Becoming a Member
Membership of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) is only available to guide dog organisations. There is one class of membership available and that is full membership, which entitles the organisation to have voting rights within the Federation.
Guide Dog organisations may apply for full membership if they have been operating for at least five years and have produced at least 20 qualified guide dog teams.
Please find Application Forms and further information at the bottom of this page.
FULL MEMBERSHIP
Full Membership Criteria
The organisation must have been in operation for five years since the date the organisation started and the organisation must have produced 20 (or more) working guide dog and user teams.
- The new applicant organisation must undergo a satisfactory assessment by an assessor selected by the AC. Upon submitting a completed application form, the organisation will pay an enrolment fee of £500 towards the costs of administration of the application.
- There will be a further fee of £500 to cover the initial assessment, once the application has been accepted.
- All applications for full membership have to be reviewed at an AC meeting and the AC's recommendations must be then ratified by the Board.
- When an organisation, which has already gained applicant status, has been operating for five years and has produced 20 guide dog units, an application for Full Membership should be submitted to the IGDF. If the 20-team target has not been reached in five years, the application should be submitted as soon as 20 qualified teams have been achieved.
Full Membership Fees
An organisation applying for full membership will be required to pay a membership enrolment fee of £500 upon receipt of an invoice, for registration purposes. Invoices will be sent on receipt of application. Once it is established that the organisation meets the criteria of full membership, they will be invoiced £500 for their initial assessment. Should the organisation need a second assessment, they would be required to pay a further £500 to cover costs. No further fees will be required until the organisation has become a full member. Once the organisation is granted full membership they will not have to pay their annual fees until the January of the next year.
Thereafter the following annual fees will apply:
• Membership fee - £200.
• Contribution to the accreditation assessment fee - £100
• Team fees - £25 per team (charged as per number of guide dog teams produced as detailed in the annual report members are required to submit each year).
Annual fees will be invoiced in January of each year.
To continue membership a full accreditation assessment must be conducted every 5 years by an IGDF assessor. During this assessment the organisation is responsible for the costs relating to the assessor's stay, including; accommodation, meals, and transportation (excluding flight).These costs are to be paid locally, at the time of the assessment, by the organisation being assessed.
Standards
These are the standards to which member organisation should operate and comply. New applicant organisations should refer to them prior to submitting an initial application for full membership of the Federation. Checklists have also been prepared, which assessors will use when carrying out assessments, and which may also assist member organisations in monitoring progress towards achieving the IGDF's minimum standards.
Assessments
New applications
- The assessment is carried out by a selected IGDF assessor
- When an organisation applies for membership, an IGDF assessor is sent to carry out an assessment of the organisation and they submit a report to the AC
- Reports are reviewed at AC meetings and the AC passes its recommendation on membership to the Board for its final decision
- Any organisation being assessed is asked to provide accommodation and meals for the assessor for the duration of the assessment (i.e. accommodation within the grounds of the organisation is perfectly acceptable)
Full members (5 yearly review)
Every five years once granted full membership, an organisation will receive a 5 year review assessment
- The assessment is carried out by an IGDF assessor.
Conditions of full membership
A full member organisation is required to:
- Forward the annual subscription to the IGDF Office by a given deadline
- Complete and send an Annual Report Form to the IGDF Office by a given deadline
- Upon request, provide all information required in the pre-assessment package which will be sent to an organisation prior to its assessment.
- Settle invoices promptly.
- Notify the IGDF Office promptly of any change to the main or secondary contact persons for the organisation or of any changes to its address, website, email, fax or telephone numbers.
APPLICANT STATUS
The category of Applicant has been introduced for organisations working towards IGDF membership. Applicants enjoy certain privileges within the IGDF community, but are not permitted to imply full membership.
The Applicant organisation must:
- Be registered as a legal entity;
- Be developing a guide dog service and have produced at least one guide dog team of satisfactory standard which has worked for 1 year (a team is a trained, operational combination of a visually impaired person and a guide dog);
- Have a credible business plan;
- Be financially sustainable;
- Have achieved access to suitable 'guide dog' type dogs;
Be actively working towards meeting the IGDF Standards (it is expected that Applicant status will extend for a maximum of 7 years. In some cases permission for extension may be requested from the IGDF Board).
Applicant Status Fees
An Applicant organisation will be required to pay a fee of £100 upon receipt of an invoice, for registration purposes, which will also cover the annual fee until December 31st of that year. This must be paid within 30 days from the date of the invoice in order to confirm Applicant status.
Thereafter, an annual fee of £100 will be charged. This annual fee will be invoiced in January of each year.
NEW GUIDE DOG ORGANISATIONS
The Board of the IGDF have established a formal structure to assist new guide dog organisations who have aspirations of working towards the recently established Applicant Status and eventual accreditation and IGDF membership.
The IGDF's new structure will allow for development help, in certain circumstances, to be provided to new guide dog organisations.
All forms will be reviewed by the IGDF Board and if accepted passed on to the Development Committee for follow-up.
AFFILIATE ORGANISATIONS
The IGDF offers affiliate organisation status for those groups who are active in services realted to guide dog provision but who are note training guide dogs.
Affiliates enjoy certain privileges within the IGDF community, but are not permitted to imply full membership.
Affiliate Organisation Criteria
The Affiliate organisation must:
- Be in the business of, or servce functions relating to, the provision of guide dogs but not actually be training guide dogs;
- Be registered as a legal entity;
- Have a credible business plan;
- Be financially sustainable;
- Breeding centers must be supplying 50% of its output to a guide dog organisation in order to apply for affiliation to the IGDF;
- National Federations can only apply when all guide dog organisations belonging to the National Federation have been granted Membership of the IGDF. If a guide dog school belonging to a National Federation loses / ceases membership of IGDF, the National Federation's affiliation will automatically cease.
Affliliate Organisation Fees
An Affiliate organisation will be required to pay a fee of £200 upon receipt of an invoice, for registration purposes, which will also cover the annual fee until December 31st of that year. This must be paid within 30 days from the date of the invoice in order to confirm Affiliate organisation status.
Thereafter, an annual fee of £200 will be charged. This annual fee will be invoiced in January of each year.
PUBLICATIONS
In addition, a newsletter, the Visionary, containing contributions from member organisations around the world, is circulated approximately every six months by email. This global publication is free of charge to member organisations.
Any revisions to the IGDF standards are automatically communicated to all members.
CONFERENCE / WORKSHOP / SEMINARS
Full member, applicant, and affiliate member organisations are invited to send delegates to the seminar. Sponsorship by a full member organisation is required for attendance at the seminar by non-full member organisations.
FORMS & FURTHER INFORMATION
Full Membership:
Application form for Full IGDF membership.doc
Application for Full Membership Form B.doc
Full Membership Information.doc
Applicant Status:
Application form for IGDF Applicant status Jan 2011.doc
IGDF Applicant status information.doc
New Guide Dog Organisation:
New Guide Dog Orgs Contact Details.doc
Affiliate Organisations:
Application form for Affiliate Organisation Status
IGDF Affiliate organisation information
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