MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT
Who Can Be a Member
Any person who:
- Shares our values and purpose
-
Contributes labour to the cooperative (by doing actual work,
not just investing money)
- Commits to collective decision-making
- Participates in governance responsibilities
Becoming a Member
New members join through a consent process, which means
existing members must agree that adding this person won't harm
the cooperative.
-
Trial period of
months working together
- Values alignment conversation
- Consent decision by current members
-
Optional - Equal buy-in contribution of $
(can be paid over time or waived based on need)
Leaving the Cooperative
Members can leave anytime with
days notice. The cooperative will:
-
Pay out their share of any surplus within
days
-
Return their buy-in contribution within
days
-
Maintain respectful ongoing relationships when possible
Consent-Based Decisions
We use consent, not consensus. This means we move forward when
no one has a principled objection that would harm the
cooperative. An objection must explain how the proposal would
contradict our values or threaten our sustainability.
Day-to-Day Decisions
Decisions under $
can be made by any member. Just tell others what you did at
the next meeting.
Regular Decisions
Decisions between $
and $
need consent from members present at a meeting (minimum 2
members).
Major Decisions
These require consent from all members:
- Adding or removing members
- Changing this agreement
-
Taking on debt over $
- Fundamental changes to our purpose or structure
- Dissolution of the cooperative
Meeting Structure
-
Regular meetings happen
-
Emergency meetings need
hours notice
- We rotate who facilitates meetings
-
Decisions and reasoning get documented in shared notes
Equal Ownership
Each member owns an equal share of the cooperative, regardless
of hours worked or tenure.
Paying Ourselves
-
Base rate: $/hour for all members
-
Or: Equal monthly draw of $
per member
-
Paid on the
of each month
-
Surplus (profit) distributed equally every
Work Expectations
-
Target hours per week:
(flexible based on capacity)
- We explicitly reject crunch culture
- Members communicate their capacity openly
-
We adjust workload collectively when someone needs reduced
hours
Financial Transparency
-
All members can access all financial records anytime
- Monthly financial check-ins at meetings
-
Quarterly reviews of our runway (how many months we can
operate)
Rotating Roles
We rotate operational roles every
months. Current roles include:
-
Financial coordinator (handles bookkeeping, not financial
decisions)
- Meeting facilitator
- External communications
- Others
Shared Responsibilities
All members participate in:
- Governance and decision-making
- Strategic planning
- Mutual support and care
When Conflict Happens
- Direct conversation between parties (if comfortable)
- Mediation with another member
- Full group discussion with structured process
- External mediation if needed
Care Commitments
- We check in about capacity and wellbeing regularly
- We honour diverse access needs
- We maintain flexibility for life circumstances
-
We contribute to mutual aid when members face hardship
This is a living document. We review it every
and update it through our consent process. Small clarifications
can happen anytime; structural changes need full member consent.
If the cooperative dissolves:
- Pay all debts and obligations
- Return member contributions
- Distribute remaining assets equally among members
-
Or donate remaining assets to
This agreement works alongside but doesn't replace our legal
incorporation documents. Where they conflict, we follow the law
but work to align our legal structure with our values.
By using this agreement, we commit to these principles and to
showing up for each other.
This agreement was last updated on
. We commit to reviewing it on
or sooner if circumstances require.
[Space for member signatures when printed]