CURIOUS
GreenSong welcomes your inquiries. We strongly recommend that you come and meet us. Perhaps even come out to several of our board meetings. Observers are always welcome. We usually have a short social time before and after board meetings, and this is a wonderful opportunity to meet group members.
There is also a one-hour orientation for anyone who would like to know more about GreenSong cohousing community. The orientation provides an overview of the current stage of development and explains how the group functions from a legal and financial point of view. It is also a chance for you to ask questions. Please contact us.
SERIOUS
Becoming a GreenSong member is a very individual decision. It is a self-selecting process. We allow seriously interested people as much time as they need, along with opportunities to explore the idea and get to know the current members, in order to decide whether or not cohousing is right for them at this time in their lives.
The steps to full membership in GreenSong are detailed in the document called Steps to Becoming a Member of GreenSong Cohousing Community, summarized below.
The first step is to satisfy your curiosity! Contact us and we will do our best to answer whatever questions you have. Once you have met us and attended a board meeting or two, the next step to full membership is to attend a one-hour orientation with several GreenSong board members. The session details the financial and legal aspects of the project. This is your opportunity to ask and answer questions about the nuts and bolts of how the whole concept comes together.
Tuition for this session is $95.00 per household, and participants will receive a binder of background information, The GreenSong Book, containing the following materials that will be covered in the session. These materials will be updated as necessary.
- report from a one-day cohousing workshop with Ronaye Matthew, CDC Consulting
- backgrounder on consensus-based decision making
- report on visioning workshop with Ed Starr, principal of SHS Consulting, the project's development consultant
- shareholders' agreement
- articles of incorporation for GreenSong Inc.
- corporation bylaws for GreenSong Inc.
- GreenSong's business plan
Steps to Becoming a Member of GreenSong Cohousing Community
- Attend a social gathering or meet one of the board members for coffee.
- Attend one or two of our board meetings as an observer.
- Sign up for the one-hour session for the legal and financial orientation.
- Read, understand and support the Rights and Responsibilities of GreenSong Cohousing Community Members.
- Become a shareholder in GreenSong Inc.
Rights and Responsibilities of GreenSong Cohousing Community Members
Responsibilities
- Purchase equity share in GreenSong Inc. By purchasing a share, you automatically become a shareholder in GreenSong Inc. and a voting member of the Board of Directors.
- Attend GreenSong Board of Directors meetings on a regular basis. These are currently held about every two weeks. They are scheduled for a weekday evening and last two hours. The meetings are business like, with agendas and support material circulated by e-mail in advance.
- Actively participate in the work to be done; for example, marketing and communications.
- Keep in ongoing contact with the GreenSong board and notify the president if you are unable to attend board or regularly scheduled meetings.
- Obtain independent legal and financial advice before signing any legal documents and agreements.
- Make a commitment to working in a consensus-based decision making framework.
Rights
- Participate in all board and committee meetings and all other organized GreenSong meetings.
- All members will be treated with dignity and respect, and their voices heard.
- Contribute to property selection, development and dwelling unit decisions, upon becoming a member.