State Environmental Leadership Program

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Membership In SELP

The State Environmental Leadership Program (SELP) is an alliance of more than 50 independent, nonprofit, public interest, multi-issue environmental advocacy organizations that focus on state-level policy. SELP seeks to strengthen state-level environmental advocacy movements through information and strategy exchange between and collaboration among SELP's member groups. To ensure this exchange and collaboration is valuable, SELP members must meet the membership criteria and responsibilities listed below.

Direct all membership inquiries to Bill Davis (email: bdavis at selp.org).

To renew your organization's membership in SELP, download the 2008 Membership Renewal form here. (Adobe Reader required)

Membership Services

Services fall into three categories: organizational capacity building, program enhancement, and multi-state issue campaigns.

Organizational capacity building services may include, but are not limited to:

• Trainings at annual conference in November. Content selected and tailored to address member groups' current needs, and conducted by experts in various fields of organizational development. Attendance is subsidized.
• Trainings at regional meetings held during other times of the year, with a smaller number of participants and increased individual attention. Content selected and tailored to address member groups' current needs, and conducted by experts in various fields of organizational development. Attendance is subsidized.
• Peer mentoring, matching senior staff with those of other member groups to meet their individual and/or organizational needs. Matching services, travel reimbursement and mentor honorarium provided.
• Training/transition assistance for new Executive Directors of member groups, offering in-person expertise of present and former Executive Directors of other SELP member groups and facilitated organizational benchmarking service. Matching services, travel reimbursement and mentor honorarium provided.
• Provision of organizational information on other member groups, including compensation practices, fundraising, membership services, etc.

Program enhancement services may include, but are not limited to:

• Strategy and information sharing through listserves and conference calls.
• Policy and strategy development and information sharing at meetings focused on specific issues and annual conference. Attendance is subsidized.
• Analysis of model state policies, programs and strategies;
• Information and analysis of anti-environmental campaigns and policies being promoted in state legislatures, regulatory agencies and through Governors' offices;
• Information sharing and referral network for resources, model strategies and subject-matter experts;
• Access to information relating to the multistate campaign, such as polling research, proposed legislation, communications material, etc.

Members may also have the opportunity to participate in, and assist with the development and coordination of SELP's multistate campaigns. The benefits received by groups selected as campaign participants may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial assistance for campaign planning and implementation
• Planning assistance from SELP staff, campaign participants and consultants;
• State specific polling and/or focus group research;
• Message development assistance;
• Feedback on and assistance in drafting model legislation;
• Facilitated strategy exchange and networking among campaign participants.

Membership Criteria:

A SELP member group will be:

1. Governed by people with a citizen’s environmental perspective.
2. Working on a broad range of environmental issues.
3. An activist organization, using legislative, lobbying, administrative advocacy  and 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. 
4. Financially and politically independent of any national organization.  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.
5. Committed to working in coalition with other environmental organizations in their state(s).
6. 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.

Membership Maintenance:

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. The SELP Membership Committee will be composed of no less than five individuals, chaired by a member of the SELP Board and composed of representatives from SELP member groups.

Continued membership in SELP will be based on member groups continuing to fulfill membership criteria and responsibilities. Failure to fulfill either may result in membership rescindment.

A member group's fulfillment of the criteria will be reviewed if the member indicates they do not fit a criterion on the annual self-evaluation or if another member group or SELP staff raises the issue.

A member group's fulfillment of the responsibilities will be reviewed if:

1. The member group fails to provide their self-evaluation, dues or organizational survey;
2. Another member group or SELP staff considers their participation in the network to be insufficient;
3. Another member group or SELP staff considers their actions damaging to SELP's endeavors.

Failure to provide the self-evaluation, dues or organizational survey by deadline will result first in membership suspension, and only in membership rescindment if the materials have not been provided by the end of the same calendar year.

Member groups may request that a particular criterion or responsibility be waived in a given year. For example, they may request a particular criterion be waived because their failure to meet that criterion is temporary. Or they may request dues be waived because of temporary financial hardship. The Membership Committee will review such requests and grant waivers when appropriate.

In any situation where a group's membership is being considered for suspension or rescindment, the Membership Committee will ask the group to provide their position and any supporting evidence. If the Membership Committee determines - based on the group's submission and other relevant information - that membership should be revoked, they will make a recommendation to the Board for a final decision. All proceedings regarding a group's membership will be kept confidential, limited to involved SELP staff and the Membership Committee, and to the Board if they receive a recommendation from the Membership Committee.

Application Process

Membership applications will be reviewed five times per year and are due on the 1st of the following months: January, March, May, July, and September. A group interested in attending SELP's November annual meeting must have their application in by September 1st.

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 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 Bill Davis. We can accept applications by mail, fax, or email.

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