred to as "prospective membership." At this stage of the membership process, the prospective member is not making a commitment to joining, nor is the commune making a commitment to accepting them. Prospective membership is an opportunity for the prospective member to learn more about the commune they are considering joining, and for members of the commune to get to know the prospective member.

Prospective members usually interact with the community they are considering joining in a controlled way, such that they may become acquainted with the community without diving in all at once. Prospective membership may involve a short term residential visit at the commune, attendance of community meetings, helping members of the commune with a project, or some other form of interacting with the community.

Prospective membership usually ends with some sort of interview or application process, which the community then considers before either accepting the prospective member as a provisional member, rejecting their application, or extending their provisional membership in order to get to know them better.

# Provisional Membership

Provisional membership begins once prospective member has been accepted as a provisonal member according to the community's application process. Provisional membership is usually very similar to full membership, but with some restrictions. For example, provisional members are typically not allowed to vote for other provisional members to become full members. Provisional members may also lack some of the benefits that full members do, such as healthcare provided by the community. In consensus based communities, provisional members may not not have the power to block in the decision making process.

# Full Membership

i object to ritualizing the idea that membership moves, like it does in the kat kinkade communities, from prospective -> provisional -> full -- this is one method and not the only method -- rejoice