1. About these Membership Terms
These Membership Terms govern membership of Plumia Ltd, a nonprofit company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. They should be read together with Plumia’s Articles of Association and Privacy Notice.
By applying or opting in to become a member of Plumia, an applicant agrees to these Membership Terms, Plumia’s Articles of Association, Plumia’s Privacy Notice, and the £1 guarantee liability described below.
If there is any conflict between these Membership Terms and Plumia’s Articles of Association, the Articles take priority.
2. Membership of Plumia
Plumia has one class of members, known as Individual Members.
Individual Members are legal members of Plumia. They have the rights and obligations set out in Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms, including the right to vote on formal member decisions and the £1 guarantee liability described below.
Plumia does not currently have separate legal classes of voting and non-voting members. People may support, subscribe to, attend, read, donate to, or participate in Plumia activities without becoming legal members of Plumia, unless they have formally applied or opted in to become members and have been admitted as members.
3. Who is not automatically a member
A person is not automatically a Plumia member merely because they:
- (a) subscribe to a Plumia publication or newsletter;
- (b) attend a Plumia event;
- (c) donate to Plumia;
- (d) participate in a Plumia programme, residency, fellowship, community space, or online group;
- (e) access a Plumia partner benefit;
- (f) are included in a Plumia mailing list or subscriber database; or
- (g) have a relationship with a Plumia sponsor, funder, partner, or service provider.
A person becomes a Plumia member only when they are admitted under the process described below and their name is entered in Plumia’s register of members.
4. Admission of members
A person becomes an Individual Member only when:
- (a) they apply or opt in to become a member;
- (b) they accept Plumia’s Articles of Association, Membership Terms, and Privacy Notice;
- (c) they are admitted in accordance with a process approved by Plumia’s board of directors; and
- (d) their name is entered in Plumia’s register of members.
Plumia’s board of directors may approve, reject, pause, or request further information in relation to any membership application, acting in accordance with Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms.
5. Membership routes
Individual Members may be admitted through different membership routes, including paid, fee-waived, sponsored, partner-supported, or other board-approved routes.
The route through which an Individual Member is admitted does not create a separate legal class of membership and does not affect that member’s voting rights, guarantee liability, or status as a member of Plumia.
Different membership routes may involve different payment arrangements, access arrangements, communications, or benefits. These differences do not create separate legal classes of membership.
6. Membership fees
Plumia’s board of directors may set, vary, waive, discount, defer, or accept third-party funding for membership fees.
A member whose fee has been waived, discounted, deferred, or funded by a third party has the same voting rights, guarantee liability, and member status as any other Individual Member, unless and until their membership is suspended or terminated in accordance with Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms.
Unless Plumia states otherwise, membership fees are not refundable once paid, except where required by law or approved by Plumia’s board of directors.
7. Members in good standing
A member is in good standing if they have been admitted as a member, remain listed as an active member in Plumia’s register of members, and have not had their membership suspended or terminated.
If a membership fee applies, a member is also expected to pay the relevant fee when due unless that fee has been waived, deferred, discounted, or funded by a third party.
8. Voting rights
Each Plumia member has one vote on formal member decisions, subject to Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms.
Plumia will hold an Annual General Meeting each year. This is a formal yearly meeting where members can receive updates on Plumia’s work and vote on any decisions put to the members.
Members may also be asked to vote on formal resolutions outside the Annual General Meeting where Plumia’s Articles of Association or applicable law allow this.
In practice, members are not asked to vote on Plumia’s day-to-day work, projects, editorial decisions, partnerships, spending, or operations. Those decisions are handled by Plumia’s board of directors.
Each member’s vote is personal to that member and carries the same weight as every other member’s vote.
9. General meetings, voting, and electronic participation
Plumia may hold member meetings in person, online, or as hybrid meetings, where permitted by Plumia’s Articles of Association and applicable law.
Plumia may send notices of general meetings, Annual General Meeting materials, written resolutions, voting information, proxy forms, and other governance materials by email or other electronic means.
Plumia may use electronic systems to manage attendance, voting, proxy voting, member questions, and records of votes, provided those systems are approved by Plumia’s board of directors and are consistent with Plumia’s Articles of Association and applicable law.
Members are responsible for keeping their contact details up to date so that they can receive governance notices and voting information.
10. Member benefits
Plumia may offer benefits to members. These may include, for example, access to Plumia publications, member updates, events, online spaces, residencies, research, briefings, partner benefits, discounts, or other opportunities connected to Plumia’s mission.
Membership benefits are determined by Plumia’s board of directors and may change from time to time. Plumia may add, remove, vary, suspend, or replace benefits where it considers this appropriate.
Unless Plumia expressly says otherwise, membership does not guarantee access to any particular event, product, service, publication, programme, partner benefit, or opportunity.
Some benefits may be provided by third parties. Third-party benefits may be subject to separate eligibility requirements, application processes, availability, pricing, terms, exclusions, or approval by the relevant provider. Plumia is not responsible for the acts, omissions, products, services, or decisions of third-party providers, except to the extent required by applicable law.
Access to a third-party benefit does not mean that Plumia provides, sells, arranges, advises on, underwrites, administers, or guarantees that benefit.
11. Limits on member authority
Membership gives a member the rights set out in Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms. It does not give a member authority to act on behalf of Plumia.
Unless Plumia’s board of directors has given a member express written permission, a member may not:
- (a) represent that they speak for Plumia;
- (b) bind Plumia to any agreement or commitment;
- (c) incur costs or obligations on Plumia’s behalf;
- (d) use Plumia’s name, logo, brand, or materials in a way that suggests endorsement or authority;
- (e) make public statements on behalf of Plumia; or
- (f) hold themselves out as a director, officer, employee, agent, or authorised representative of Plumia.
Members may propose ideas, participate in Plumia activities, and contribute to Plumia’s mission, but formal authority remains with Plumia’s board of directors and any authorised officers, contractors, or delegates.
12. Member conduct
Members are expected to engage with Plumia, its directors, staff, members, partners, contributors, and community spaces in a lawful, respectful, and honest way.
Plumia may suspend or terminate membership where a member:
- (a) breaches Plumia’s Articles of Association or these Membership Terms;
- (b) provides false, misleading, or incomplete information;
- (c) misuses Plumia membership, member benefits, voting processes, communications, community spaces, or partner access;
- (d) acts abusively, unlawfully, fraudulently, or in bad faith;
- (e) harasses, threatens, discriminates against, or causes harm to another person;
- (f) uses Plumia’s name, brand, or reputation without authorisation;
- (g) creates legal, regulatory, operational, reputational, or safety risk for Plumia; or
- (h) acts in a way that Plumia’s board of directors reasonably considers seriously harmful to Plumia, its mission, its members, or its partners.
13. Resignation
A member may resign at any time by giving notice to Plumia using the process or contact details provided by Plumia.
A resignation takes effect when Plumia records it, unless the member’s notice specifies a later date accepted by Plumia.
After resignation, the former member no longer has member voting rights or member benefits, but the former member’s £1 guarantee liability may continue for the post-membership period described below.
14. Non-payment
Where a membership fee applies and remains unpaid, Plumia may suspend member benefits, suspend voting rights where permitted by the Articles, or terminate membership.
Before terminating membership for non-payment, Plumia will normally give reasonable notice and an opportunity to resolve the non-payment, unless the relevant membership route or payment terms state otherwise.
If a fee is waived, deferred, discounted, or third-party funded, non-payment by the individual will not apply unless Plumia has clearly notified the member that payment is due from them personally.
15. End of a membership route, sponsorship, or third-party arrangement
If a member’s membership is connected to a paid, sponsored, partner-supported, fee-waived, or other specific membership route, the end of that route or arrangement does not automatically create a separate class of membership.
If the relevant route or arrangement ends, Plumia may:
- (a) continue the member’s membership on the same basis;
- (b) move the member to another available membership route;
- (c) waive, discount, or defer any applicable fee;
- (d) invite the member to continue as a paid member;
- (e) suspend the member’s access to route-specific benefits; or
- (f) terminate the member’s membership by notice, where appropriate and consistent with Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms.
Plumia will decide how to handle these situations in accordance with its Articles, its mission, and the interests of Plumia as a membership organisation.
16. Suspension and termination by Plumia
Plumia may suspend or terminate a member’s membership in accordance with Plumia’s Articles of Association and these Membership Terms.
Where practical, Plumia will give the member notice of the concern and a reasonable opportunity to respond before terminating membership for breach or conduct reasons.
Plumia may suspend membership immediately while it investigates a concern or where it considers immediate action necessary to protect Plumia, its members, its community, its partners, or any other person.
A decision to suspend or terminate membership will be made by Plumia’s board of directors or by a person or committee authorised by the board.
17. Effect of termination
When a member’s membership ends:
- (a) the former member’s voting rights end;
- (b) the former member’s right to receive member governance notices ends, except where Plumia is legally required or reasonably needs to contact the former member;
- (c) the former member’s access to member-only benefits may end;
- (d) the former member’s access to route-specific benefits may end;
- (e) the former member’s name will be marked as ceased in Plumia’s register of members; and
- (f) Plumia may retain records relating to the former member’s membership as required for legal, governance, tax, audit, regulatory, or legitimate administrative purposes.
Termination does not affect rights or obligations that arose before termination.
Termination does not remove the former member’s £1 guarantee liability for the relevant post-membership period.
18. Liability of members / guarantee liability
Plumia is a company limited by guarantee. This means members do not own shares and are not personally responsible for Plumia’s debts.
If Plumia is formally wound up while a person is a member, or within one year after that person’s membership ends, the maximum amount that person may be required to contribute as a member is £1.
In practice, this is very unlikely to affect members: the £1 guarantee is a legal backstop, not a payment we expect members to make.
This limit applies to a member’s liability as a member. It does not limit any separate liability that the member may have when acting in another capacity, such as a director, officer, employee, contractor, adviser, funder, debtor, or party to a separate agreement with Plumia.
19. No ownership of Plumia
Members do not own shares in Plumia and do not have any right to Plumia’s income, assets, surplus, intellectual property, brand, publications, data, or property.
Membership is personal to each member. A member may not transfer, sell, assign, lend, or otherwise dispose of their membership or voting rights.
20. Member communications
Members agree that Plumia may send essential membership and governance communications, including:
- (a) admission confirmations;
- (b) membership status notices;
- (c) notices of Annual General Meetings and other general meetings;
- (d) written resolutions;
- (e) annual reports and accounts;
- (f) voting information;
- (g) proxy information;
- (h) changes to the Articles or Membership Terms;
- (i) suspension or termination notices; and
- (j) other communications reasonably necessary to administer Plumia membership.
These communications are separate from optional marketing, newsletter, community, editorial, or promotional communications.
Members may unsubscribe from optional communications where applicable, but Plumia may still send them essential membership, legal, and governance communications while they remain members.
21. Contact details and member register
Plumia will maintain a register of members in accordance with its legal obligations.
Plumia may collect and hold information needed to administer membership, including your name, contact details, date of admission, membership status, membership route, fee status, communication preferences, and date of cessation.
Applicants are required to provide accurate information when applying for membership. Members are required to keep their contact details up to date. If Plumia cannot contact a member using the details provided, Plumia may be unable to provide notices, voting information, or member benefits, and may suspend or terminate that member’s membership where appropriate.
Plumia will handle personal data in accordance with its Privacy Notice.
22. Changes to these Membership Terms
Plumia’s board of directors may update these Membership Terms from time to time.
Plumia will notify members of material changes. Where a change requires member approval under Plumia’s Articles of Association or applicable law, Plumia will seek that approval before the change takes effect.
Changes to these Membership Terms cannot override Plumia’s Articles.
23. Governing law
These Membership Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Last updated: 14 July 2025