The Socio-gerontechnology Network (SGN) is building a stronger and more professional organization; as of May 2022 it is a formal association under Dutch law registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (“vereniging met volledige rechtsbevoegheid”). This includes the collection of membership fees to provide our members with more benefits.
To register as a member, please use the membership form in Become a member.
In the following we want to address some of the questions that this entails.
What are the benefits of being a formal association? Why is it important for the Socio-gerontechnology Network?
With becoming a formal organisation, the Socio-gerontechnology Network (SGN) takes the next logical step in professionalising further what we do as a network – advancing of and advocating for critical and reflexive thinking on ageing and technology. In that sense, the step allows us to make the voice of the SGN heard even better in the outside world. It makes the work we all do as individual researchers and practitioners more legitimate, and as a group we become a more legitimate partner for relevant research organisations, policy makers and other stakeholders.
As a Dutch association, all the power lies with individual members, i.e., important mandates and decisions can only be cast by a majority vote of all members. For instance, this implies that the executive board is elected every two years by the general assembly, and that all members can nominate themselves to become a member of one of the committees and the executive board. Please consult this document for how we organise this in the SGN.
What are the benefits for you of being a (paying) member of the Socio-gerontechnology Network?
– Free/reduced fee participation in
- our annual conferences
- webinars and online colloquia on conceptual and methodological issues in Socio-gerontechnology
– Opportunities to be active in the organization, such as
- Voting in elections for the SGN board
- Serving on SGN committees
- Running for SGN office
– Participation in the SGN online community and timely access to all SGN communications, including the 3-monthly newsletter listing curated calls for papers and positions in the field of socio-gerontechnology and possibilities for joint publications and conference presentations.
– Suggesting and/or hosting events, for instance in the context of the International Conversations in Ageing and Technology Series.
In the future, we also aim to offer travel grants and small funding awards for early career researchers to attend our annual meetings.
I am already a member. What do I have to do now?
You don’t have to do anything. You will receive an invoice in October 2022. In case you don’t want to continue your membership as a paid membership, you can cancel your membership by e-mail at info@socio-gerontechnology.net.
When will you start collecting membership fees?
We will start collecting membership fees as of October 2022. Until then, membership to the SGN is free.
How much are the membership fees?
The standard membership fee is 40 EUR per year. A reduced fee of 20 EUR per year applies for students (including PhD students), un/underemployed scholars and scholars from non-OECD countries. Please follow your own judgment if you fit in this category and drop us a quick e-mail to info@socio-gerontechnology.info in case you do.
Our membership year starts on 1 October and ends on 30 September in the following year. Annual fees are paid per membership year. If you join during a membership year, we will ask you to pay a reduced fee for the year in which you become a member (for instance, if you join on 8 January you will need to pay for 8 months during that year, i.e. 8/12 * the annual fee).
What will you do with the membership fees?
There are three main areas in which the membership fee will make a huge difference in how we can be an even better forum for and representation of our members:
Three reasons for the membership fees are particularly important:
- it will allow us to develop a more effective communication strategy, most importantly through the design of a professional website and a common design identity for our revamped newsletter, the Twitter account, etc.
- on a continuous basis, it will allow us to facilitate meetings and introduce more people to our way of approaching ageing and technology. For instance, we can subsidize our annual meetings with small but decisive amounts to cover costs for meals and drinks. So far, the annual meetings have been possible because the organizers have managed to secure some funding from their respective organizations. This model is not sustainable and poised to run up against limits when meetings are getting bigger.
- on the longer run, we are planning on travel subsidies for early career researchers to attend our annual meetings. In how far this is feasible depends on the number of members we have in the future.
We will publish a financial report each year that specifies all our earnings and spending, including a justification of our spendings.
At the risk of stating the obvious – the work of the executive board and the committees will continue to be completely voluntary (in fact, it is stipulated in our bylaws that our executive members cannot receive a renumeration in any form).
Where do I have to transfer the membership fees?
In October 2022 you will receive an invoice with all the necessary information on how to transfer your membership fees.
What happens if I don’t pay membership fees?
If you are currently a member (i.e., you registered before 1 June 2022), then nothing will happen if you don’t pay your membership fee. Your membership will simply end after October.
If you have become a paying member after 1 June 2022, your membership will end automatically with the end of a membership year (1 October every year). You will, however, remain liable for paying the annual fee for the year in which you joined.
How can I quit being a member?
You can end your membership at the end of each membership year (1 October every year), with a notice of at least 4 weeks. We don’t give refunds on the annual fees for your current membership period. To quit your membership, please send an e-mail to info@socio-gerontechnology.net.
How can I get actively involved in the network?
Our network lives by the activities of its members – so we are always looking for people who want to get actively involved, bring in ideas and make them happen! To get involved, you can join one of the network’s committees: the communication committee, the event committee and the committee of trust. If you want to join one of the committees, reach out to the committee chairs. You can find the contact details here [hyperlink]. If you are interested in founding a new committee, please get in touch with us at info@socio-gerontechnology.net
I have more questions. How can I reach out to you?
If you have any questions regarding membership, send us a message to info@socio-gerontechnology.net.
If you want to join one of the committees, reach out to the committee chairs. You can find the contact details here.
How can I check my current membership status?
If you have any questions regarding membership, send us a message to info@socio-gerontechnology.net
Where can I find the articles of association of the Socio-Gerontechnology Network?
You can access the articles here (in Dutch).