The Center for Global Justice recognizes that the communities with cooperatives with which we work have many technical, physical, and monetary needs.

The Center for Global Justice recognizes that in order for our programs to be grounded in the rural Mexican reality and successful, and in order to continue the process of learning and research at a grassroots level we need to continue ongoing, close relationships that we have with these communities.

We recognize that the Center for Global Justice does not at the moment have the human and monetary resources to offer: technical/legal training in forming, registering, or teaching co-ops; loans (or any other form of credit or financial assistance); technical agricultural advice; market research or markets; or other direct services at the moment.

We therefore make the commitment to the communities with whom we choose to work to inform them of our situation and put at their disposal our wide set of national and international contacts . We can provide: referrals to legal, technical, agricultural and financial help; help in creating linkages and networks between communities with cooperatives- local, regional, and international; help in forming productive democractic relationships among the communities themselves; individuals and the groups who may be able to provide the direct services such as technical knowledge, training, credit and/or other resources that they need

We commit to this in the spirit of continued friendship, partnership and mutual aid with each such community. This policy reflects our intent to foster honest and balanced relationships with such communities and their members.

 

Expectations:

Communities:

• That they will host visiting groups according to a plan agreed on in advance
• That they will engage in dialogue on their experience with visiting groups
• That they will maintain a healthy and robust relationship with the Center for Global Justice

 

Center for Global Justice:

• To cover monetary costs of visiting groups according to clear agreements
• To provide summer internship students for service learning and research projects
• To offer connections with other organizations, individuals, and groups
• To maintain healthy and vigorous relationships with our selected communities
• To provide, if requested workshops on globalization and its alternatives
• To invite all communities and individuals to join the Center

What is NOT expected of either party:

Communities:

• To participate in any program of the Center without consent
• To feel obliged to join or participate in any program of the Center
• To pay any costs for hosting visitors out of their own pockets

 

Center for Global Justice:

• To loan money, promise future funds for projects, or guarantee contacts are worthy
• To perform fundraising activities on a community’s behalf
• To perform direct services to communities

 

 

Donation Policy:

The Center for Global Justice recognizes that visitors we host will encounter groups and communities they wish to directly support in-kind or monetarily. We appreciate generosity, love, solidarity, and concern from which these offers come. We encourage visitors to our website, our events, and the communities where we work to consider make a donation or becoming members of the Center for Global Justice in order to support our work.

We ask such donors to view their giving in the context of the Center’s involvement with co-op communities. Its goal is to retain and build relationships so as to offer a base of friendship and solidarity for future collaborations with these communities. In practice, such involvement is long-term and multi-faceted. As an organization dedicated over the years to helping communities with cooperatives, we recognize the need for on-going involvement and follow-up on donor-directed projects and gifts. We also recognize that, as the responsible party for tax deductions of such donations, that is, our 501c3

status, the Center is obligated both to communities and to donors for transparency and oversight of the destination of donations and the efficiency with which they are spent.

Therefore, while virtually all donations are welcome, the Center kindly asks donors to first speak with Center staff about any gift or support they would like to make to the communities or groups with whom we work. We will provide a list of current community projects and needs imparted to us over many years of regular support of these groups. Misplaced donations can do more harm than good.

We also reserve the right to use a portion of all donations for administrative overhead and staff time in facilitating and following up on these donations. The Center strives not to exceed 15-20 % of donations in order to fulfill overhead needs, follow up on donations and report to donors.

Meeting the needs of communities will always come first. The Center does it’s best to accommodate any and all donations that are project- or group-specific. In the past, through our revolving loan fund we offered small, low interest loans for projects. However, since we have found that we have insufficient staff to follow up on and adminster loans we are phasing out the loan fund. All future donations will be treated as gifts to the co-op communities and projects and will be monitored with care.

The Center Supports projects that:

• Collaborate with community members seeking to join together in democratic economic initiatives.
• provide space to empower community members creating such democractic economic initiatives.
• foster community dialogue on collaborative projects
• help community or group members acquire the skills or capabilities to secure economic, social, and environmental justice.
• share in-kind skills and information with other communities.

 

The Center will NOT support projects that:

• benefit only individuals or individual families
• provide services that substitute for teachable skills, dis-empowering communities in addressing root causes of poverty and injustice.
• Substitute for community members as agents who define their own futures.
• are addressed solely to health issues.
• cannot be replicated, emulated or beneficially spread.

 

Last updated October 2009