Join us

Membership is available for all CSOs who:

• Undertake operational and/or advocacy activities in the public interest on issues that benefit the environment, society as a whole or a group in particular, as well as foundations contributing to the funding of such activities.
• Have a mission and mandate that require the organisation to work predominantly internationally, or to work on international issues. Organisations with a national work focus are only eligible for Membership if they work in countries where no equivalent national accountability framework is available.
• Have activities and management practices which are consistent with and supportive of the vision, purpose and objectives of Accountable Now;
• Will embrace, comply with and promote the Accountable Now Accountability Commitments (as amended from time to time) in its entirety;
• Have been in existence with due diligence (valid legal registration, published annual reports and annual externally audited account) for at least three years;
• Have a complaints handling mechanism for internal and external complaints in place or give written consent that it will be fully implemented by the time the first Accountability Report is submitted;
• Apply for Accountable Now Membership in the form required by the Board;
• Are approved by a majority of 75% of the Board
• Fulfil all Membership obligations (see following tab)

Full Members and Affiliate Members are:

• Entitled to attend Annual General Meetings
• Entitled to attend workshops, trainings, webinars and peer-review sessions organised by Accountable Now
• Entitled to participate in expert networks as organised by Accountable Now;
• Entitled to be listed on Accountable Now’s website as Full Members or Affiliate Members;
• Required to pay Membership fees as set by the Board;
• Required to report annually against the Accountable Now Accountability Commitments in line with the Reporting Requirements set by the Board at the same level of quality for the entire organisation/s they subscribed for
• Entitled and required to have their Accountability Reports vetted by the Independent Review Panel and the feedback to be published on Accountable Now’s website.
• Entitled to use the Accountable Now logo for the organisation or part of organisation (e.g. only headquarter) which has become a Member.

   

Only Full Members are:

• Entitled to lodge proposals and have a vote at Annual General Meetings. The voting right of national entities shall be exercised through the international secretariat/ headquarter unless the latter is itself not a Member. The voting right is limited to one vote for one international organisation;
• Entitled to nominate persons to stand for election to the Board.

In order for Accountable Now to be financially self-sustaining, the management and administration costs need to be covered by the Member Organisations. Accountable Now Members are requested to pay an annual Membership fee. The Membership fee has to be paid in full for the entire Membership year which runs from January to December. If Members do not pay their fee, their Membership will eventually be terminated.

The Membership fees are based on the annual income of the Member Organisation. To calculate the Membership fee, the latest available annual income of the Member Organisation is used; this is either the income of the entire organisation or of the entity which joined Accountable Now. Donations in kind are not included when calculating annual income.

Members wishing to withdraw from Accountable Now have to give written notice of resignation to the Secretariat at least four months before the end of the year, i.e. by September 1, for the resignation to be effective as of January 1 of the following year. Members will then be asked to fill in a form explaining the reasons why they wish to withdraw and formally hand it in. In case a Member withdraws after September 1, it will be requested to pay the Membership fee for the following year.

Organisations meeting Accountable Now’s requirements are welcome to apply for membership. Accountable Now’s Board reviews all applications and has the final decision.

After getting in touch with our Executive Director, you will be asked to provide information on how your organisation fulfils Accountable Now’s membership criteria. 

The full membership criteria, rights and obligations can be accessed here. For information about membership fees and requirements to withdraw Accountable Now membership, click here.

Please note that your application form will first be checked by Accountable Now’s Secretariat who might contact you to request additional information. Your application form will then be passed on to Accountable Now’s Board who makes all decisions regarding membership.

In case your application is accepted, your organisation will be granted an affiliate membership status until your first accountability report against the 12 Accountability Commitments has been submitted and approved by the Independent Review Panel. Your organisation will then become a full member.

If you are interested in becoming an Accountable Now member please contact Megan Colnar at mcolnar@accountablenow.org, expressing your interest.