Become a member
Become part of our inspiring and thriving network by joining as a Full, Provisional or Supporter/Associate member. If you are not quite ready then you can join as an aspiring member and we can give you support.
Membership of DTAS also means that our grass-roots experience is used to inform and shape the policies of national government, key funders and other important decision makers.
There’s so much to be gained from development trusts coming together, sharing our knowledge and experience, and working together for the benefit of the movement. Individually we can be isolated community organisations; working together we can have collective strength and can punch above our weight.
Sleat Community Trust
Aspiring Organisations (Free) – Open to early-stage groups that are aspiring to set up a development trust.
Early Stage Engagement Advisor provides:
- Initial Intro Meeting
- How to set-up a development trust toolkit
- Advice on how to progress and reach membership criteria
Organisations have or aim to have:
- Community Action Plan
- Own Bank Account
- Governance – Community Controlled Body
- Planned delivery of activities/projects
Provisional Members (£50) – Open to constituted community development organisations working towards meeting all DTAS membership criteria
Development Officer support including:
- 1:1 advice and support
- Strategy sessions and organisational reviews
- Board training sessions
- Business planning and finance support
- Specialist support on crisis, workplace wellbeing and personal development coaching
PLUS:
- 50% discount on DTAS’ annual conference fee
- Online training programme, learning exchanges and regional networking events
- Access to a range of toolkits, templates and factsheets
- Drop-in sessions, Facebook groups and other online support
- Policy engagement forums
- Funding programmes (limited)
- Referral to professional service providers including HR, legal, VAT, facilities management, insurance (limited)
Full Members (£90) – Open to community-led, enterprising and place based organisations that meet assessment criteria and development trust approach.
Development Officer support including:
- 1:1 advice and support
- Strategy sessions and organisational reviews
- Board training sessions
- Business planning and finance support
- Specialist support on crisis, workplace wellbeing and personal development coaching
PLUS:
- 50% discount on DTAS’ annual conference fee
- Online training programme, learning exchanges and regional networking events
- Access to a range of toolkits, templates and factsheets
- Drop-in sessions, Facebook groups and other online support
- Policy engagement forums
- Funding programmes
- Referral to full range of professional service providers including HR, legal, VAT, facilities management, insurance
Supporters & Associate Members (annual Fee varies) Open to individuals & organisations that support and/or provide help to further the aims of our members
We welcome individuals and organisations to become part of our associate and supporters membership. You will need to demonstrate that you are:
- Aligned to DTAS aims and objectives and
- Want to work in partnership with the wider membership and/or DTAS.
You will receive:
- Discounted delegate rates at the DTAS annual conference
- Discounts on DTAS publications
- Member-only mailings (additional to bi-monthly e-newsletter)
Which membership category should I apply for?
Can your community organisation be described as the following:
- We have a defined geographical community of benefit
- Our membership is open to everyone within the community and we have a commitment to develop a substantial membership?
- The majority of trustees or directors on our board are elected from the membership, resident in the defined geographical community of benefit
- Our organisation is independent of personal, political, religious, outside agency, local authority, corporate or funder interests or agendas
- Our objectives and planned activities have been identified through community consultation and are set out in a publicly available community development plan
- Our objectives and planned activities embrace a broad range of social, economic, environmental and cultural issues
- We are committed to becoming financially sustainable through income generation, with any surplus generated to be used solely for community or public benefit
- We keep the wider community informed of and involved in our activities
- We are proactively working in partnership with the voluntary, community, private and public sectors
If your organisation already meets all these criteria, you could be eligible for FULL membership
If this partly describes your organisation, and you are committed to achieving all the points in the next 3-5 years, you are likely to be eligible for Provisional membership
Once we receive your completed application, someone from the DTAS Member Support Team will review it and the accompanying documents and arrange a discussion with you before making a decision.