Join The Federation

The Federation includes community service organizations from rural, urban, and suburban communities throughout BC both on and off reserve. By becoming a member you stand with us as we work together to improve the well-being of all our community members.

The Federation has three types of membership: Full Membership, Associate Membership, and Honorary Membership.

Full Members

Full (voting) members include agencies and organizations that provide direct services to children, youth, adults, and families in British Columbia. Full members gain all benefits of membership in The Federation. The membership year is from April 1 to March 31. Member fees are based on the agency’s revenue listed on its most recently completed financial statements (0.125%). Minimum fees are $250 and maximum fees are $4,500.

Smiling college student in hijab researching at computer in library

Associate Members

Associates (non-voting) members include local, provincial, national, and international organizations that support the goals of The Federation and/or provide indirect services to children, youth, adults, and families (e.g. the BC Council for Families and the University of Victoria School of Child and Youth Care). Federation Associate fees are $400.00 annually for Research & Education Bodies and $300.00 for other organizations.

Associate members can also include individuals who have made a substantial contribution to BC’s social care sector, but who are not affiliated with an agency or organization that would be eligible for Federation membership. Such individuals may contact The Federation office to discuss their eligibility.

Honorary Members

Honorary (non-voting) members include individuals and groups that have made an outstanding contribution to The Federation or the social care sector of BC, either over time or through a focused project or initiative. Recipients of The Federation’s Award for Excellence are automatically awarded honorary membership. There is no application process for honorary membership in The Federation; honorary members are proposed and ratified by the Board of Directors.

Portrait of smiling volunteer carrying potted tree

Become a Full Member

Full Federation Membership is open to community-based organizations that provide direct services to children, youth, families and/or adults and who:

Want to work with other community services organizations to realize The Federation’s mission and vision
Commit to improving society through the work of their organization
Maintain high ethical standards in service management and delivery
Engage in collaborative approaches to service planning and delivery
Engage in joint advocacy initiatives
Ensure that community and client voice is represented in program delivery and development

Our members bring knowledge, experience, and expertise to everything we do. Their participation in our many initiatives enables us to bring about the change that is needed in BC’s communities.

We encourage members to let us know what issues affect them, what areas they are interested in, and what actions we can take on their behalf. Our strength comes from our membership their involvement in our work.

For more information on becoming a Federation Member, contact the Federation office or download the Full (voting) Membership Application.

Compare Federation membership types and benefits.

Full Members receive:

Research, networking, issue and news tracking
Ongoing advocacy and engagement with government decision-makers on their behalf
Reduced rates at Federation conferences and workshops
Access to our job and event posting services
Opportunities to participate in training, professional development, and leadership development programs
Daily news clippings, research, analysis, and sector updates
Toolkits, resources, fact sheets, and reports in the members’ area of our website
Opportunities to contribute to policy development with government bodies
A network of other community social services leaders, providing mentorship, support, and learning opportunities
Regional meetings with other organizations in your service delivery area
General meetings, conferences, policy forums and other networking events
Access to Federation Extended Health and General Insurance programs at competitive rates
Voting rights at our Annual General Meeting and the opportunity to become a Board Member

Full Membership Application

Become an Associate Member

The Federation enjoys a strong relationship with BC’s post-secondary schools, research bodies, and other groups that work with our members for the benefit of BC’s communities. Organizations that are not eligible for Full Membership but who wish to join The Federation and support our ongoing work can become Federation Associate Members.

Federation Associates are:

Post-secondary institutions that educate employees in the sector and drive ongoing learning
Organizations that provide training to professionals in the field
Organizations that conduct research in the sector
Organizations that work with social services organizations in support of quality assurance
Fellow umbrella organizations

Federation Associates provide another perspective on the issues facing community social services. We welcome them to the table to increase our collective knowledge, work collaboratively, build relationships and to strengthen our movement.

For more information on becoming a Federation Member, contact The Federation office or download the Associate (non-voting) Membership Application.

Compare Federation membership types and benefits.

Associate Members receive:

Research, networking, issue tracking, and advocacy on your behalf
Reduced rates at Federation conferences and workshops
Access to our job and event posting service
Daily news clippings, research, analysis, and sector updates from our Research and Policy Analyst
Toolkits, resources, fact sheets, and reports in the member’s area of our website
Opportunities to contribute to policy development with government bodies
Access to data gathered through our research and analysis
Annual Federation conferences and networking events

Associate Membership Application

Benefit Affiliate Program

The Federation believes that a strong and sustainable community social services sector must have access to high quality and affordable insurance products. Community social services organizations who are not members of The Federation and who wish to purchase insurance products may be eligible to do so through our Benefits Affiliate Program.

Federation members can purchase insurance programs through our providers at FABP (Extended Health) or HUB International (General). For more information on accessing Insurance Products through The Federation as a non-member contact The Federation office.

Learn more about insurance products available through The Federation.

Insurance Products

Your Fees Support So Much More!

Membership Fees support all aspects of The Federation’s activities, including:

Information, research, support, and advocacy on the many issues impacting your agency and our other members. The Federation analyzes legislation, informs provincial policy development, and connects members with the support and resources they need to succeed.
A staff team of smart, passionate, and experienced professionals committed to the same goals as our members. Our staff works day in and day out to inform, educate, and strategize with members to realize our shared goals.
The Federation hosts three provincial conferences and general meetings each year for members to connect, network, and engage with politicians, experts, and allies. These events are offered to members below cost.
For smaller and remote members, The Federation offers access to a travel subsidy to support attendance at the annual conferences and general meetings.
Board members also host three regional meetings per year dedicated to addressing local issues and learning the needs of agencies across different regions of the province.
Hosting Federation programs and initiatives like Transformative Reconciliation, our labour market research project, the Reconciliation Book Club, and the Residential Redesign project (now Specialized Support Homes and Services) .
Ongoing issue tracking, research reporting, and learning opportunities via online sessions and in-person workshops.
An ever-growing list of member services that includes competitive insurance programs, tele-communications promotions, and access to the benefits of some of our partner organizations.
The ability to work collaboratively with other umbrella organizations representing the social care sector in order to advocate and promote community social services as a vital component of community well-being.

	Member	Associate	Benefit Affiliate
Annual Fee	0.125% of annual revenue as per most recent financial statements	$300 for organizations, $400 for research/academic institutions	FABP (with or without FGIP) annual access fee is 0.0625% of annual revenue as per most recent financial statements. FGIP annual access fee is $25.00.
Access to purchase insurance products through Federation programs
Reduced rates at Federation conferences and workshops
Access to post on our job and event posting website
Opportunities to participate in Leadership 2020, a 10 month leadership development program
Opportunities to participate in online learning sessions
Regular email updates on news from the sector
Daily news clippings gathered by our Research and Policy Analyst
Online access to members’ only area of the website including the members forum
Access to data gathered through our research and analysis
The right to vote at the Annual General Meeting
The opportunity to be a Board member
Certificate of membership
Certificate as a supporter