Membership

Membership in the Wood Co-op

 

When the Wood Co-op was set up in 1999 it was designed to be a co-operative of wood working associations. Each of those associations, be they guilds or societies, joined the Wood Co-op and their members became associates of the Wood Co-op.

 

As time passed, some of the member guilds flourished with larger memberships and solid programs, and some, regrettably, due to lack of critical mass and funding, withered away. This stranded several exceptional woodworkers without a guild, and as a concomitant result, without official association with the Wood Co-op.

 

At the 2007 AGM of the Wood Co-op it was resolved by the directors that it was a key goal of the Co-op to re-organize the structure of the Co-op to reflect the current situation across the province. It was decided that in order to accommodate the “orphaned” artisans and to provide them representation at the board level it would be required to create a new tier of membership in the Co-op in the form of a Non-Voting Associate Membership.

 

The new membership model allows two paths for artisans to be involved with the Co-op.

 

1. Guild Membership. If you are a paid up member of an active guild or society that has current standing with the Wood Co-op, then you are considered to be an associate in good standing. No membership fees are required to be paid, and you have all the benefits of the Co-op, including the ability to have your work juried into and sold through the Gallery. To obtain your card, please contact your Membership Liaison at your organization and they will provide you with a Wood Co-op membership card.

 

2. Non-Voting Membership. If you are not a member of a guild or society that has current standing with the Wood Co-op, then you have the option of joining the Wood Co-op as a Non-Voting Associate. By joining and paying the yearly membership dues of $100, you will have all the benefits of the Co-op, and be represented at the AGM by a director-at-large. Membership fees are payable each January 1^st. You may join the Co-op at any time, and the membership fee is pro-rated to the first full month following the month in which you join. To obtain your card, please contact Duane Laird, Executive Director, at the Wood Co-op Administration Office at the number below.

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Duane Laird, Executive Director,

BC Associations’ Co-operative of Small Wood Businesses at 604 – 603 – 6426

 

Becoming A Member Guild

Woodworking/processing Associations that would like to join the Co-op are asked to provide the following application package to the administration office:

· Copy of the Association's incorporation certificate.

· Brief summary of the purpose and activities of your association.

· Membership list (also in electronic version) detailing member name, address, phone number, main product or product category, and full-time or part-time status of business.

· A cheque for $100 for the purchase of membership shares from the Wood Co-op.

· Contact person for communication purposes with the administration office and as a liaison for the gallery, i.e. name, address and phone number.

Once all documents have been received, the application is forwarded to the Board of Directors for consideration.

 

 

Since the Wood Co-op was founded in 1999, our membership has grown to over 17 member organization who have in turn an associated membership of over 600 members.