Flying Squirrel Membership Guidelines

The flying Squirrel Community Space is an all-volunteer project. We are sustained by the energy and effort of our collective members and supporters. Anyone can become a Flying Squirrel member. If you don't have experience running events, handling a power drill, or using consensus process, don’t worry, we are all learning!

If you want to take part in creating a radical, artistic, and cross-cultural space where people can come together to share resources and knowledge, consider joining us!

What should I know before becoming a member?

• Read and agree with our Principles of Unity (http://thesquirrel.org/principles-of-unity)
• Read and understand the consensus decision-making process of the Squirrel collective.
• Familiarize yourself with other documents in the “about us” section on the squirrel website (http://thesquirrel.org/docs)

I'm Interested in becoming a member of the Flying Squirrel Community Space. What should I do?

• Come to a general meeting. Meeting occure every other week and are listed on our calendar. We meet at 285 Clarissa St. and discuss your intentions with the collective.
• Pick a future Monday night meeting, usually 4 weeks later, for us to make a final decision about your membership.
• In the time between, fulfill the below membership expectations, or make a proposal to the collective with other contributions you would like to offer to the community space.
• At the scheduled time, we can discuss your membership and make a final decision about it. Alas, you will be initiated with a Squirrelly welcome!

What are minimum expectations of Squirrel members?

• Come to general Squirrel meetings and/or participate in (or create) a working group.
• Keep-up-to-date on the collective decisions - either by coming to meetings or by reading the meeting notes.
• Spend 4 hours a month working to maintain, grow or improve the community space. Some possibilities include, but are not limited to, cleaning, working events, fund raising, renovating, painting, beautifying the outside, etc.

Do I need to pay membership dues?

No. However we are fully funded by community members and event donations. However, we encourage folks that can contribute financially to become monthly subscribers. No amount is too small. There are many other ways to donate services and to help fund raise.

So what are the benefits of being a Squirrel member?

• Full participation in the consensus decision-making process around the operations and running of the community space. Anyone can take part in our general meetings, and we are committed to taking the community's voice seriously. However, final decisions will be made by squirrel members.
• Connection to a community of skilled, artistic, socially justice minded folks.
• Facility to host events that could fund raise for groups that are important to you.
• Potential to use space for emergency purposes under consensus of the collective. For example: vouching for someone to stay who is traveling through town, or using space for larger groups to stay at while an event is in town.
• Opportunity to develop skills in consensus, facilitation, conflict resolution.
• Code access into the building.

Other ways to support the Squirrel

If you are supportive of the Flying Squirrel, but membership does not work for you, there are many ways to contribute! You can help the squirrel stay alive and vibrant by donating your time, money, or other contributions to the community space. You can donate a monthly subscription, which really helps us stay financially strong. Please let us know what how you would like to participate by sending us an email.

I'm a member, but can no longer actively participate. What should I do?

For whatever reason if you decide you no longer want to be a member, please contact someone from the Squirrel collective and let them know your intentions.
If you want to become an active member again, just contact the collective.