E.     MEMBERSHIP AND THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Women's groups favor an open and inclusive membership policy, with only some minor limitations on the nature of the organizations which can participate in the development of the initiative.

Among women's groups, the Consultants found a shared philosophy on exclusivity, and a stated desire to accommodate the racial, cultural, regional, and linguistic diversity of Canada many new endeavor. Experts also advise that the membership should be as broad-based as possible to attract a diverse donor base, as donors prefer groups which represents women's and girls' broadest needs.

The membership of a new federation for national women's groups should be as broad-based and as inclusive as possible.

• Clear membership criteria, roles, and responsibilities need to be developed
• Women's groups need to define 'national' and 'equality-seeking' clearly. Women's groups need to weigh the benefits of including other related groups, i.e., women's health research
• The needs of Francophone, aboriginal, lesbian, racial minority, and disabled women's communities should be considered in the development of membership criteria
• The Sharing The Resources Planning Committee should seek to involve key members from groups representing francophone women, aboriginal women, lesbians, women of color, women with disabilities, immigrant and refugee women, in the national meeting and seek their continual active feedback on all proposals

While membership in the initial stages can be broad, it is clear that:

Before any dollars are raised, a common vision and related policies must be developed.

From Canadian and U. S. women's groups and experts we learn that the following essential developmental elements of a federation need to be carefully defined and worked out:

• Common Vision and Guiding Principles
• Membership Criteria
• Membership Responsibility
• Federation Responsibility
• Governance and Decision-Making Processes
• Operational Policies

Provincial and local women's groups support the idea of national collaboration provided that it does not compete with local efforts and groups are kept informed by national women's groups. Any national fundraising venture to support equality-seeking initiatives will need involvement and support from local women's groups to demonstrate the impact on the lives of women and girls.

Chrow

Gibson

Omidvar