ACT Council of Social Service Inc.

Justice | Equity | Social Inclusion | Reconciliation

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Organisation Membership Application

Use this form if you are seeking membership with ACTCOSS on behalf of your community organisation. If you are seeking membership on behalf of a for-profit organisation, a corporation, a government agency or a statutory body, or as an individual, please use the other forms.


Need assistance? Have questions? Please contact us via email at [email protected] or phone 02 6202 7200.


Application approval: Your application will go to our Board for approval, which may take up to one month. We will contact you if we need any further information. Upon approval, we will send you an invoice.



Authorised officer
To apply for membership on behalf of your organisation, you must be an authorised officer, e.g. President, Vice President, Board Secretary, Chief Executive Officer or other authorised officer of your organisation.
Organisation contact details
Primary contact person
The primary contact person will be our first point of contact for all membership communications. If you need to change your primary contact, please contact us on 02 6202 7200 or email [email protected].
CEO or equivalent
Please list your organisation's CEO, ED, or other executive here. If you are applying for membership on behalf of a national organisation or a branch of a national organisation, please list the most relevant executive officer or equivalent (e.g. the ACT branch manager).
Delegates
Organisation members may have up to two voting delegates. Each delegate has one vote at ACTCOSS general meetings and elections. Delegates are eligible to nominate for the ACTCOSS Board. We will email delegates about general meetings and elections.
Delegate 1
Delegate 2
Membership fee
Please select your membership fee below based on your organisation's gross annual income. If your organisation is experiencing financial hardship, please let us know via [email protected] or call us on 02 6202 7200 and we will consider waiving your membership fee. Fees are in Australian dollars and are GST inclusive.

Note: Fees are paid per financial year (i.e. July to June). If you are joining between January and June, we will invoice you pro-rata for the remainder of the current financial year. Each year, we send a renewal notice with payment due 1 July for the new financial year. Please note that fees are subject to review on an annual basis.

What are your reasons for membership with ACTCOSS?
Please select all that apply:
Core business
Please select the options that best describe your organisation's core business. This will help us tailor our communications and engagement with your organisation. Please select all that apply:
Privacy and contact preferences
E.g. quarterly journal, annual report, renewal form, general meeting papers.
Do we have permissions to publish your organisation's:
Pursuing ACTCOSS's objects

To be eligible as a Member Organisation with ACTCOSS, an organisation must pursue one or more objects of ACTCOSS. Please read ACTCOSS’s vision and objects below and check the box at the bottom if you agree.

Vision: That Canberra is a just, safe and sustainable community in which everyone has the opportunity for self-determination and a fair share of resources and services

Objects from the ACTCOSS Constitution (part 1.2):

  1. ACTCOSS is a non-government organisation which has as its goal:
    1. to function as a peak body for the community sector;
    2. to make explicit and pursue a social justice agenda for the people of the ACT;
    3. to participate as part of the state-national COSS network; and
    4. to assist and support organisations to build their capacity so that they can provide a service that best meets the needs of disadvantaged people living in the ACT.
  2. The objects of ACTCOSS are:
    1. to promote consultation and co-operation amongst non-government organisations and government authorities involved in social welfare activities;
    2. to develop an informed public opinion on matters related to social welfare by arranging, providing for, or assisting to arrange, or provide for the holding of exhibitions, meetings, lectures or seminars calculated directly or indirectly to further the objects of ACTCOSS;
    3. to provide an advisory service on matters of social welfare for statutory authorities and voluntary organisations at ACTCOSS’ initiative or upon request;
    4. to act as a channel of enquiry and liaison with statutory authorities and governments in the promotion of social welfare services of a charitable, benevolent or general nature;
    5. to promote, assist or carry out special projects of research to advance the work of statutory authorities and voluntary bodies in alleviating poverty and distress;
    6. to promote the publication and circulation of reports, periodicals and other documents for the furtherance of these objects;
    7. to engage in activities designed to contribute to the elimination of poverty and the promotion of well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals and groups;
    8. to work towards the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of political affiliation, race, social origin, religion, age, disability, sex, marital status or pregnancy, against individuals or groups in their access to employment, services or resources;
    9. to co-operate with ACOSS and other State COSSs to improve co-ordination of social welfare in Australia; and
    10. to do all such other acts or things as may be conducive to the attainment of the foregoing objectives.
  3. ACTCOSS advocates for a united Australia which respects this land of ours, values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and provides justice and equity for all.

Privacy notice

When applying for and renewing ACTCOSS membership, your information is collected by ACTCOSS. We will use this data to contact you regarding membership and matters which ACTCOSS suggests are relevant to members. We will only use personal information you give us for this purpose and will not disclose it without consent, except where we are required to do so by an Australian law or a court/tribunal order. For further information on our privacy policy and complaints process, please read our Privacy Policy.