How to become a member

Is your organisation interested in becoming a member of the Association for Progressive Communications? APC membership is open to organisations anywhere in the world that share the same mission as APC: to empower and support civil society organisations (CSOs) through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Note: Currently APC membership is not open to individuals.

Steps to becoming an APC Member

Review our website to familiarise yourself with our mission, members, programs, projects and current news.
Read through the APC Membership Information Pack on this page.

Fill out the APC Membership Application Form. The APC Membership Working Group reviews new applications for membership every few months.

Section One: About APC

We encourage you to find out more about APC by reading around the APC website, especially the About APC section. We provide the links as a starting point.

APC Mission Statement
APC Members – Our network of members and partners spans the globe, with presence in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. You can see our full list of members and read more about each member by clicking on their profile.
History of APC
APC Programmes – APC action areas form the basis of APC’s efforts to mobilise the potential of information and communication technologies to promote development and social justice. They are used by APC staff, members and partners, working locally, regionally and internationally, to plan, prioritise and evaluate APC activities.

APC Structure and Governance – APC is a membership-based organisation, linking organisations from around the world that share similar goals and objectives.

Section two: What APC membership means?

Membership Conditions

Members are required to:

appoint a representative to the APC Council
exercise their voting rights within the APC council
pay dues to support the growth and diversification of APC
report on their activities at APC meetings, and share information about their activities with and for the APC community
participate actively in APC workspaces, projects and programmes

sign Membership Memorandum of Agreement

Members are encouraged to collaborate among APC members to develop projects, campaigns and other joint initiatives.

Membership Criteria

Benefits to Members and to APC

What APC offers members:

Community: membership in an international network of like-minded organisations
Solidarity: an international community of voices and support for the use of ICTs for development, and environmental and social justice
Peer support and information exchange: learning from one another’s experiences, including technical support
Collaboration opportunities: in projects, service delivery and fundraising
A collective voice in International ICT policy: APC is an active participant in high level ICT policy discussions, and has general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Capacity-building services: workshops, training, materials, access to APC tools and online conferences and mailing lists, use of the apc.org internet domain.
Exposure: APC will expand your networks and promote your work and concerns internationally

South-South networking: the majority of APC’s members are located in the developing world and have common experiences in striving for effective access to the Internet

What members offer APC:

The APC member community as a whole gains from each member’s local political understanding, perspective and contacts. This local perspective is reflected in our internal information and discussion forums. APC also benefits from the strategic relationships that our members have at the local level.

APC is an international facilitator of civil society’s engagement with information and communications technologies and related concerns, at the levels of policy and practice. APC’s value and uniqueness comes from the local perspectives and contact with grassroots organizations we gain through our members.

Section three: Membership Fees

Annual Fees (in $US)

$300 minimum – very small organisations from developing countries
$500 minimum – very small to small organisations
$1,000 minimum – small to medium organisations
$2,000 minimum – medium organisations
$5,000 minimum – large organisations and small for-profits

$5,001 minimum – for for-profit members

Guidelines for deciding membership fee based on annual budget/expenses

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 want help to choose a category, please contact us.

Payment conditions:

Please indicate in the application form which rate is appropriate for your organization. Payment arrangements will be made if/when your application has been approved. The annual fee must be paid within fourteen 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.