Ownership NFE is owned by the community of people contributing to NFE's mission.  Owners or Members Owner-member is the term we use to refer to people NFE recognizes as owners or members of the NFE co-operative. Each ownership category elects at least 1 and a maximum of 2 representatives on the NFE board. Each board member serves a 2 year term, they serve for a maximum of 2 terms.  Owner-members take on 3 main categories. Some members can be recognized within more than one category.  Workers Workers contribute by investing time and skills to NFE activities they are hired to complete. They make most decisions about the day to day operations of NFE but their board representatives vote on the major decisions Becoming a Worker-Owner requires 3 things  Work and report at least 240 hours or 6 months, whichever comes first. This work needs to be regular ie at least 5 hours per month.  Agreement to the NFE ByLaws Approval of at least 2/3 our current worker-owners  Funders  Funders contribute money to an NFE microgrid project.  Their board representatives vote on major decisions  Becoming a Funder-Owner requires 3 things Fund at least 10% of the cost Phase 1 of a given microgrid Agreement to the NFE ByLaws Approval of at least 2/3 our current funder-owners  Customers Customers contribute by using and paying for energy via NFE's microgrids  Their board representatives vote on major decisions  Becoming a Customer-Owner requires 3 things Contributing for at least 12 consecutive months  Agreement to the NFE ByLaws Approval of at least 2/3 our current customer-owners  Please note that NFE membership voluntary. Individuals or organizations can be funders, workers or customers and chose not to apply for member/ownership.  Responsibilities of Owner-Members Active participation in NFE activities as prescribed by their membership category Voting on admission of new members  Benefits of Owner-Members  Influencing Major NFE and NFE microgrid decision Annual Surplus sharing Workers -  equal share of NFE's surplus (NFE is a worker-member of every microgrid we operate) Customers - proportional share of respective microgrid's surplus, proportional to their contribution Funders - proportional share of funded entity's surplus, proportional to their contribution.  Existing owners get right of refusal to opportunities for new membership as workers, customers or funders.  Suspending Membership  Ownership is suspended if an owner-member stops contributing and is given at least one warning.  Ownership is suspended if an owner-member dies or is dissolved or closed in the case of an organization owner.  The Board otherwise expels an Owner on grounds of actions contrary to the mission and values, as long as the Board uses a consistent, fair, and reasonable procedure for expulsion (provided in writing to the Owners) that gives an Owner a reasonable period of time in which to explain or correct a problem.  Non Owner Community Members  Not all our stakeholders are currently eligible for becoming members but are still part of the community so theoretically could be owners in the future.  Suppliers - NFE partners with organizations like UEDCL (Macrogrid operator in Uganda), Calinmeter Co a metering supplier and Linux and EnAccess foundations are key software partners. We would like to include them as members but are get to craft a model to that effect.  Regulators - Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and Uganda National Beurou of Standards (UNBS) are also key stakeholders and part of our community but are currently not eligible for membership. Advisors - We have a board of advisors who provide guidance on our business, technology and people model. We may compensate these advisors for their time but they are currently not eligible for membership.  Donors - These have gifted the co-op resources in cash for in-kind. eg Energy IoT