An organisation that exists because its members belong to it.
Careabout Ltd is a membership organisation. It has no customers and sells nothing — what it has is a register of members, a calendar of meetings, and a set of resources those members hold in common and take turns looking after. The company exists to keep that arrangement orderly: to know who belongs, to convene the meetings, to record what was decided, and to see that the shared resources are still there next time somebody needs them.
Everything below describes how that works in practice, and what joining actually commits you to.
What membership involves
In the order it tends to happen.
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Applying
You write to the secretary saying who you are and why you want to join. Applications are put to the members; no single person settles them, so there is a wait between asking and hearing. If an application is not accepted you are told, and told why.
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Going on the register
Accepted members are entered on the register of members, which is the organisation's formal record of who belongs. It holds your name and the address correspondence should go to, and it is what determines who may vote and who may use the shared resources.
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Paying the subscription
Membership carries a subscription, which the members set and review themselves. It covers what the organisation has to spend to keep going. A member whose subscription lapses stops being a member in good standing until it is put right, and the secretary will always write before that happens.
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Coming to meetings
Meetings are convened with notice to every member on the register, and the business to be transacted is circulated beforehand so nobody arrives cold. Decisions are taken by the members present and recorded in minutes that go back out afterwards. Attendance is a right, and no member is obliged to use it. Someone who never comes, though, has little cause to complain about what was decided.
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Using and looking after the shared resources
What the organisation holds in common is available to members on the understanding that it comes back in the condition it went out, and that the next member gets their turn. Where something has to be booked, the secretary keeps the list.
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Leaving
A member may resign by writing to the secretary. The register is amended, the subscription stops, and anything borrowed comes back. Membership records are retained afterwards only so far as the law requires a company to keep them.
Questions the secretary is asked
Do I have to be invited, or can I simply apply?
You can apply. Write to the secretary and say something about yourself and what draws you to the organisation. An existing member vouching for you is helpful but is not a requirement, and the decision rests with the members, not with whoever opens the post.
What does the subscription pay for?
The running costs of the organisation — convening and holding meetings, keeping the register and the minutes, maintaining the resources held in common, and meeting the obligations that fall on any registered company. The members set the rate, see the accounts, and are entitled to ask where the money went.
How much time does membership take?
As much as you choose to give it. Some members come to everything and take on jobs; others pay the subscription, read the minutes and appear when something concerns them. Both are proper ways to belong. The only real obligation is to keep your subscription current and your address on the register up to date.
Who runs it?
The members, through the meetings. Day-to-day administration — the register, the notices, the minutes, the correspondence — sits with the secretary, who acts on what the members have decided.
Can I see the register of members?
The register is kept as company law requires and is open to inspection on the terms that law sets. Requests go to the secretary in writing. Members' details are not passed to anyone outside the organisation for any other purpose.
What happens if I want to leave?
Write to the secretary. There is no notice period to serve out and no explanation required. The register is amended, anything on loan comes back, and that is the end of it.
Writing to the secretary
Correspondence for the organisation goes to the secretary, who deals with applications, subscriptions, notices of meetings, the register and the shared resources. Everything is handled in writing so that there is a record both sides can rely on.
If you are applying, a few honest sentences about yourself are worth more than a formal letter.
Registered office
Careabout Ltd20-22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU
United Kingdom
This is the address for formal and statutory correspondence.