2021 Guest Membership Programme

Dear Members,

In the COVID-19 times, when resources are limited and international connections are both vital and being undermined, we would like to encourage some solidarity and sharing within our network.

This is why, in 2021, you, current members who joined the network before 2021, have the opportunity to invite one guest member to join IETM for two calendar years, as part of your 2021 membership renewal.  What’s more is that your guest can either enter the network free of charge or you can suggest to them to share your 2021 membership renewal fee with you. 

In other words, when renewing your IETM membership in 2021, you, as a member organisation or freelance/self-employed member, can become the host member of one other member organisation or freelance/self-employed professional who will have the same membership rights as all other members during 2021 and 2022. Please note that this programme is optional and you are free to decide whether you'd like to take part.

The procedure to invite your guest member organisation or freelance/self-employed guest member for 2021-2022 is now open until 31 December 2021. Please find below the details of the 2021 Guest Membership Programme, as well as the instructions on how to invite your guest.

Benefits and practicalities

• Your guest (freelance/self-employed professional or organisation) can belong to any membership fee category, regardless of what category you or your organisation belong to.
   
• There can only be one guest member per member organisation or per freelance/self-employed member. Please make sure not to ask several people or organisations to fill out the Guest Membership Sign Up form, otherwise their application will not be processed.
   
• You are free to ask your guest member to contribute to your 2021 membership renewal fee as you see fit, but the payment transaction has to arrive to IETM via you or your organisation through the membership renewal form.
   
• In January 2023, this special programme expires and your guest member will have the possibility to extend their IETM membership by paying their fee based on their own annual turnover.
   
• We count on you to introduce IETM to the guest member and expect you to be their host, telling them about IETM, introducing them to other members at meetings and offering them assistance so that their entry into the network is as smooth as possible. Note that we will also organise welcome sessions with IETM guest members as a complement.

How to invite your guest member

Please follow this procedure to invite your/your organisation's guest member organisation or freelance/self-employed guest member for 2021-2022:

1. If you have not renewed your/your organisation's membership for 2021 yet, please renew it through the 2021 membership renewal form.
    
2. If you have renewed your/your organisation's membership, please first discuss with your/your organisation's potential guest, introduce them to IETM and explain to them what the Guest Membership Programme entails.
    
3. Once you and your guest member have agreed, please download and send them this invitation, which contains instructions for them to join and a link to the Guest Membership Sign Up form. !!Please do not fill out the Guest Membership Sign Up form on behalf of your guest!!
    
4. In this form, they will be asked to specify which member invited them to the network: name of your organisation, their person of contact within your organisation and that person’s email address. Once again, it is essential that they fill out the form themselves.
    
5. Shortly after they have filled out the Guest Membership Sign Up form, the contact person they mentioned in the form will receive an email with a link to approve their guest membership.
    
6. Once they approve the guest membership, we will contact you both to inform you of the guest membership’s activation and welcome your guest to the network.

Please also note that you can only invite a guest after you have renewed and paid your 2021 membership. Please do not send the guest membership invitation to your guest before having renewed, otherwise they will not be able to select your organisation from the list.

Why are we offering this? 

All through 2020, via various conversations, members have called for access of new voices to the network. Our joint strategy work, Rewiring the Network, supports that call. Coming out of COVID-19, this programme is an act of solidarity, shared responsibility and inclusion.

We, in particular, notice that we have few or no members in certain countries and regions in Europe, and no members at all in large parts of the world (see the worldwide geographical spread of our membership here). We have also noticed during the many open online events we hosted in 2020 that a large number of non-member attendees have made valuable contributions to our conversations. 

To reach as many new voices as possible, we encourage our members to offer this opportunity to professionals or organisations embracing different geographical locations, backgrounds, physical abilities, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, social conditions, etc. (see our statement on equity, diversity and inclusion here).

Together we can embrace the values of diversity IETM has at its core. With this in mind, it is up to you, as a member, to choose whom to invite to our network.

Questions and Contact

We remain at your disposal at membership@ietm.org should you have any question about the 2021 Guest Membership Programme. 

We are looking forward to welcoming your guest member to the network,

Jeremy Gobin
Communication and Membership Manager