[[PageOutline]] = APC Membership application form = Thank you for your interest in APC membership. This is the APC membership application form, which is part four of the APC Membership Information Pack. It is important that you read the [http://www.apc.org/en/members/membership/becoming-a-member first three parts of the information pack] before completing the application form. Please answer every question unless a question is marked optional and send your completed application form, together with any additional material in support of your application, by email to: {{{membership@apc.org}}}. You will receive a reply within 2 weeks telling you when your application will be reviewed. == 1. YOUR CONTACT DETAILS == Please identify one person at your organisation that APC can liaise with regarding your membership application. {{{ a - Alfredo Lopez b - Co-Director c - same as organization g - alfredo@mayfirst.org h - 718 303-3204 i - 718-770-7699 }}} == 2. YOUR ORGANISATION'S DETAILS == {{{ a - May First/People Link b - 461 54th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 c - PO Box 1814 d -New York NY e - NY 10159 f - USA g – 718 303 3204 h - 718-770-7699 i – info@mayfirst.org j - http://mayfirst.org/ k - incorporated non-profit l - Incorporated in New York, NY 1999 m - work scope: international national regional local }}} == 3. YOUR WORK == === a). What is the mission of your organisation? === We are a membership organization comprised of about 250 progressive organizations and individuals who individually use the Internet for their political work and activities and collectively pool our resources to provide ourselves quality web hosting, email and other Internet tools. We do this because we understand the Internet as critical to the movement for social change internationally and as an arena of struggle in which the progressive movement already plays a critical role which must be expanded. We want to preserve the open quality of the Internet, expand its usefulness and use by the progressive movements internationally, build tools that will make it ever more effective for our movements, expand its use as a vehicle for truth and truthful analysis and expand our impact on it. === b). What are the core values of your organisation? === Belief in democracy, transparency and respect of all individuals and movements. Complete reliance on and strengthening of collaboration as a natural and productive interaction that is the foundation of all successful political work. Internet work as political work that reflects these values inherently. === c). Please describe the programme areas and/or activities your organisation implements. === Our work is divided into two parts: resource sharing and activism. While they are separate, both are related and viewed, in the bigger picture, as part of the same work. Resource sharing is what would normally be called "services". In this area, MF/PL has been involved in Internet service provision for over 14 years making us one of the oldest "providers" in the world, certainly among the oldest politically progressive providers. But we are not a provider. Aside from membership dues, our members pay nothing for services. Our members collaborate on everything including provider "technical support". All our processes, including discussions about our policies and future plans, are transparently carried on on system that encourages participation by all members. Activism. MF/PL works in coalitions of all kinds, participates in events, and works on campaigns of all types. Most prominent among these is our leading work at the US Social Forum of 2007 during which we organized and led the technology work group that provided for all technology (on and off line) at the event. There were 37 technologists working in the group from all parts of this country. We've sponsored and/organized dozens of events over the last three years and are represented at public events in the United States virtually every month. We are also the authors of the book "The Organic Internet: Organizing History's Largest Social Movement" which is available [http://mayfirst.org/organicinternet on-line (both for free in pdf format and also in print edition)]. For each area or activity, please describe the outcomes you are working for, achievements and challenges experienced, and the people (beneficiaries or target groups) who you think have benefited, or will benefit, from your work. ==== Programme/Activity: Resource Sharing ==== ''Description:'' Described above, this is fundamentally the creation of an alternative to commercial service providers. Members pool resources to purchase, maintain and share all kinds of Internet resources. ''Outcomes:'' Since 2005, our organization has doubled in size to about 250 members with over 400 websites and over 3,000 email addresses functioning. We also have members, like portside (the US-based progressive information list), whose work and impact is movement-wide and that impact has broadened during our collaboration with them. ''Significant achievements:'' Probably the two most significant achievements are: * that we have survived and grown as an alternative Internet organization with decided left-wing politics and done so without any foundation money or grants of any kind. * that we have developed within our membership a group of technologists whose interaction with the rest of our members is based on a respectful, collaborative culture. ''Challenges:'' The Internet is, in and of itself, a huge challenge because of its commercialism is deep (and powerful) and because the "gateway" to it is through several popular and highly commercial enterprises. The progressive movement is very much lured to this thinking still and our challenge is to move it politically through outreach, education and, of course, direct interaction in our work. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' Our 250 members are mainly progressive organizations, including some of the most active and prominent in this country. We target the activist movement and are really working hard to involve organizations of people of color and women -- groups that are traditionally "excluded" in many functions of the Internet. ==== Programme/Activity: Activism ==== ''Description:'' Our activism program is design to develop consciousness within the left about the political struggles related to the Internet (around free software, web of trust vs. hierarchical security models, data retention and privacy issues, etc.) ''Outcomes:'' Our goal is for activists to think through the decisions they make around their use of the Internet as carefully as they think through their work in other areas, with care made to ensure that their activities are consistent with their mission, goals, and values. ''Significant achievements:'' Over the last two years, we successfully placed free software as a vital issue during the technology development of the US Social Forum, we've developed an innovative workshop on Internet Rights that demonstrates the democratic potential of the Internet while raising consciousness about the politic issues facing the Internet. ''Challenges:'' The left in the United States often views the Internet as a tool and service. Overcoming this perspective in order to engage people political on the issue is increasingly difficult as commercial services grow and develop and affect the way the world understands the Internet. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' The benefits of this work extend beyond our members to the activists and organizers who attend our workshops and to the left itself. === d). Please describe any services, support or assistance you provide. For example, provision of email accounts and web hosting, training in ICT skills, refurbishment/servicing of hardware, FOSS migration services etc. === ==== Service/support area 1 Description: ==== ''Standard Web hosting'' provided to all members and any member can host as many websites as the member needs and wants. There is no charge for hosting or any other resource for members. All members have access to database, php and other cgi programs. We provide dns services and we automatically backup (offsite) all data. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' same as above ==== Service/support area 2 Description: ==== ''email'' MF/PL provides email to over 3,000 people within our member organizations and to any individual members. Members may have as many email accounts as they want and need. As with web hosting, there is not charge. We provide webmail, secure IMAP and secure POP. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' same as above ==== Service/support area 3 Description: ==== ''offsite backup'' MF/PL provides an offsite backup server for people to backup their office network servers. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' same as above ==== Service/support area 4 Description: ==== ''voicemail'' MF/PL provides voicemail services for members. ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' same as above ==== Service/support area 5 Description: ==== ''Misc applications'' MF/PL provides a number of different miscellaneous services such as access to subversion repositories, survey tool, blogging and more ''Beneficiaries and target groups:'' same as above === e). What is your vision/concept of development and social change, and what role do ICTs play in bringing about this change? === We believe that the Internet is actually a movement, possibly the largest in human history. We believe it arises from the fundamental need of humanity to collaborate and empower itself democratically to assure its own survival by availing itself of the resources now available to us on this planet. We believe that humanity has everything it needs to create a just and peaceful world and that the only obstacle is outmoded forms of social, economic and political organization. Finally, we believe the Internet is humanity's way of getting the truth, spreading it and building real, powerful and productive relationships throughout the world. === f). How long has your organisation been working with ICTs to support development and social change? === People Link was founded in 1995. May First/People Link is a merger of People Link and some of the people in the May First TEchnology Collective which was formed in 2000. The merger took place in 2005. === g). Why do you have a strong emphasis on ICTs in your work for development and social change? === Because we believe the Internet is the most powerful expression of human collaboration and the one with greatest social and political potential. We believe that potential has been demonstrated countless times over the last decade. === h). What do you think is the role of civil society in social change and development work? === The term "civil society" is not frequently used in our political work and is not defined in the question, so our answer may be off-base. In the United States, we don't work on legislative policy or in partnership with governments. We only work with organizations independent of the government. Our focus on the Internet is itself based on a commitment to building movements for political change that enable wide participation and collaboration between individuals and groups often left out of traditional movements. These are the people and groups that we believe have a vitally important role in social change work. === i). Does your organisation work with other 'stakeholders' in ICT work? For example, government, inter-governmental agencies, private sector entities, academia etc. If so, please briefly describe which stakeholders you work with and in what ways. === We only work in coalition with other political organizations. We have no government or other NGO relationships; this does not fit in with our strategy at this point. Stakeholder group 1: Stakeholder group 2: Stakeholder group 3: Stakeholder group 4: Stakeholder group 5: === j). Please describe any local, national, regional or global ICT policy processes you have been, or are involved in. === We do not involve ourselves in government policy work. === k). Please list any alliances or networks your organisation is a member of. === MFPL is, in itself, a kind of coalition. We have been involved as well in many coalition efforts including the United States Social Forum (as technology leaders with members on the National Planning Committeee) and the NYC Grass Roots Media Conference. We are involved in working with more than a dozen organizations on various activities involving a wide range of issues. == 4. YOUR INTEREST IN APC == Members of APC are organisations that agree with and work to further APC's mission. They work actively with civil society and social movements, using ICTs to empower and support others to build strategic communities and initiatives contributing to equitable human development, social and gender justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability. Please answer the following questions giving as much information as possible. The Membership Working Group relies significantly on responses in the application form in making its assessment. === a). When and how did you get to know about APC? === Through our involvement the Institute for Global Communications of which one of our founders was a staff member. === b). Have you worked, or do you work, with APC members and/or APC staff? If so, please describe the activity, noting the names of APC members and staff you have worked with. === No. Not currently. === c). Why does your organisation want to be an APC member? === We believe that the critical thrust of progressive political work in this country is driven by the need to develop real collaborative relationships with progressives in other countries on specific projects. Our work in this area fits in perfectly with APC membership and, indeed, APC is both a potential facilitator of this work and a model for it. == 5. STAFFING and GOVERNANCE == === a). Please describe your organisation's structure – including staff, volunteers and the areas they work in. For example - Management: 1 full time staff person; Training: 2 full time staff; Website maintenance (1 volunteer). === ''Management:'' two Co-Directors ''Staff:'' We have no paid staff. Our staff is done by our members through an alternative set of systems that facilitate this collaboration (for example, our technical support ticketing system that is open to all members). Five people usually work on system maintenance, outreach and member support. === b). Does your organisation have a governing body? If so, please describe the governance structure (e.g. executive board, management committee, board of trustees etc), how it is formed (e.g. by appointment, elected by the members) and the names of the members of your governing body. === Board of Directors -- three people: Alfredo Lopez, Jamie McClelland, Josue Guillen Governance Structure: Formed by/through: Members of governance body: == 6. FINANCING AND SUSTAINABILITY == === a). What is your annual budget in US dollars (USD)? === $52,000 === b). How does your organisation sustain itself financially? === Membership dues === c). Please list donor, private sector (or other) institutions who have supported your organization financially in the past two years. === We do not accept government grants or foundation funding. == 7. MEMBERSHIP FEES == Please read the following guidelines for deciding what membership fee (based on your organisation's annual budget/expenses) is appropriate for your organisation. If your annual budget/expenditure is between: $0 – $50,000 the fees each year are no less than $300 $50,001 – $100,000 the fees each year are no less than $500 $100,001 – $200,000 the fees each year are no less than $1,000 $200,001 – $500,000 the fees each year are no less than $2,000 $500,000 – $1,000,000 the fees each year are no less than $5,000 $1,000,001 and above – you are invited to pay any amount more than $5,000 in dues. Note: Budget refers to your organisation’s annual income (including earned income, donations, and grants). If you need help determining the appropriate category for your organization, please contact us. === a). Please indicate which APC annual membership fee you will pay. PLEASE NOTE - you must choose one of the six options for your application to be processed. === {{{ $ 300 very small organisation from developing country [ ] $ 500 very small to small organisation [ X] $1,000 small to medium organisation [ ] $2,000 medium organisation [ ] $5,000 large organisation and small for-profit [ ] $5,001+ for-profit member [ ] }}} Payment arrangements will be made if/when your application has been approved. The annual fee must be paid within 14 days of acceptance of your application for membership, and is not refundable. Non-payment after formal notice will result in automatic termination. The approved application is valid for three months after formal notice. Annual fees are revised periodically and members are advised three months prior to any increase. === b). Please check the box below if you would like to discuss making an additional contribution. (Optional) === {{{ Yes. We want to discuss making an additional contribution to support the work of APC. [ ] }}} == 8. REFERENCES == Please include the names of at least three organisations, including a contact person and their details (address, phone, email), with whom you have an active relationship, as references. === Reference 1 === {{{ a) Name Of organisation: Praxis Project b) Street Address/postal Address: 1750 Columbia Road, NW c) City/Town: Washington, DC d) Country: USA e) Telephone: +1(202) 234-5921 f) Fax: +1(202) 234-2689 g) Email Address: josue@thepraxisproject.org h) Contact person: Josue Guillen i) Relationship to Organisation: Member }}} === Reference 2 === {{{ a) Name Of organisation: Brecht Forum b) Street Address/postal Address: 451 West Street c) City/Town: New York, NY d) Country: USA e) Telephone: +1 (212) 242-4201 f) Fax: g) Email Address: lmestres@brechtforum.org h) Contact person: Liz Mestres i) Relationship to Organisation: Member }}} === Reference 3 === {{{ a) Name Of organisation: War Resisters League b) Street Address/postal Address: 339 Lafayette Street c) City/Town: New York, NY d) Country: USA e) Telephone: +1 212.228.0450 f) Fax: +1 212.228.6193 g) Email Address: liz@warresisters.org h) Contact person: Liz Roberts i) Relationship to Organisation: Member }}} == 9. ADDITIONAL MATERIAL == Please make sure you have included any additional material which supports your application, in your mail to: membership@apc.org Thank you for completing the APC membership application form and for your interest in APC. Receipt of your application form will be acknowledged by return and you will receive a message within 2 weeks or receipt of your application, informing you of when your application will be reviewed by the Membership Working Group. Many thanks and regards. Karen Banks Vanessa Purper Network Development Manager Network Development Assistant karenb@gn.apc.org vanessa@apc.org