2007 Partner Agreement

Application Form

Partner Criteria, Rights and Responsibilities

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1. Partner Organizations
   1. Partner Organizations are local, state, regional or national groups and coalitions that agree to the National Campaign's guiding principles and are fully committed to the mission, goals, institutional development and long-term future of the National Campaign.
   2. The work and efforts of Partners, when participating in activities of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, are strictly limited to charitable or educational purposes, consistent with and in furtherance of IRS section 501(c)(3), furthering no private pecuniary interest or private benefit whatsoever. No efforts are undertaken by the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture or any of its partners on behalf of the National Campaign to intervene in any political campaign, or attempt to influence legislation, except as permitted under IRC section 501(h).
   3. Partnership status with the National Campaign does not imply agreement with all of the National Campaign's positions. When the National Campaign takes a position in its own name, it speaks for itself, not for every Partner. When the National Campaign states its position, Partners are not listed on letterhead or in an attachment that would in any way suggest that the National Campaign is speaking on behalf of all Partners. Conversely, partnership does not imply the National Campaign's endorsement of all of all issues of the applying organization.
   4. When the National Campaign wishes to demonstrate the unified position of a large number of organizations (whether official partners or not), it does so only when those organizations pro-actively sign on to a specific letter or other document organized and circulated by the National Campaign. In these instances, the National Campaign does not assume the support of any organization in absence of an authorized representative of that organization giving the National Campaign specific permission on a case-by-case basis to sign the organization on. (For examples, go to http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/signOn.php)
   5. Policy Committees and Issue Committees of the National Campaign can make statements in their own name (e.g. Organic Committee of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture). When National Campaign Committees do issue statements or take positions, they do not speak for or imply the support of all National Campaign Partners. (For details on Committee work, go to http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/committees.php).
2. Partner Organization Obligations
   
   Both Voting Partners and Affiliate Partners agree to be active participants in the National Campaign. Active participation entails:
   1. Officially appointing one person to represent or be the point person for the Partner. Appointment of the Partner representative to the National Campaign should come from the Partner's Executive Director, Board Chair or other lead decision-maker. The National Campaign will contact the officially appointed Partner Organization representative to obtain the Partner's views on committee decisions and in Board elections.
   2. Participation in Committee calls and annual meetings to the best of their ability given their financial, staff and volunteer limitations.
   3. Working in collaboration with other diverse partners.
   4. Keeping Partner members/constituents up to date with National Campaign activity and aware of action to be taken by the National Campaign.
   5. Willingness to work out differences with other partners and to work through impasse.
   6. Demonstrating good will to partners and the National Campaign, even when engaging in needed and valuable honest debate and disagreements.
   7. Partners do not to speak on behalf of the National Campaign unless given explicit permission to do so by the Executive Director.
   8. Linking the National Campaign's website to the Partner's website.
   9. Partners are encouraged to consider affiliation with a regional Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG).

   The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture Board of Directors retains the right to discontinue partnership status of organizations that do not comply with partner obligations or that take positions contrary to the mission of the National Campaign.

3. Partner Organization Annual Dues
   1. Purpose. The National Campaign requests that each Voting Partner and each Affiliate Partner pay annual dues a) to demonstrate commitment to the National Campaign's work, and b) in recognition of the valuable opportunities and services that the National Campaign provides to Partners.
   2. The National Campaign has a sliding scale for Partner Dues, based on the annual organizational budget. No organization will be denied partnership for economic reasons. The National Campaign expects Partners to participate in and support the activities of the National Campaign, above and beyond the payment of dues.
      

      Organizational Annual Budget	Partner Organization Annual Dues
      Up to 49,000	$30
      $50,000 - $100,00	$100
      $101,000 - $299,000	$250
      $300,000 and higher	$500

   3. Partners that are able to make a larger contribution to the work of the National Campaign are strongly encouraged to do so.

4. Voting Partner Organizations
   Voting Partners of the National Campaign are generally not-for-profit organizations. Excluded from voting status are government entities or entities created by government (e.g. advisory commissions or boards), businesses, and associations that represent businesses. Democratically structured, member-accountable worker- and/or family farmer owned cooperatives and farmers' associations formed for the purpose of reforming U.S. agricultural policy in keeping with the mission of the National Campaign may also apply for Voting Partner status.

   Voting Partner Organization Rights

   1. The right to participate in all National Campaign policy and issue committees.
   2. The right to nominate board members for the National Campaign.
   3. The right to vote for the 12 Partner-elected members of the National Campaign Board of Directors (one organization-one vote).
   4. The right to vote in National Campaign decision-making processes (e.g. Committee work and annual meeting decisions)
   5. The right to make recommendations to National Campaign Board regarding the selection and prioritizing of National Campaign policy initiatives.
   6. The right to participate in all National Campaign events.
   7. The right to first application for financial assistance to participate in National Campaign events.
   8. The right to be listed in the National Campaign's partnership directory as a voting Partner.
   9. The right of access to the National Campaign's partners-only area of its website and online services, including the Sustainable Agriculture Movement Database.
   10. The right to have the National Campaign forward through its network complementary position alerts and communications, as time and staffing permits, provided the position being communicated is consistent with the position of the National Campaign.
5. Affiliate Partner Organizations

   Affiliate Partner Organizations include government entities or entities created by government (e.g. advisory commissions or boards), businesses, associations that represent businesses, and cooperatives and other associations that do not meet the criteria for or do not want the status of Voting Partner.

   Affiliate Partner Organization Rights

   1. The right to participate in all National Campaign policy and issue committees, except in rare cases when the Committee leadership deems it necessary to restrict discussion to Voting Partners.
   2. The right to nominate board members for the National Campaign.
   3. The right to make recommendations to National Campaign Board regarding the selection and prioritizing of National Campaign policy initiatives.
   4. The right to participate in National Campaign events.
   5. The right to apply for financial assistance to participate in National Campaign events.
   6. The right to be listed in the National Campaign's partnership directory as an affiliate partner organization.
   7. The right of access to the National Campaign's partners-only area of its website and online services, including the Sustainable Agriculture Movement Database.

6. Contributing Partner
   Contributing Partners are people and individual farms that want to express their support of the National Campaign's mission through a financial or in-kind contribution. We have always sought to build the sustainable agriculture movement by encouraging individuals to participate in the National Campaign activities as a member of an organization. However, we also highly value the contributions of individuals who have no other organizational affiliation, and in particular, will continue to make sure that individual farms and farmers have a place and voice in the National Campaign. Also included in Contributing Partners are organizations that wish to support the National Campaign but do not want the responsibility of being fully active Partners.

   In addition to receiving the National Campaign's print and Internet newsletters free of charge:

   1. Contributors of $25 to $99 have the option of being listed on our website.
   2. Contributors of $100 or more have the option of being listed on our website and in our newsletter.
   3. Contributors of $500 or more have the option of being listed on our website and in our newsletter, and will be invited to a special event at the National Campaign annual meeting.
7. Voting and Affiliate Partner Organization Benefits National Campaign Partners gain wider recognition and effectiveness as part of a national effort that incorporates collaborative policy analysis and development, grassroots education and organizing, communications, and Capitol Hill impact. Partners also have access to National Campaign educational materials, networking opportunities, and timely information on recent developments in federal agriculture and food policy. More specifically, Partners benefit from:
   1. The National Campaign's print and Internet newsletters, a partner directory, and other National Campaign publications free of charge.
   2. The option of being listed in the partner directory that will be distributed or made accessible to funders, journalists, policy makers, and resource managers. The following disclaimer will appear in the Directory: "Inclusion in the National Campaign's Partner Directory does not imply agreement with all of the National Campaign's positions".
   3. The opportunity to apply for financial assistance, as available, for expenses associated with events sponsored by the National Campaign, as well as discounts on registration fees at National Campaign gatherings.
   4. Access to National Campaign staff assigned to handle partner requests for referrals and information.
   5. Several tools are available to Partners of the National Campaign through a password-protected portion of the National Campaign's website. These include:
      • Ability to add events to an on-line calendar.
      • Advertising job and internship openings.
      • The National Campaign's Sustainable Agriculture Movement Database (SAMD). As designed, the database facilitates the sharing of data between the National Campaign and organizational partners. This enhances our communications and can build our national network by thousands at a time, through partner collaboration. Partners using SAMD have full control over whether or not any of their data is shared with the National Campaign, and for what purposes. For more information, go to http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/flyers.php

8. Becoming a Partner Organization
   To become a Voting or Affiliate Partner Organization, an organization needs to fill out an application, be approved by the National Campaign Board of Directors, and sign a Partner Organization Agreement affirming its commitment to the National Campaign's principles, mission and goals, and acknowledging its rights and obligations as a Partner Organization of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. To apply, go to http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/partners.php, or call the office (845) 361-5201.

   Application Form

© 2007-2008 National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture.