2023–2024 Membership
Your organization is invited to be a member of a large, diverse, and influential regional coalition. Not just because it can be fun and joyful (that’s important too!), but because we’re making a difference. Our members are collaborating in big and small ways for resilient lands that are integral to a thriving Bay Area and all people who live here.
Get to know TOGETHER Bay Area
TOGETHER Bay Area members are nonprofits, public agencies, Native tribes and groups, and mission-aligned businesses. They work in the 9 counties of the SF Bay Area plus Santa Cruz County. They are on-the-ground implementers with programs and projects that make a tangible impact on the land and in their communities.
TOGETHER Bay Area Open House
If you’re interested in membership, watch a recording of our virtual Open House to meet our team and some of our members, learn about our work as a coalition, and find out how you can get involved.
Member Benefits
Connect & Collaborate Across the Region
Connect to a network of nearly 70 organizations across the 10-county Bay Area who are working toward climate resilience and equity and meet people who can serve as mentors, resources, and partners. All staff and board at member organizations are invited to participate.
- Participate in convening programs, including:
- Field trips hosted by fellow member organizations as opportunities for education and problem solving, partnership building, and collaborative idea generation.
- Annual member showcases to share your work on a regional platform with peers and state leaders.
- Access members-only ticket pricing for our Spring Conference
- Participate in workforce development conversations and connect with workforce-providing organizations, from conservation corps to sustainability students and more. Find the right candidates for open job positions through our job board. We have shared over 300 job postings so far in 2023, attracting over 2,300 unique visitors to the site.
- Receive members-only communications and benefit from the TOGETHER team’s knowledge, connections, and storytelling across the region.
Set regional habitat goals
- Help to facilitate the conservation of 50% of the Bay Area’s lands by 2050 by collaboratively setting regional goals that support local conservation and help achieve state-level strategies.
- Participate in peer working groups related to data on fires on the landscape, the Conservation Lands Network’s goal setting for upland habitats, and other topics that are led by TOGETHER and open to the broader community.
Build alliances with Tribes
- Gain skills and education to build alliances with local Native American tribes and communities through our Right Relations program, designed specifically for TOGETHER Bay Area members in partnership with Redbud Resource Group.
- Expand your capacity for the exchange of resources, including land, power, knowledge, skills.
- Learn from peer organizations and tribes and find support in community as you take action to strengthen Tribal sovereignty.
Engage in advocacy
- Leverage your local work at the regional and state levels for funding, policies, and other support for your work. Advocate for transformational public funding for members’ projects and programs by harnessing the collective power of our members.
- As part of our Policy Committee, develop our annual policy priorities and work to advocate effectively for them. Our approach to advocacy is to center relationships, collaboration, inclusivity, and joy. Members from all experience levels and backgrounds in policy work are welcome.
- Travel to Sacramento in person – and sometimes virtually – to meet with legislators, legislative staff, and administration leadership to build relationships, raise awareness, and communicate the TOGETHER Bay Area’s priorities.
What Your Dues Mean
This is a membership-powered coalition.
Your dues mean that TOGETHER Bay Area exists and thrives.
Without our members’ dues, we do not have the funding or mandate to lead our programs and coordinate this diverse and powerful coalition.
Tiered membership dues mean we can more effectively center equity in our work.
We tier member dues based on operational budgets because the work we are doing demands the perspectives of members of all sizes. Learn more about our Framework for Justice, Equity and Belonging.
Gift a membership
If your organization is in a position to, consider adding a gift membership onto yours to help us bring all voices to the table.
Sliding Scale Dues Guidelines
Memberships are renewed annually (ideally between September 1 – November 30) and dues are based on your organization’s operating budget. Members select the dues level for their organization in partnership with TOGETHER Bay Area staff.
Budget – Dues
- Under $250,000 – $250
- $250,000–$500,000 – $1,000
- $500,000–$1M – $2,500
- $1M–1.5M – $5,000
- $1.5M–$2.5M – $7,500
- $2.5M–$5M – $10,000
- $5M–$10M – $15,000
- >$10M – $20,000
Native-led organizations are welcome to join at no cost.
Flexible Dues Program
If your mission aligns with ours, we want you to be a member.
Dues are meant to bring you into the coalition, not keep you out.
We want our members to be financially invested in TOGETHER Bay Area because we know from experience that participation is more meaningful when members contribute financially. And we understand that for some organizations, paying the outlined dues level is difficult. If our dues structure isn’t feasible for your organization, reach out and let us know what will work for you.
We will work with you to make it possible for your organization to join this coalition.
Email Laura Rosenthal, Membership & Communications Coordinator, to start a conversation.
Member Expectations
Organizationally:
- Pay annual dues
- Share our vision and align with our mission
- As appropriate, co-host meetings or field trips with TOGETHER Bay Area and/or your organization’s staff time to contribute to the organization’s governance, operations, and/or programs.
- Commit to the give and take of collaboration, honoring the different roles every organization can play in advancing TOGETHER Bay Area’s mission.
Individually:
- Participate according to our values (trust, equity, belonging, joy, learning, hope) and in ways outlined in our Framework for Justice, Equity, and Belonging.
- Willingness to contribute and to listen. Everyone is an expert. Everyone is a learner. We value both lived and learned expertise.
- Respect other TOGETHER Bay Area members, staff, and contractors. This includes respect for others’ time, perspectives, and knowledge.
Ready to join?
To become a TOGETHER Bay Area member, complete this form. Reach out to Laura Rosenthal, [email protected], our Membership & Communications Coordinator, with questions or for more information.
Our Impact
Our members’ success is our success.
That’s because our members are creating a more resilient, healthier, and more equitable region.
Some examples of how we’ve made an impact over the past year include:
Advocacy
- Successfully advocated as a coalition for over $500 million for the State Coastal Conservancy in the 23-24 State Budget. This was our top policy priority, and we achieved it!
- Organized two TOGETHER in Sacramento days, bringing members trips to meet with state legislators to build relationships and advocate for funding.
Tribal Alliances
- Completed our pilot Right Relations program, a nine-month program designed with our partners Redbud Resource Group to catalyze collective action for local Native lands and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and to build the region’s capacity to strengthen Tribal sovereignty.
- Hosted Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements workshops with Redbud Resource Group to begin the work of building Tribal alliances with the larger TOGETHER community.
Regional Habitat Goals
- Increased the region’s capacity to make data-based decisions before, during, and after wildfires through our Fire Data working group.
- Co-hosted a regional bioblitz event to observe key species to biodiversity conservation as part of our Connecting Urban Biodiversity project.
- Hosted webinars sharing how a trove of spatial data tools can help access funding and contribute to regional collaboration as we work together toward 30×30 and more.
Regional Coordination
- Convened over 400 participants to take action on accessing public funding, workforce development, and building alliances with Native American tribes and organizations at our Spring Conference; enjoyed an all-day retreat with inspiring speakers, fun, food, and community building and two days of field trips all around the region co-hosted by member organizations.
- Showcasing member projects through TOGETHER Tuesdays to a diverse audience, including decision makers, peers, and potential partners.
- Enabled our members to find the right candidates for open job positions. We have posted over 300 opportunities on our free, online Job Board, attracting over 2,300 unique users so far in 2023.