Community Resource Centre Membership

Note: Membership to Linkwest is by approval of the Board.

Discover more about Linkwest membership for your Community Resource Centre:

• Eligibility requirements

Membership entitlements

• CRC Membership
• CRC Support Services Package
• The membership application process
• CRC full membership fees

CRC Membership Eligibility Requirements

To be a full member of Linkwest a Community Resource Centre (CRC) must:

• Be located within Western Australia or the Australian External Territory of Christmas or Cocos Islands
• Be an independent, locally-focused, locally led community-based CRC which practices the philosophy of community-led development and learning
• Be a community focus for people gathering together for friendship, action on community issues, information exchange and mutual support in education and learning
• Provide opportunities for community participation in organisation, management and decision-making
• Be open to all in the community
• Have a local Committee or Board
• Accept and support the objects of Linkwest as outlined in our Constitution

Note: Our Parent Organisation / LGA membership category enables Linkwest to serve the needs of CRCs which are operated by Local Government Associations (LGAs) or parent organisations and therefore have no locally-led management committee. Click here to find out more...

CRC Membership Entitlements

• Sector-wide representation and advocacy to government, and sector leaders and decision makers
• Free Centre page on the Linkwest website
• Facilitated networking opportunities online and face-to-face
• Keep up-to-date with all things related to your Centre via our fortnightly eNews
• Stay connected through Linkwest's highly valued Teleweb special interest groups
• Access to relevant free and heavily discounted resources and templates developed specifically for Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres*
• Access to customised Centre-specific training - e.g. Upskill sessions*
• Access to customised workshops in person or online to increase the capacity of your Centre and community*
• Attendance at Linkwest events, conferences and forums at special member rates*
• Centre support email updates around specific training, new resource information, invitations to subscriber only offers
• Eligibility to apply for access to the ANHCA Public Fund, which provides Centres without DGR status a mechanism to raise funds through public and corporate donations
• Eligibility to join Linkwest's network-wide Employee Assistance Program which provides access to confidential counselling (through Relationships Australia) for employees and their immediate family members at reduced cost
• Multiple individuals can be attached to the membership (must be a current employee, active committee member or volunteer of the member organisation)
• The right to nominate for a position on the Linkwest Board or on one of our subcommittees
• Voting rights (2 votes) at Annual and Special General Meetings

CRC Support Services Package Entitlements

This is the gold standard membership for CRCs, providing a comprehensive mix of CRC-specific and network-wide benefits.

It includes all the entitlements of CRC membership PLUS all of the following:

• Linkwest staff are available to provide support weekdays 9am-4pm - in areas of governance and operations (relating to CRCs)
• In-house professional advisory services to help with crisis management and running your Centre (Governance, strategic planning, marketing)**
• Referral to industry experts (HR, IR, finance)**
• Access to relevant free and heavily discounted resources and templates developed specifically for Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres*
• Access to free or heavily discounted attendance at Linkwest events, conferences and forums
• Eligibility to apply for Linkwest or ANHCA grant opportunities
• Amplify your voice through Centre-specific representation and advocacy to your LGA or other local partners
• Promote your Centre's job vacancies across the network and on our Employment Opportunities webpage
• Access to Linkwest's coworking space in Nedlands.

* Price charged for these products and services will be dependent upon your membership category.
** Maximum combined 2 hours intensive support per financial year. 3 month waiting period for new members. Proactive measures to resolve the issue must be shown to have been taken.

"Our centre was going through some difficult times; we had no real clarity of our financial position as no one on the Committee had the expertise to interpret the financial reports, committee meetings were ineffective due to a lack of structure, our Chairperson was experiencing burnout, and to top it off I had only been in the Centre Coordinator role for 2 weeks with no formal hand-over. Linkwest provided us with lots of support to get through these initial issues, and continues to do so when other queries or questions arise."
(Regional Linkwest Member Centre)

Comparison of the CRC (and NC) membership categories

Download the At a Glance Comparison (PDF)

The membership application process

1. Contact Linkwest for a confidential discussion about joining Linkwest as a CRC member. This discussion will help determine your eligibility and what you hope to gain from Linkwest membership.

   Contact Linkwest to discuss becoming a full member

2. If it is determined that Linkwest membership is a good fit for your CRC, we shall send you a link to complete the CRC member application form and attach the required supporting information:
   • Certificate of Incorporation
   • Annual Report and/or reviewed/ audited EOFY financials
   • Constitution
   • Strategic Plan
   • Current Program
3. Pay the required fee, which includes an annual membership fee and a one-off new member administration fee.
   Note: the new member fee is to subsidise the cost of administering your application, and as such is non-refundable, even if your application is not approved.
4. The Linkwest Board will review your application at their next scheduled meeting. It will be based upon the information you provide, so please ensure it is complete as possible.
   Note: If the Board does not feel sufficient information has been provided to make a decision, you may be contacted to provide clarification and/ or additional information.
5. We will contact you within a reasonable time e.g. one week, after the Board has made their decision.
   • If approved, and full payment has been received, you will be sent a welcome email, which will include login details to the member area of the Linkwest website.
   • If your membership does not proceed, you will be asked for bank details so we can process a refund of the membership fee minus the application fee.

CRC membership fees

Fees for 2023–2024 (1 July - 30 June)

¹ All fees are GST-inclusive.
² A one-off, non-refundable fee, irrespective of whether the application is successful or not.
³ All full member applications must be approved by the Linkwest Board. 

Contact Linkwest to discuss becoming a member