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Membership Criteria

An SELP member group will be:

• Governed by people with a citizen’s environmental perspective.
• Working on a broad range of environmental issues.
• An activist organization that lobbies either legislatively or administratively; and uses other methods (e.g. litigation, community organizing, direct action, etc.) -- to affect environmentally significant public policies in their state, including work at the local and regional level that has a precedent setting effect.
• Financially and politically independent. Groups that are affiliated with a national organization should be an independent organization, responsible for raising a substantial portion of their own budget, and able to set their own policy agenda.
• Committed to working in coalition with other environmental organizations in their state(s).
• An organization that, when developing and implementing strategies on environmental issues, engages and welcomes leadership from the people and communities most affected by those issues, especially when working in racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse communities or communities that are disenfranchised or underrepresented.

Application Process

Membership applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by staff, the membership comittee and ultimately the board of directors. A group interested in attending SELP's November annual meeting must have their application in by September 1st.

The SELP Membership Committee is responsible for considering SELP membership applications and the continuing membership of SELP participants. The committee will submit their recommendations on these matters to the SELP Board of Directors for final decisions.

Applicants will be evaluated based upon content of the following required materials (all are due by the appropriate deadline listed above):

• On-Line SELP Membership Application
• Letter of Recommendation
  From a state legislator or official, or a staff or board member associated with another public interest group in the state, addressing how applicant fits membership criteria.
• Newsletters, Annual Reports, Press Releases/Clippings, etc.
  Any combination of the above or like materials, showing goals and means of applicant's work, and/or reveal how applicant fits membership criteria.

The Membership Committee may also solicit and consider the observations of staff and board members at progressive organizations (including SELP member groups) that have experience working with the applicant.

All materials other than the on-line SELP membership application should be sent - by the appropriate deadline noted above - to the SELP Membership Committee's attention, care of Acting Director, Melissa Gavin. We can accept applications by mail, fax, or email.

SELP Membership Committee
c/o Melissa Gavin
State Environmental Leadership Program
612 West Main Street, #302
Madison, WI 53703
608-268-1444 (Fax)
email: mgavin at selp.org

Read about renewal information and ongoing membership maintenance requirements

Direct all membership inquiries to Melissa Gavin, Acting Director, mgavin at selp.org.