Membership Process

Learning about Heathcote Community

Before applying for membership, people have an opportunity to learn about our community. They can do so in the following ways:

• read our flyer and web site
• attend a Visitor’s Weekend
• visit again after attending a Visitor’s Weekend
• get on the Heathcote mailing list
• attend events held at Heathcote
• participate in work projects
• review the community’s financial commitments, labor commitments, general policies, conflict resolution policy, core values and vision
• ask to see binder containing information for prospective members

Membership Categories

1. FULL MEMBERSHIP. Full members are members of the Board of Directors of Heathcote Center, Inc. and share equally in the responsibilities of managing the community. They are responsible for paying dues and rent, paying into the community development fund and committing 9 hours of labor per week to the community labor system. Community labor includes attending weekly business meetings, cooking, managerships, committee work, chores and work projects.
2. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP. Associate members are members who want to participate in Heathcote’s work and community life on a regular basis but do not want to take on the responsibilities of a full member. Associate members pay annual dues of $30 or six hours of labor and commit to abiding by community policies. They can participate in community meetings but may not block consensus. They may live off or on the land. Residential associate members pay dues and rent for their space and participate in the community labor system. Associate members are not required to pay into the community development fund.
3. PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP. Provisional members are people applying for full membership who must complete a seven month residential provisional membership period. Provisional members take on the responsibilities of full members except that they cannot block consensus and their payments into the community development fund are refunded if they are not accepted, or if they choose not to pursue full membership.
4. FRIEND OF HEATHCOTE. A person who supports our work by contributing funds, labor, materials or other donations.

Other Options for Community Participation

1. RENTING. Occasionally, when a residential space is not occupied by a member, the community will rent a space temporarily to a non-member renter. Renters sign a lease for their space and agree to abide by community policies. They are not required to participate in the community labor system, but if they want to they can participate in the cooking rotation and do 6 hours of community labor per month at $10 per hour in exchange for rent. Renters may be asked to leave with 30 days notice if a member wants to live in the space they are renting. The rent charged to renters is $135 plus the space rent plus $60 or 6 hours of labor. Persons wishing to be renters at Heathcote should write a letter to the community stating their request. If the community approves the request a liaison will be appointed to negotiate the rental agreement and be a contact person during the rental period.
2. INTERNSHIPS. Interns typically work 20 hours a week in exchange for their room during warm weather and pay $180 per month for food. Work projects include gardening, renovation and repair, permaculture, cooking, cleaning and organizing. We encourage interns to attend community meetings and participate in community life. You can find out more about our internship programs on our internship page.

Applying for Membership

Our membership application process is structured to enable the community and the applicant to explore the possibility of living in community together. It provides the applicant with the opportunity to experience a taste of community life and gives community members a chance to get to know the applicant. The applicant may decide at any point during the process that community membership is not the right option for them. Likewise, there are several points during the process when the community may decide to decline the membership application. In order to find clarity about the best outcome, it is important to give honest feedback and maintain clear communication during the application process. Although not all applicants become members, it is our hope that all applicants will become friends of the community.

Full Membership Application Process

1. ATTEND VISITOR’S WEEKEND. Anyone who is interested in applying for membership must visit the community first, preferably during Visitor's Weekend.
2. APPLICATION. A person officially applies for membership by submitting a Membership Application. Upon receipt of the application the community assigns the applicant a liaison who will be his/her contact person during the membership process. After reviewing the application, the community will decide whether or not to invite the applicant to an interview with the membership committee.
3. INTERVIEW. A meeting is held with the membership committee to clarify the applicant’s intentions, discuss concerns and determine if there are any obvious impediments to membership. The committee will report back to the community and the community will decide whether or not to proceed with the 21-day visit. The liaison will notify the applicant of the community’s decision.
4. 21-DAY VISIT. The applicant must spend a minimum of 21 days at Heathcote participating in community life. At least 7 days must be consecutive, but the other 14 may be at other times. The applicant must attend 14 community dinners. In order for an applicant’s time at Heathcote to count as a "day", the applicant must spend at least three hours at Heathcote. The visit must be completed within 6 months. During the 21-day visit the applicant will pay $5.92 per day for food and $10 per day for lodging (in the bunkroom or camping - private rooms are $15 - $20). They have the option of doing work exchange at the rate of $5 per hour to cover the cost of their lodging. The applicant or the community may decide to terminate the application process at any time during the 21 days. The applicant along with all of his/her possessions must leave the community upon completion of the 21-day visit. During the 21-day visit the applicant should complete the following requirements:
1. Spend a minimum of 2 hours talking with each full member. This can include time during meals and work projects.
2. Spend time with the children.
3. Participate in community work days.
4. Attend community meetings.
5. Participate in check-ins about how the applicant’s membership process is going.
6. While in residence, participate in chores and cooking.
7. Do community work which the applicant is interested in and where labor is needed.
8. Post a list of the applicant’s special food needs.
9. Process conflicts as they arise.
10. Eat 14 dinners with the community.
11. Review binder with information about the community (policies, legal agreements, etc.). Applicant may request copies of any documents.
5. PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP CLEARNESS MEETING. At the end of the 21-day visit a meeting will be held with the applicant to discuss the visit and issues involving the applicant. Applicants will complete questions listed below and post them on the bulletin board at least three days prior to the meeting.
1. Do you feel that you have spent an adequate amount of time with each community member?
2. What concerns do you have about becoming a Heathcote member?
3. What is your vision for Heathcote? How do you see yourself involved in this vision?
4. What would you like to get out of your experience at Heathcote?
5. What managership or committee work interests you?
6. How do you think Heathcote can improve? How do you see yourself contributing to improvement in these areas?
7. How do you see yourself fitting into the web of interpersonal relationships at Heathcote?
8. If applying for full membership, are you able to commit to the financial and labor commitments outlined below? What concerns do you have regarding these commitments?
1. Payment of membership fee, monthly rent, monthly dues, equal share of community development fund, and monthly contribution for food.
2. Contributing 9 hours of labor to the community each week, including:
• Participating in weekly business meetings.
• Spending about 6 hours per month on community work projects.
• Spending about 1 hour per week on community chores.
• Spending about 2 hours per week on managership or committee work.
• Cooking community dinner one night per week.
• Participating in quarterly retreats.
• Participating in community teas and well-being meetings (Optional).
6. PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP DECISION. After the applicant has left the community, Heathcote members in a closed meeting will decide whether or not to accept the applicant as a provisional member. If the applicant is not accepted as a provisional member, other options may be proposed such as extending the visit or accepting the applicant as an associate member. The applicant’s liaison will contact the applicant after the meeting to inform him/her of the community’s decision. If the applicant desires more feedback, she/he may schedule a meeting with the membership committee to discuss the community’s decision.
7. PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP. The provisional member will sign a 7-month provisional membership contract and pay a non-refundable $50 membership fee, a security deposit on their space and one month’s rent. He/she will complete the new member checklist, which outlines all the things she/he needs to do to get settled and integrated into community life. Provisional members will have full community responsibilities except they cannot block community decisions. They will make monthly payments into the community development fund, but if they do not become full members their payments will be refunded at the end of the provisional membership period. Provisional members must live on the land during the provisional membership period. If space is not available upon acceptance as a provisional member, the person may begin the provisional membership period by pro-rating his/her time spent on the land. The details of this arrangement must be negotiated with the community and specified in the contract.
8. PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP CHECK-INS. Two meetings will be scheduled approximately 1/3 and 2/3 of the way through the provisional membership period for the applicant and community members to give each other feedback about how the provisional membership is going. This usually occurs during the weekly business meeting and will be scheduled at the beginning of the provisional membership period.
9. OPTIONS FOR TERMINATING THE PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP. The provisional member may decide not to become a full member at any point during their provisional membership period. They may apply for associate membership instead of full membership. Or they may terminate their provisional membership contract by giving 30 days written notice and leave the community. The community may terminate their provisional membership contract at any point during the provisional period by giving them 60 days written notice. If the provisional member does not become a full member, the payments that they made into the community development fund will be refunded.
10. FULL MEMBERSHIP CLEARNESS MEETING. Upon completion of the provisional membership period a meeting will be held with the provisional member to discuss the provisional period and any issues relating to the provisional member's membership status.
11. FULL MEMBERSHIP DECISION. On the day of the clearness meeting or at a later date, in a closed meeting, the full members will decide whether or not to accept the provisional member as a full member. If the applicant is not accepted as a full member other options may be proposed, such as associate membership or extending the provisional membership period.
12. FULL MEMBERSHIP. Member signs full membership contract and assumes full membership responsibilities.
13. APPEALS PROCESS. If a Provisional Member is denied Full Membership he or she can request a special meeting to discuss the reasons for refusal of Full Membership

1. ATTEND VISITOR’S WEEKEND. Applicants must visit the community at least once before applying for associate membership.
2. APPLICATION. A person officially applies for membership by submitting a Membership Application. Upon receipt of the application the applicant is assigned a liaison who will be his/her contact person during the membership process. After reviewing the application, the community will decide whether or not to invite the applicant to an interview with the membership committee.
3. INTERVIEW. A meeting is held with the membership committee to clarify the applicant’s intentions, discuss concerns and determine if there are any obvious impediments to membership. Applicant will review binder with information for applicants (policies, legal agreements, etc.). Applicant may request copies of any documents.
4. 7-DAY VISIT. The applicant must spend a minimum of 7 days at Heathcote participating in community life. In order for a applicant’s time at Heathcote to count as a “day”, the applicant must spend at least three hours at Heathcote. The visit must be completed within 6 months. During the visit the applicant will pay $5.92 per day for food and $10 per day for lodging (in the bunkroom or camping - private rooms are $15 - $20). They have the option of doing work exchange at the rate of $5 per hour to cover the cost of their lodging. The applicant must leave the community upon completion of the 7-day visit. During the 7-day visit the applicant should spend time talking with each full member, spend time with the children, participate in community work projects, attend community dinners and meetings, participate in chores and cooking, post a list of the applicant’s special food needs and process conflicts as they arise.
5. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP DECISION. After the applicant has left the community, Heathcote members in a closed meeting will decide whether or not to accept the applicant as an associate member. If the applicant is not accepted as an associate member, other options may be proposed such as extending the visit. The applicant’s liaison will contact the applicant after the meeting to inform him/her of the community’s decision.
6. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP. The member will sign an associate membership contract. Residential associate members will also sign a rental agreement and work out an agreement about their level of participation in the community.

Labor Commitments

Members agree to contribute 9 hours of labor per week to the community in the following areas:

Members are required to attend community meetings and retreats, but have the flexibility to do more or less work in other areas so long as they complete a total of 440 hours for the year. Members may swap labor with other members or pay other people to do their community labor.

Financial Commitments

1. DUES: $135/adult member per month. Provisional members begin paying when they move onto the land.
2. MONTHLY SPACE RENT: Includes electricity, heat and maintenance.

Carriage House	$253
Farmhouse Downstairs Front room	$196
Farmhouse Downstairs Back room	$137
Farmhouse Upstairs Front room	$211
Farmhouse Upstairs Back room	$211
Farmhouse Upstairs Middle room	$190
Green House	$288
Hill House	$362
Mill Apartment and Office	$467
Mill Apartment	$378
Mill Office	$152
Shanti	$272
Spring House	$102

3. SECURITY DEPOSIT: One month of rent. First month of rent, dues, and the security deposit are due upon moving into Community space. The security deposit will be returned once it is determined that the rented space has been left in a satisfactory condition and all of the member’s belongings have been removed from Community space. Neither dues nor rent are refundable.
4. MEMBERSHIP FEE: $50 due when a person is accepted as a Provisional Member. This fee is not refundable.
5. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND: Each new member is required to contribute an equal share to the community development fund in the amount of $10,486 in 2007 dollars. These funds are set aside for purchasing land, building new structures and improving community spaces. The funds must be paid within 10 years from the date a person is accepted as a Provisional Member. If they are not accepted as a Full Member then their contributions to the community development fund will be returned in full (but without interest). Currently, the average monthly payment would be about $100 to complete the member’s full contribution within 10 years.
6. GRANDMOTHER MOON: $180 per adult (13-59 yrs of age) per month. For children in the following age ranges the payment is a percentage of the adult payment: < 1 year of age = 0%; 1-4 years = 40%; 5-8 years = 60%; and 9-12 years = 80%. Plus, those 60 and older pay 80%. Monthly Grandmother Moon payments may be reduced for each day a person does not consume food purchased through the Grandmother Moon Co-op. Visitors, including those here for their 21-day stay, pay $5.92 per day.
7. PAYMENT DUE DATE: Rent, dues, Grandmother Moon, and community development fund payments are due at the first meeting of each month. If a member will be late in making payments then they are obligated to let the Community know at this meeting. The member should also explain how they intend to quickly bring their payments up to date.

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