Becoming a Member
We would like more members to join us.The process is pretty straightforward:
If you e mail our administrator, she will send you a brochure and the funding report, which will give a more detailed account of what we fund and how we do it.
If you are still interested, get back to her preferably with a phone number, and one of the members will call at a time to suit you, and briefly answer any queries you may have. After that we usually arrange for you to meet up informally with one or two members, so that you can ask anything that you want to know about the group, its values and how we work together and they can explore with you what you may get out of membership.
Confidentiality is central to the Network ethos. The organisation itself, and the work it does is not confidential. This is a public website. But the names of members, conference discussions and meetings are tightly held within the group.
If everyone is still happy, you will receive an invitation to attend one of our three day conferences in either February or early autumn. There you can expect to think, listen, meet people, eat together, probably dance, and discuss. It is no problem if you cannot attend the first one to which you are invited.
About 80% of people who attend a conference accept an invitation to join. Very occasionally we have felt that the needs of a prospective new member will not be met by Network in which case no invitation is offered.
To be eligible for membership it is expected that people will have considerably more than their 'fair share’(at the very least £250,000 in assets, excluding the family house) and be willing to commit to donating a minimum of £3000 pa through the Network.
As we fund over 100 projects a year, it is not difficult to find amazing things to support and many members give considerably more. The amount you give will remain confidential
Some have experience of giving, while others have none.
A key to Network’s success is mutual support and learning and we always welcome additional skills and interests. A few members do have favourite projects outside Network, but we do not necessarily favour or support them, so please do not think about membership to promote your own concerns, charitable or otherwise, but rather as a way of expanding them.
There is an annual family membership fee of £125. This also covers spouses or partners who are encouraged to participate in their own right. Children are welcome at the conferences, where excellent childcare is provided.
Members also receive the summer newsletter, and can participate in a variety of smaller events and sub-groups between conferences.
So do it now: email for a funding report and see what you think. We look forward to meeting you soon…