Membership
We have been very pleased that since the launch of WOCAN and call for members on January 1, 2005, over 800 women and men of 84 countries and 14 international organizations have been accepted, with numbers increasing weekly. Of those accepted, about 33% are from Asia and the Pacific region, 25% from Africa, 5% from Latin America, 2% from the Middle East, 10% from Europe, 15% from North America, and 10% from international organizations. These members are trainers, policy advisers, researcher/academics, students, extension agents, heads of government departments or divisions, consultants, directors/coordinators, donor representatives, and staff of international organizations with backgrounds in agriculture, forestry, livestock, fisheries, anthropology, sociology, economics, environmental sciences, development studies, geography and other disciplines. They are engaged in research, training/teaching, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, management, advocacy, leadership/network building, and fundraising.
Members have varying levels of gender awareness and skills; many women members state that they are the only females in their organizations or departments, others wish to learn about gender and organizational change from their association with WOCAN. Many have formal gender responsibilities in their organizations and universities, and wish to join a network to learn and share more about gender and NRM.
The men who have joined are looking for ways to integrate gender into their work, and offering their help to build our network of gender-sensitive professional women and men.
Members have offered their voluntary contributions as trainers, consultants, researchers, fund raisers, proposal writers, hosts for meetings, time to act as focal points, sources of expertise on gender relations in their countries, etc. A typical example is a contribution specified by a Kenyan agriculturalist to “provide knowledge and professional expertise to other women who might not have the same in projects they are working in.” This demonstrates the spirit of mentoring that WOCAN wishes to foster amongst communities of professional women working in agriculture and NRM throughout the world.
Membership Year
The membership year shall be January 1 to December 31.
Membership dues are as follows:
| Individual membership rates: | |
| Income less than USD $20,000 | no fee |
| Income from USD $20,000 - 45,000 | $25 for 1 year, $40 for 2 years |
| Income greater than USD $45,000 | $65 for 1 year, $105 for 2 years |
| Institutional membership rates: | |
| Annual budget less than $100,000 | $75 for 1 year, $120 for 2 years |
| Annual budget greater than $100,000 | $150 for 1 year, $240 for 2 years |
Dues can be waived at the discretion of the Membership Committee.
Membership payments support the maintenance of the WOCAN website, help to purchase administrative resources, fund regional WOCAN meetings, ensure WOCAN staff representation at international fora and support other WOCAN activities.
Rights
Both individual and organizational members shall have the right to participate, subject to rules established by the Board and the Bylaws, in programs and activities of the organization. Individual members shall have the right to:
- hold office;
- vote for elective officers of the Board of directors;
- vote on matters referred by the Board of directors; and,
- seek to petition the Board of directors.
