Levels of Membership
Membership in the Shambhala Trust is the primary vehicle for making donations. We warmly invite everyone who is inspired by the vision of buiding enlightened society to join at an appropriate level of commitment as associate or contributing members, as described below. The Shambhala Trust has three levels of membership:
1. Core members
Core members are donors who have made a substantial commitment of time and resources to the Trust, meeting twice a year to set and implement policy for the Trust, and then to review and fund proposals. Core members serve as sponsors/contacts for applicants submitting proposals.
2. Associate members (open to all)
Associate members are donors who may or may not attend the Trust meetings; they receive and review all proposals prior to each meeting, provide input, and make financial contributions. Associate members can participate in strategic decisions about funding worthwhile projects within the Shambhala community that might not otherwise receive financial support.
- Associate members are asked to donate at least $2,000 yearly.
- Associate members may attend the semi-annual meetings and take part in the discussions taking place there.
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Associate members get all relevant information from the project applications and the minutes of meetings. They may also contact core members directly outside meetings to express their views regarding policy and specific projects.
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Associate members may - but do not need to - specify the project(s) to which they want their donations to be directed.
If you are interested in joining the Trust as an Associate member, the current core and Associate members would be happy to talk with you about their experience and inspiration. Once you have decided that you would like to join us as an Associate member, you may start the process by contacting the Trust Administrator (see the "Contact Us" page).
3. Contributing members (open to all)
If you are inspired to give to or through the Shambhala Trust on a one-time or a repeating basis but do not feel you can make the commitment requested of Associate members, your contribution as a contributing member will be warmly welcomed. Once the core Trust members have reviewed proposals and Associate members have given their input, the proposals that have been accepted are shared with the Contributing members. Contributing members are invited to donate funds with a specific request that they be donated to one of the Current Projects (as shown on the Projects page) or to donate to the Trust on an unrestricted basis.
- Contributing members do not attend Trust meetings.
- Contributing members may choose to donate to specific projects.
- Contributing members may make unrestricted donations to the Trust. Those donations will be applied to one or more of the current projects that members have decided to fund based on a variety of criteria, including strategic value to the mandala and available Trust resources.
You can become a contributing member at any time by clicking on the "Please join us in building Shambhala" buttons on this page and elsewhere on the Website, or the "Give Now" buttons on "Current Projects" page. |
