WELCOME PACK:

How to make the most of your CIVICUS membership

Your CIVICUS journey

We are thrilled to have you as part of this global alliance that acts together by mobilizing our collective knowledge, skills, expertise, influence and power. Our overall goal is to strengthen civil society and citizen action to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.

By joining CIVICUS, you:

are part of a worldwide community of informed, inspiring and committed organisations and individuals engaged in tackling the challenges facing humanity.
connect with a diversity of members and partners dedicated to (1) defending civic freedoms and democratic values; (2) strengthening the power of people to organise, mobilise and take action; and (3) empowering a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society.
work collaboratively to build solidarity across borders, amplify excluded voices, promote the resourcing of a diverse and resilient civil society, and advocate for systemic change.

We don’t believe in ‘one size fits all’ membership. Instead, you decide the level of your involvement. The more you get involved as a member, the more you:

build expertise and better understand the state of civil society and emerging trends by collaborating on research and analysis.
strengthen your capacity for action through training and networking opportunities, accessing resources, and sharing knowledge and best practices.
increase your influence and expand the right to speak out, organise and take action through joint advocacy and campaigning.
become an agent of change by driving collective action and engaging in events and initiatives that contribute to CIVICUS programmes.

CIVICUS has two main membership categories, open to both individuals and organisations. Associate membership is free and does not expire. Voting membership is valid for a 3-year period, and can automatically be renewed if voting member responsibilities have been met. Voting membership is a paid annual membership; however membership fees are optional for organisations with an annual income of under $80k, and individuals.

CIVICUS as a member-led organisation

Are you passionate about the work of CIVICUS? Do you believe that it’s only when members are at the front and centre of CIVICUS that we will build a just world for everyone?

Voting members play an active part in the governance of CIVICUS - they collectively set its agenda and priorities; this role is one of their key opportunities and responsibilities.

The CIVICUS Board of Directors is responsible for the governance and oversight of CIVICUS. Formal spaces and processes enable voting members to take decisions and hold the Board of Directors to account:

Voting members nominate, stand and elect the Board from the voting membership, every three years.
At the Annual General Meeting voting members approve the annual report of financial statements and interact with the Board and CIVICUS Secretariat.
The board-led Strategic Priority consultations, which happen every 5 years, work to inform CIVICUS’ strategic direction and approach.
In addition the CIVICUS Secretariat consults members formally and informally on a wide range of issues, creating virtual and face-to-face opportunities for influencing the direction and governance of the alliance on a regular basis. An example of such a mechanism is the Annual Constituency Survey.

Voting members also:

are recognized as legitimate and trusted civil society actors that champion human rights and social justice through the CIVICUS voting member verification process.
play a leadership role in key activities by convening events, steering campaigns and co-designing programme initiatives.
increase their visibility by having their events, products, programme and job opportunities shared in exclusive member communications.
enhance alliance solidarity and civil society diversity and resilience through their support to other members through the Member Solidarity Fund.

The CIVICUS Secretariat is the Alliance’s main operational body; it implements the strategic priorities which are steered by the Board and based on members’ consultations. The Secretariat is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with smaller offices in New York, Geneva and London. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary General, who reports directly to the Board. From January 2019 Lysa John will hold the post of Secretary General.

How to get involved

The CIVICUS alliance is a vibrant network of engaged and informed citizens acting together for a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.

There is a wide range of programming that you can access based on your interests and needs. These engagement opportunities, tools and resources are regularly featured in member mailers.

Have a look at the Members in Action page to see how you would you like to participate in the CIVICUS alliance

Feedback procedure

We want to hear from you. CIVICUS takes its commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous learning and improvement very seriously. We count on members, allies and supporters to reach out to CIVICUS Secretariat when they have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the alliance’s work and activities.

Your feedback and the learning it represents is important to us. Our feedback mechanism, launched in 2018, ensures that information flows two-ways and that we tackle areas of improvement together. For more information and to provide suggestions and feedback please visit the CIVICUS website.

For any question or suggestion, please contact the Membership Team at .

Welcome!