Through experience, we’ve developed a low threshold onboarding system that starts with a short visit and can be extended gradually, step by step increasing the commitment on both sides, including you as much as possible, with increasing rights and responsibilities.

Visiting the first time

As a first step, you are welcome to join one or more of our workdays or community experience weekends in order for us to get to know each other a bit and so that you may get a first impression of our community life. This visit may be embedded into a longer stay, if you wish.

Staying as a guest

Moving further, you may book a guest room in the main house for up to one month. (This stay will be approved by the guest & resident work group) and one of the members will be assigned as your “buddy” for this time. They will be your main contact person for questions, agreements, feedback, etc.

Becoming a Resident

If you wish to extend your stay, you may apply for residency. In this case, we hold a circle with you and exchange about how you’re landing, your possible role and contribution, living space, which work group(s) you’re joining, intended duration of stay, and so on. All members decide together with you about the details and conditions of the residency, which also includes starting to raise funds for the project. Residents will be heard and included in the Plena, with permission to bring their own proposals, yet without voting rights.

For further details about what agreements may apply, please read: Guest and Resident agreement sheet

Your stay at Löwenherz as a guest / resident is limited to a maximum of 12 months, after which you will need to either apply for membership or start packing up to move on.

Becoming an Onboarding Member

You will be asked to decide whether you intend to start an onboarding membership already after 9 months. If you find this to be in alignment, we will start preparing a circle where all the core members hear your request, clarify the details, and afterwards, in your absence, review and vote on the application. Members have voting rights on most things, and the involvement in fundraising and other work groups increases. Your contact person will transport this information to you with care.

During the onboarding process, which is intended to last 12 months, we will hold regular evaluation circles to check in about how it’s going. If followed through, the onboarding ends with a final decision circle where you may potentially become the newest core member of Löwenherz 😉

Becoming a Core Member

Once you’re accepted, you become an official member of our association, with full responsibility for the project and full voting rights. This also comes with even more responsibility to bring in funds for the projects. As of right now, we don’t have an official strategy to exit members and trust in contact and collaboration to find out if it’s time to move on.