Cohousing-L Mailing List: Membership committees?

[Ayala Sherbow (asherbow]

Greetings folks,

I am a member of Proximity Cohousing in Taylorstown, VA.  We are a
little different than other cohousing groups in that we started with one
family who owned all the land and are developing it as a cohousing
development.  So we have over a dozen lots available and currently three
members families planning to build.

We are in the process of selling lots and growing our membership.  We
are starting to wrestle with constituting a formal membership committee
that would be charged with sheperding new prospects through the process
of deciding whether Proximity is the right place for them.  We are
committed to a membership that is self-selecting.  We do not intend to
have our membership committee screen out people, and we are not having
people "apply" in anyway to join.  

So far we are thinking that the membership committee would:
1. advertise
2. give tours to prospective members
3. be a resource for answering questions and concerns of prospective
members
4. be responsible for giving prospective members an overview of
cohousing and how we expect it will work at Proximity.
5. help prospective members decide whether Proximity is the place for
them.

The latter two functions are particularly important as we seem to be
drawing many folks who don't really know much about cohousing at all.
Which is exciting, but we also want to make sure that we are making good
matches.

I am very interested in hearing any and all advice on membership
committees and their processes.  What has worked in your community?
What processes are to be avoided?  Do you have concrete ideas for how
the committee could achieve #3,4 and 5, above?

Thanks in advance.  I have learned so much already from reading this
list.

Ayala
Currently Takoma Park, MD
Future resident of Proximity Cohousing, VA



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