Small House Society – Membership

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Free Membership. Membership in the Small House Society is free. We consider a “member” as anyone who has signed up for our Facebook Page, Yahoo Group, Ning Forum, Newsletter, Twitter Feed, or other social network we manage. We recognize that most people have a preferred means of connecting with organizations. So, this is why we offer multiple channels of engagement and involvement.

Why Membership Matters. Your membership, support, and participation in the Small House Society is vital. As membership continues to grow, the Small House Society is able to more effectively join with other organizations to promote small living and lobby against legislation that would hinder the small house movement.

Paid Membership. Those who choose to make a donation to our organization become paying members. Our organization is internally funded, so we don’t need donations to stay afloat. Yet, financial contributions definitely help us have a greater impact. It’s also a way to demonstrate greater commitment on the part of our members. In this way, paying members help our organization carry more weight when advocating for the small house movement. When you contribute financially to our work, your name will be listed in our online directory of paying members.

How to Pay. To make a payment, visit our Fundly page or use the Donate buttons found below to make a secure payment using debit, credit, or PayPal.

Cost. Paid membership is a suggested $10 donation per year. Your first membership payment can be sent to us at anytime. Subsequent annual membership renewal payments are due in January of each year for the coming year. Because paid membership has never been required, we found that few people were donating over the years. So, in 2012, we raised the suggested donation from $5 annually to $10 annually. For the past 10 years, the expenses and labor of the Small House Society have mostly been contributed by perpetual support from ResourcesForLife.com, yet member donations definitely help expand our reach and impact. So any donation is appreciated. As you’ll see by our directory of paying members, although we have thousands of supporters, only a small number give financially. So, your help is appreciated.

Effective Stewardship. In an effort to focus finances and resources on our mission, we do not send out printed donation receipts, appeal letters, laminated membership cards, tote bags, or a monthly glossy magazine filled with advertisements. Instead, we use those funds to help accomplish our work (as explained below).

Small House Society Newsletter. Signup for our free newsletter by visiting the subscription page at Yahoo Groups where you can also read past newsletters in the archives. Recent newsletters are now posted on our website. You can also subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to:
smallhousesocietynews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Join or Renew Your Membership. When you join, we will send a personalized printable membership certificate by email for yourself or someone else as a gift (explained below). We prefer donations by PayPal, but if you prefer you can mail a check. To join the Small House Society, or renew your membership (annually), simply send $10 along with your name, address, e-mail, and other pertinent information to The Small House Society, c/o Resources for Life, PO Box 2717, Iowa City, IA 52244-2717. Or, to pay with a debit/credit card using PayPal, click the Donate button below. This is actually the easiest way for us to process your payment since postal letters and checks checks in the mail require a bit more work to process:

Additional Giving & Giving Membership as a Gift. To give someone a gift of Small House Society membership, or to give above and beyond the standard annual membership donation of $10, you may send a check, or, pay with a debit/credit card using the PayPal Donate button below. We’ll send a personalized printable membership certificate by email to you, or directly to the person receiving the gift membership. Those donating $20 or more are eligible to receive a free copy of Put Your Life on a Diet by Gregory Johnson. Those donating $30 or more are eligible to receive a free copy of Living Small by Dennis Fukai. Let us know at the time of payment (in the note area or by separate email) if you wish to receive a copy of either book, and any details about gift membership. For larger donations, please indicate if you desire to receive additional books (at $20 or $30 each respectively). Donations to the Small House Society are not tax deductible.

How Much Can $10 Accomplish?

Some people wonder how much can $10 accomplish. You’d be surprised. By leveraging the existing infrastructure, global recognition, and success of Resources for Life, your contribution of $10 helps us work toward small, simple, and sustainable living through various initiatives and resources including the following:

• Distributing a monthly e-mail newsletter
• Moderating an online discussion forum which includes manually reviewing and approving all requests to join – helping to keep out spammers
• Promoting small house designers and builders to the national media such as National Public Radio, Time Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, the Wall Street Journal, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
• Maintaining this website and our small house movement Resources Page
• Responding to hundreds of e-mails, phone calls, and letters
• Paying for display booths at events such as Earth Expo
• Helping to host events such as SEED Iowa and the Resources for Life Green Festival 2006
• Producing videos, such as the video showing the construction of the Mobile Hermitage
• Presenting at events such as SEED Iowa and the Iowa Energy Summit (Oct. 25, 2006) with Dr. Lilia Abron PhD (founder of PEER Consultants, P.C.) and Gregory Johnson, Coordinator of the Small House Society
• Researching small house living through real-life hands-on experiences such as The Mobile Hermitage – the 140 square foot “off-the-grid” home of Gregory Johnson, Coordinator of the Small House Society
• Sustaining an actual office space for package deliveries, meetings, events, office equipment, and storage of event supplies (such as books, videos, signs, tables, and chairs)
• Coordinating a year-round volunteer staff
• Developing global recognition with website visitors from around the world including, most recently: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Fiji, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad / Tobago, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, and the Virgin Islands.