Thank you for your interest in APC membership!

APC is currently undergoing a review of it's membership application process and recruitment strategy. We will re-open the application process in March 2008. If you are interested in applying for APC membership, please write to membership@apc.org and we will contact you again soon.

In the meantime, you might like to subscribe to APCNews - civil society's monthly e-bulletin on strategic uses of the internet to promote social justice and equality. You can find APCNews in English, Spanish and French.

English - http://lists.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/apcnews
Spanish - http://lists.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/apcnoticias
French - http://lists.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/apcnouvelles

Again, we thank you for your interest in APC and look forward to being touch with you.

Regards,
The Membership Working Group

How to become a member of APC So you would like to join APC? Everything you need is here on the Website: Review our Website to familiarize yourself with our mission, members, programs, projects and current news. Read through the APC Membership Information Pack, here. Fill out the APC Membership Application Form. The APC Membership Working Group reviews new applications for membership every few months.

WHY BECOME PART OF THE APC COMMUNITY?
Benefits of APC Membership

APC membership is open to organizations anywhere in the world that share the same mission as APC: to empower and support civil society organizations (CSOs) through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Many of us support this mission, but why take that step to becoming a full APC member?

SOLIDARITY AND COMMUNITY: USING ICTS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EQUALITY

Direction Set by our Members: APC members define APC direction and priorities. APC Council is the governing body that establishes APC's areas of action every two years. Each APC member organisation appoints a representative to Council and Council meets regularly online and for a face-to-face conference in one of the member countries every 18 months to two years. Working groups of people from the APC community who share an active interest or expertise in a particular issue or project (e.g., ICT policy), are set up as needed and have the power to make recommendations to APC.

Impact: Many of APC’s members have been creating and using computer networks to fight for social justice since the early 1980s, and APC members were the first in the world to provide transatlantic electronic communications for social justice groups. At a time when computer communications technology was only just beginning to be used internationally APC computer networks were used by thousands of NGOs attending United Nations summits in the early 1990s used to virtually “attend” the conferences and preparations, making NGO voices really heard in the UN for the first time.

Since then APC has been an active participant in high level international ICT policy discussions, being granted Category 1 Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1995.

APC members work together under the APC umbrella at international and regional levels to influence ICT policy for the benefit of civil society and other groups using technology for social justice. Membership in APC expands your network’s reach and allows you to promote the ICT issues being faced in your region or country internationally.

Solidarity: APC members actively work to encourage the adoption of ICTs for development, social justice and the protection of the environment by civil society. By joining APC, you are saying you don’t just care about social inequalities in your own country; you are adding your voice to an international network of like-minded organizations using ICTs to fight social injustice all over the world.

Community: The wide spread of the Internet now means that it is relatively easy to make your own connections with other organizations working in your field in other parts of the world. However, what is special about the APC community that it is a facilitated community, where experienced online coordinators facilitate discussion online and community members working in different areas (eg software development, online content production, ICT policy advocates) meet periodically face-to-face, regionally and 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. APC facilitates Southern-initiated ICT activities and is a place where Southern-initiated activities take place.

Building Your Profile Internationally: APC is a membership-based organization and we work hard to actively promote our members’ work. Our bilingual Website and our monthly newsletter which focuses on the use of ICTs for social justice and development work by civil society - is widely circulated among development specialists, the NGO community and its financial supporters. APC members’ work is presented by APC at public events internationally.

BUILDING YOUR ORGANIZATION’S SKILLS

Peer Support and Information Exchange: Many of APC members have been offering ICT services to the NGO community since the early 1990s and even the 1980s. Members learning from each others experiences online and at face-to-face meetings.

Collaboration: APC offers its members the chance to work collectively with other members and partners on joint projects. We facilitate networking and assist in matching and developing project implementation partnerships.

Capacity-Building Services: In the past, APC has facilitated face-to-face training opportunities for technicians, NGO business managers, training in online content production and ICT policy workshops for civil society organisations.

Building Resources for Civil Society: APC members create and collect resources to help make the Internet work for civil society. APC produces and help members secure the financing to produce technical resources, training materials and business management materials especially for non-governmental and socially progressive organizations. APC (together with members in Africa and Latin America) and partners have produced an online training resource centre which provides access to materials produced by organisations like yours in other parts of the world that can be adapted to your own needs and the needs of your public. APC and many members have worked together to develop the APC ActionApps, a collaborative multilingual software program that allows groups to share web content on different websites.

Fundraising Support: Getting hold of the financial resources to do the projects you want to do is often a very time-consuming part of being a not-for-profit. APC has extensive experience in fundraising and can help you in a variety of ways. Our fundraising assistance is available to members, along with resources on our members-only intranet. APC can assist members in proposal development, networking and presentation of your organization to donors. Some members have found the possibility of leveraging amongst projects very helpful to them in securing additional funds for initiatives.