Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Membership Requirements

[Mac Thomson (mac]

Rob,

I was intriqued by your latest comments on membership requirements because
they seemed to conflict in some way with your previous coments on the work
system at Sharingwood.  If I understand correctly, under your work system,
all chores are voluntary and they seem to get done pretty well.  Whereas in
your membership requirements, you require members to put in so much time
working on the community.

I very much like the idea of minimal requirements and instead rely on
members' desire to make the community work and therefore volunteering plenty
of time and energy.  Do you feel that it in fact was necessary, or even
helpful, to require community service in the beginning?

P.S.  Lately your messages have contained a bunch of distracting "=" and
numbers.  Do you know why?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rob's posting:

> As I read the various groups membership requirements I have not
> noticed = something that Sharingwood thought was important, and so I
> will add it = here.  As part of our "Option Holders Agreement" we
> require that in = order to maintain your place in the unit selection
> queue, that a minimum = number of hours of community service be
> given.  This includes attending = meetings, work parties, committee
> work etc.
> 
> We thought it was important that people be INVOLVED in the
> community, = especially the hours and hours of design and
> development work and so we = made it  a requirement.  If you don't
> do the minimum hours of = involvement you lose your seniority for
> picking a unit. Seniority is = first come first choose.  We did this
> because we didn't want someone who = was not involved at all beyond
> the financial commitment to get unit = picking seniority over
> someone who came to all the meetings, and did = lots of  the work.=20

    Mac Thomson                         San Juan Cohousing
    Mac [at] HappyValley.com           Durango, Colorado

  "Discussion is an exchange of knowledge;
            argument is an exchange of ignorance."
                      - Robert Quillen


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