By the International Committee of URGENCI
The presentation of the Bidding Round can also be downloaded as pdf: Urgenci membership fee 2020 (165 Ko)
What is the objective this year?
The Covid-19 crisis is ongoing in many parts of the world with its impact is still unfolding. At this frightening moment when we need solidarity and compassion so badly, but must remain separated, we, Community Supported Agriculture and other types of Local and Solidarity -based Partnerships for Agroecology (LSPA) initiatives, have a critical role to play in feeding local communities safely. And as we face the even greater crisis of climate change, family-scale farms using agroecological practices to preserve and build sustainable local and territorial food systems that connect producers and consumers and provide healthy, nutritious food for all.
In the current pandemic, we are seeing the relevance our movement has in the re-localisation and sustainability of our food systems. We are called to play a key role in ensuring that solidarity economy and food sovereignty, two of the key levers in this essential struggle for the collective survival of humanity, become recognized and normalized around the world. We are witnessing how important it is to sustain the continuous strengthening of our movement.
This is why following the relative success of our first bidding round-based membership fee collection in 2019, where we broke our previous record, URGENCI is calling on its member to pledge their 2020 membership fee with this year’s bidding round. We are aiming to collectively raise 20,000€ from the 2020 fees.
We are however fully aware that the Covid-19 crisis has affected all of us, and that you have dedicated a maximum of your resources to supporting people through the crisis. We are still in the midst of it in many parts of the world, affecting our ability to plan, and forecast, as well as redirecting priorities for resources. So, we stand in solidarity with whatever amount you can spare or not during these challenging times.
How is it going to take place?
Step 1 – URGENCI sends out an email to all its members calling to pledge for their 2020 membership fee.
Step 2 – Each member responds to URGENCI at <contact(at)urgenci.net> before November 30th with the amount of its bid. Members place their bids for the ongoing year, but are free to commit for multi-years pledging if it makes more sense within their own national network.
Step 3 – URGENCI starts with one round of answers, but with the option in the future of coming back to the members if it falls too short of the target objective.
Step 4 – URGENCI shares the result with all members.
Members pay their membership fee to URGENCI (bank transfer or paypal).
What do we all get from this?
Our goal is to be able from now on to raise from within our network the resources to sustain the position of the General Secretary. By collectively sustaining the position of a part time General Secretary for our network, members ensure that URGENCI, as an international secretariat, works on
- Coordinating experience sharing, with actions such as:
- Showcasing successful stories from field; and
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Encouraging exchange between Local, Solidarity -based Partnerships for Agroecology (LSPA)
- Strengthening movement building, with actions such as:
- Providing decisive support to create nascent networks in different parts of the world, pooling of tools and experience
- Strengthening the mobilisation of local producers’ and consumers’ networks
- Creating alliances with other initiatives at local, regional, national, and international level
- Designing fundraising strategies with international and European projects
- Coordinating the actions at international level (and facilitating consistency)
- Providing resources and tools, with actions such as:
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- Providing access to capacity building or other forms of trainings
- Developing information and communication tools
- Developing tools to reinforce the viability of the partnerships
- Creating international financial and methodological tools to further LSPAs
- Undertaking research to support the Member’s efforts
- Implementing other actions that help serve the objectives of the Network
- Increasing visibility, with actions such as:
- Representing the LSPA movement at the United Nations (UN) level
- Supporting and advocating for LSPA policy support at the various regional levels
- Creating dialogue with public institutions
- Developing mass mobilisation campaigns
How do members collect the membership fee within their own network?
Each member is free to decide how they collect the membership fee within their own national network, if applicable.
Some members charge an additional dedicated fee to URGENCI per individual basket.
Other members decide during their GA how much from its general budget it will contribute. There are as many options as there are members!
