becoming a community builder member

The Soul International Cooperative offers the opportunity for people to create meaningful work for themselves. For this purpose, we have created the membership type: community builder.

The purpose of this membership is to allow someone to initiate soul.com projects of capacity building in the world and to start making a livelihood. One is not only a member of belonging, but is accompanying others in their capacity building process. Through this membership one has access to the commons of the community as described in the preambule, which will allow someone to carry out work. Additional rights and responsibilities come with this membership to support and develop the commons.

To become a community builder member, you are asked to engage in three more conversations with other community builder members about what it means to be a member, why they have chosen this path, and hear from their experiences. After registration, you will be asked to participate in an onboarding program for new members, which costs 1,000 euros per person.

To register as a community builder member, you can use the form below. Please note that you first have to become a member of belonging before considering becoming a community builder member.

Member of belonging

Community builder member

As a community builder member, you become your own enterpreneur while working together with other members. You can use your talents and capacities in initiating projects in various fields, such as within a corporate setting, education, government, and social action.

Rights of community builder members

  • Participating in the soul.com online educational programs, in order to continue one’s own capacity building process.
  • Participating in the learning spaces of the community to reflect together and build your capacity.
  • Based upon experience, one will be accredited by the Soul Resource Centre (SRC) to facilitate specific materials.
  • Gaining access to the materials of soul.com that are being provided by SRC.
  • Permitted to use a soul.com email address and create a profile on the soul.com website.
  • Initiating projects and generating funds that can provide a livelihood for oneself and others.
  • Speaking and voting at the General Assembly.
  • Being part of the consultative process of the future of the community, which will be initiated by the Board of the cooperative.

 

Responsibilities of community builder members

  • Participating in the onboarding process for new members organised by SRC (initial fee required)
  • Participating in spaces for learning facilitated by SRC:
    • spaces designated to reflect on your experiences with facilitating the materials;
    • spaces to reflect about growth and consolidation of the community;
  • Considering the needs of fellow community builders by creating opportunities for work projects and thereby generating a livelihood;
  • Collaborating with other community builders and develop a vision of growth;
  • Establishing collaboration agreements with a certified soul partner to carry out projects;
  • Contributing a portion of your total revenue to the cooperative as follows:
    • a minimum of 10% of the turnover to the solidarity fund.
    • a minimum of 15% of the turnover to the commons fund.
  • Involving a growing group of diverse people in one’s activities who build their capacity and become members of the soul.com community
  • Serving on committees or joining projects that support the growth and development of the community, based upon capacity and availability.
  • Engaging in conversations with potential new members and to study the preambule and community agreements together.
  • Serving on the Board when elected
  • Taking on an active role in peer governing the community, by enhancing the unity of thought and translating the vision into practice.
  • Administrating accurately one’s activities in the soul.com storage house.
  • Clearing one’s financial accounts with the soul.com community on a monthly basis.
  • Paying for software subscription services that one decides to use through the cooperative.

Working in teams

Community builder members are encouraged to work in teams. Teams can be temporarily and focus on one project or they can be for a longer period when multiple projects are involved. For a team to function effectively, it is important that at least one community builder member is managing a “Soul Administrative Partner” to facilitate the flow of funds and communication.

Rights

  1. Members can initiate their own teams and announce it to the community. Other members can be invited to join or can ask to be part of it;
  2. Team members can determine how the proceeds of their work is being divided among themselves, based on the principles of justice and equity. The amount earned for one member is the sum of all the different transactions that a member makes as part of his or her participation in teams;
  3. Individual members who have been instrumental in creating and / or managing projects have the right to receive a share of the available budget of the project.
  4. Members can decide to have funds paid to their own private company or to receive remuneration from the soul administrative partner.

Responsibilities

  1. Define clearly for each project its objective, timeline, requirements and budget. Some projects concern paid assignments for organisations. Other projects are activities that benefit the expansion and consolidation of the cooperative, such as inviting, training, and accompanying people.
  2. As part of their own capacity building process, members are expected to join projects that benefit the expansion and consolidation of the community;
  3. Ensure that any team is diverse and includes members with relevant specific capacities and/or experience, such as capacity to facilitate or accompany, or language skills;
  4. Ensure that each team has one person who acts as the chair. This person could coordinate the project and set agreements with the other team members;
  5. Ensure that a soul administrative partner organisation is able to facilitate the flow of funds, when needed;
  6. Share relevant information with the cooperative about the projects so that other certified partners can continue the work if need be.