THE CANADIAN UNITARIAN COUNCIL may choose to enter into partnerships with international, national, regional and local organizations, communities and groups that shall be defined as mutually beneficial. Associate partners shall have principles in tune with those of the CUC and be closely related in terms of goals, mandate and activities.

Associate partners may be existing groups, as well as ones that are created from CUC policy or independently, and through shared interests. These partners shall be in a relationship with the CUC that is governed by a covenant that addresses agreed-upon terms.

Associate Members

The CUC can leverage relationships with other local, regional and national UU organizations, thereby taking their place in the mosaic of interdependent UU communities.

The CUC and Associate make commitments to each other regarding their respective obligations within the relationship. For example, the CUC may provide support services to the Associate. The basis upon which such services are to be provided will be specified in a formal covenant between the two parties.

Services provided by the CUC to an Associate Member, as determined by the Executive Director on a fair and equitable basis, might include one or more of the following:

• Listing on the website’s UU Communities pages and inclusion on the “Community of Communities” webchart;
• Assistance setting up and using the CUC “Electronic Toolkit”;
• Access to CUC and UUA resource materials;
• Access to CUC communication mechanisms (postings to listserves, congregational mailings, etc;)
• Referrals to CUC Service Consultants and other volunteer resources;
• Participation in CUC events (e.g. access to meeting/display facilities at Fall Gatherings and the Annual Conference and Meeting).

Criteria

To become an Associate Member, the group must satisfy certain criteria:

• The group has a mission statement and principles consistent with those of the CUC;
• The group is able to demonstrate, by virtue of historical and future reports and plans, that its actions are consistent with its mission and principles.

Organization

• The group has a clearly defined organizational structure with clearly identified points of linkage to the CUC at both the policy and operational levels.

Independence

• The group must sign a declaration at the time of affiliation stating it is not legally connected to the CUC and that the CUC is not responsible for programs, activities, or finances of the group;
• The group must in no way suggest, in print, word or deed, that it speaks or acts on behalf of the CUC or the Canadian UU movement as a whole.

Financial Policies

• The group maintains financial records, policies and practices appropriate to its size and nature of activities;
• Unless provisions are explicitly made to the contrary, the group will make a direct financial contribution to the CUC sufficient to cover any costs incurred by the CUC on its behalf (e.g. additional office time and expenses).

Safety Policies

• The group has policies regarding duty of care, safety guidelines for children and youth, volunteer management, accessibility, abuse prevention and harassment guidelines, and emergency preparedness appropriate to its size and nature of activities. (The group may choose to adopt the CUC’s policies in these areas.)

The CUC Board shall have the right to determine if an applicant group meets the above criteria and will appoint a liaison to interact with the group on the Board’s behalf.  The liaison will make periodic reports to the Board and the applicant on the progress of the group’s application.

The initial agreement of association shall be for a two-year period; subsequent renewals shall be for a five-year period.  Either party may approach the other to request renewal or dissolution.  This re-assessment process will be co-ordinated by the Board liaison appointed for the group.

If, in the sole opinion of the Board, an Associate group ceases to meet the terms of the agreement or the criteria for application, the Board may, with written notice, suspend the Associate status of the group and related benefits (including the provision of services and other resources).  The group’s on-going status shall be re-assessed at the Board Meeting immediately following such suspension.