Member Information & Tools

• Some societies have members that pay small monthly amounts in order to get access to certain things that others wouldn’t

• Membership can be used as a source of income for the organizers and it is also a way to get people to commit to the cause and the community and then once they’re paying monthly or annual fees, they’re more dedicated to show up and be involved. There’s more accountability and attachment

• How is a member different from an attendee

  • It's a transactional experience, could be cheaper than paying one off admissions to events - major reason is to save money

  • Versus being a member of a community that someone is engaging with in a vulnerable and deep way

  • So ask yourself what does a ‘member’ mean for your organization

  • Membership can also include steering and participating in the organization

Different Tiers of Membership

There are three levels of participation:

• Casual/unpaid (commons-based peer production); Dating/partly paid (Commons/coop onboarding process); and Committed/paid (Commons and Coop full membership). Casual members have no responsibilities and Committed members review their work for inclusion, or not

• Dating members have ongoing responsibilities (pro-bono and care work) during a nine month trial period before mutual decisions are made about becoming Committed. They are peer mentored by the collective and continually evaluated.

• Committed members have ongoing responsibilities (pro-bono and care work), evaluated quarterly. Members unable to maintain these are downgraded from the Coop.

Can also be separated into different expertise, for example, growers, researchers, people focused on politics… etc.

• These tiers can also have leadership roles for each of them

Some societies do applications for membership that require a certain amount of volunteering with org before someone can become a member - it's a way of screening.

Ask yourself; What is the value proposition that your society offers that justifies the energetic exchange of money?

• You have to communicate this to your membership pool

• Situation - problem - solution - victory

• You can base your problem in the mental health industry and solution is community-based psychedelic healing and change public perspective. Victories; we;ve had this many meetings, we’ve been able to act these types of organizational structures

• People want to be a part of the change and then they feel a sense of ownership since it aligns with their values - with this, people will continue their engagement

Different tiers can have access to various well-crafted experiences specifically for members. Or they can get takeaways ie; merch

• Make sure not to offer anything illicit for members

• Patreon is a helpful way to manage membership levels

Member Pathway/Onboarding:

• You’re going to want an ever escalating series of keeping people engaged over time

• Could include recurring events, group gatherings, political campaigns, financial goals or funding

• Starts with someone joining: so their name and email address needs to be gathered somehow.

  • Could be valuable to have people sign a membership form

  • Then can add this persons info to square, can track their donations information.

  • Then can download that member information info mailchimp which allows you to send texts or emails. Could even be automated, as soon as they enter they get an automated email that allows them to subscribe to the monthly newsletter and staying up to date

  • This canvassing allows people to stay engaged and allows them to choose the level at which they engage.

• Difference between donating members and volunteers

• Can also use a CRM - Customer Relationship Management software