Benefits and Responsibilities of Affiliation with Northern Plains Resource Council

Benefits and Responsibilities of Affiliation with Northern Plains Resource Council

Benefits of Affiliation

1. Staff assistance on Council-wide and local issues, including strategy development, research, campaign branding, and implementation of strategy and other decisions; membership recruitment and renewals; leadership development; meeting and event coordination; other strategic planning; coordination of tasks among other affiliates and with Northern Plains; publicity; and fundraising.
2. Representation on the Northern Plains Board of Directors and the ability to influence the policy(ies) of the statewide organization through the Board and at the annual business meeting.
3. Leadership development training opportunities, including POCO (Principles of Community Organizing), POCO II, other WORC (Western Organization of Resource Council) regional leadership trainings, and specific affiliate leadership training as requested and scheduled.
4. Training opportunities on other aspects of organizational structure, health, function, and operation.
5. Networking opportunities with other Northern Plains affiliates working on the same or similar issues.
6. Resources for recruiting statewide support for local issues.
7. Access to full-time lobbying staff during the Montana legislative session for issues prioritized by the Board, which can include affiliate legislative priorities.
8. Regional strength through the Western Organization of Resource Councils and their lobbying assistance in Washington, D.C., on issues prioritized by the Board (this can involve affiliate member participation in D.C. “fly-ins” and representation on regional issue teams).
9. Access to and participation in other coalitions that Northern Plains is a member/ partner in (e.g., National Family Farm Coalition, Montana Smart Growth Coalition).

Responsibilities of Affiliation

1. To support the mission, principles, and goals of Northern Plains Resource Council and to ensure the affiliate is not in conflict with them.
2. To ensure the affiliate has a minimum of twenty (20) members in good standing.
3. To meet regularly and conduct affiliate business in a democratic manner.
4. To hold an affiliate annual meeting that is officially noticed to all affiliate members in good standing for the purpose of democratically electing officers (unless officers are democratically elected in another manner), celebrating the past year, and planning/discussing the affiliate’s campaigns for the coming year.
5. To develop an annual plan that sets goals for issue campaigns, budget, fundraising, and membership development.
6. To ensure that the affiliate is represented at every Northern Plains Board meeting (6 bimonthly meetings each year), five-year strategic planning meetings, and the Annual Meeting. Each affiliate is allowed two representatives on the Board and may elect up to two (2) alternates. Each representative or alternate must be a member of the organization in good standing and must attend a Northern Plains Board member orientation session.
7. To ensure that affiliate members are aware of Northern Plains’ issues and activities through Board representative(s) reports and other means as necessary.
8. To ensure that the annual Northern Plains affiliation dues are paid in full by each year’s Annual Meeting (currently held in November).
9. To ensure that all affiliate members are members of Northern Plains and that that portion of the member’s dues (if collected by the affiliate) owed to Northern Plains (the amount of dues is set by the Board) is paid.
10. To participate in Northern Plains’ statewide campaigns by ensuring that at least one (1) affiliate member represents the affiliate on at least one (1) Council-wide task force or committee.
11. To provide housing and meals for the affiliate organizer and support staff, if requested

Approved by Board of Directors April 28, 2007