# Membership
At VHS all members start with limited access privileges before they can obtain 24/7 access by applying for keyholder status after a 3 month probationary period.
**Age Requirement: 19+**
#### Cost:
- No signup fee
- $75 a month
- Promise to complete [VHS minutes](https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/about-the-vhs-minutes-category/12161) regularly.
#### First Three Months – Probationary Member
- Guaranteed access to VHS every Tuesday evening (4:30 to 9:00 PM).
- Access to the members-only tools (e.g. laser cutter and woodshop).
- Occasional access to the space during [members-only open times](/member-open-times) (not guaranteed).
- Access to the member-only section of the [VHS forums](http://talk.vanhack.ca/).
#### 3 months you can apply for Key-holder status
- All the benefits of VHS membership plus:
- 24/7 access rights.
- The ability to open the space for other members if you wish.
#### After 3 months of continuous, uninterrupted membership in good standing you may vote at society meetings irrespective of being a key-holder or not.
# How to Join
## Become a Member
**Step 1:** Understand how VHS works by reading our [FAQS](https://vanhack.ca/about/faq#q_what_does_vhs_stand_for), Understanding [VHS minutes](https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/about-the-vhs-minutes-category/12161) and our [house rules & code of conduct](https://vanhack.ca/wiki/admin/code_of_conduct#vhs_house_rules) . TLDR: Everyone at VHS is a member- just like you’re about to be. Your membership fee isn’t the only cost of being a member; active volunteering in the community in the form of VHS minutes is required to keep this organization sustainable.
We encourage you to take a tour and ask any questions you may have. We have open nights every Tuesdays between 4:30PM and 9:00PM . You can check [[https://isvhsopen.com]] for up to date information on open nights.
**Step 2:** Sign the [digital liability waiver](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKY5DynZo58_o4sMeICu4HLCdHaX_-OkPJwv0QHyLpv9CmKw/viewform?usp=send_form0)
**Step 3:** Send an email to our Membership Coordinator at membership@vanhack.ca with the following information:
1. Your Legal Name that matches your payment method.
2. Username on our forums. (This is so we can add you to the Members category, which is how we keep you informed about society going-ons. If you don’t have an account on our forums yet take this time to do so, even non-members are welcome to join.)
3. Are you a new member?
4. Have you been a member before? If so, under what name?
5. I confirm that I have signed the digital liability waiver in Step 2.
6. Have you been given a tour of the space? (If not, make sure to request one the next time you come in)
7. Write BingBong if you have read Step 1. This is a secret word to go around our spam filters. If you don’t receive a reply within usually 48 hours, this is the number one reason why.
Step 4: After sending the email, go to the Payment Options section further down this page and select Member Keyholder ($75). It’s the same link for new members too. This will initiate your membership subscription. Our payment processor- PayPal or Stripe based on your choice will charge your payment method the same day every month.
Step 5: Wait for the welcome email from the Membership Coordinator. It includes instructions on how to access our online communities on Talk and Slack as well as how to request training on certain tools that require training.
## Step 2: Upgrade to Keyholder
#### Note: Once you have been a member for 3 months, you are eligible to apply for key-holder status.
- Make a post in the [Keyholder Applications](https://talk.vanhack.ca/c/vhs-members-only/keyholder-applications) category on Talk
- You can find instructions [here](https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/how-to-apply-for-key-holder-status/5360)
- Including your [VHS minutes](https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/what-are-vhs-minutes/13272/1) always helps.
- Once you have your three vouches, have one of the vouching members show you the lock-up procedure.
- See further information in the FAQ below.
Once you receive at least 3 vouches from existing keyholders within a span of one week for which your application will remain open, you will receive an email from the membership coordinator after 1 week with instructions on how to access the space at any time.
# Payment Options
**Keyholder Member** 1 month of probationary membership followed by a short vetting process on our forums, then full access to the space, 24/7. (You will need to apply for keyholder status separately.)
https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gzdVzfe6dWJ1RsbMQ06 | $75 per month
https://buy.stripe.com/00w3cvaJn2rkg4R8fQbMQ03 | $85 per month
**$10/month Friend of VHS** If you don’t want to be a member, but you want to support us by kicking in a few bucks a month towards our space – we would LOVE your support! For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a week you can support innovation, learning, do-ocratic awesomeness in the greatest city on earth.
https://buy.stripe.com/dRmaEXg3H6HAbOB0NobMQ04 | $10 per month
**One-time donation to VHS** Donations are warmly welcomed. Thank you!
https://buy.stripe.com/eVqaEX3gV4zsf0NgMmbMQ05 | one-time donation
# FAQ
### [Q] I can’t see the Members-Only category on Talk!
**[A]** Check the post on Talk on [how to get access](https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/who-needs-access-to-the-members-only-section/479) to the [members-only](https://talk.vanhack.ca/c/vhs-members-only) category.
### [Q] How do I get vetted for keyholder privileges?
**[A]** In order to be eligible for upgrading your membership to have key-holder privileges, you must be a member for 3 months,
then you need to be vetted by the existing keyholder membership.
This involves:
- Announce that you want to become a keyholder in the (members-only) [Keyholder Applications](https://talk.vanhack.ca/c/vhs-members-only/keyholder-applications) category of the [VHS Talk](https://talk.vanhack.ca/) forum. Please see previous announcements for the format that these are expected to take.
- 3 (or more!) current keyholder members must vouch for you.
- If there are no objections after one week, you will be provided keyholder privileges. Congratulations!
### [Q] What are the responsibilities of members or guests?
**[A]** Members and guests alike are expected to:
- If you or any other member or guest, sees something that you could consider unsafe you should ask the person to stop. If you don’t feel comfortable asking them to stop, ask another member (or BoD) to help you. We can not resolve the problem if no one tells us about it.
- If you see someone doing something illegal, report it either to the BoD or the police. This includes making a gun, stealing, computer crime, etc. Use your best judgement, as some activities that may be uncommon are also not illegal (we are a hack space after all!).
### [Q] What are the responsibilities of a member with keyholder privileges?
**[A]** Members with keyholder privileges are expected to:
- Ensure that everyone has signed the waiver. Part of getting people to sign the waiver is to show them the safety equipment
- around the space, and tell them there is a risk to being at the space. It would be nice if you also talked them through how
- the space runs and what kind of projects are done there.
- Close and lock the space when leaving if there are no other keyholders present, or those who are do not wish to keep the space open.
### [Q] When does membership expire?
**[A]** Membership expires one 1 month and one (1) day after the last payment, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Board of Directors ([directors@vanhack.ca](mailto:directors@vanhack.ca)).
### [Q] How do I cancel my membership?
**[A]** First we’d love to hear from you about your time at VHS, [click here to fill out a super quick survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRWrNT_YAj8i0h0dWHrRFSlP53D32xvZEOsnYwZaXq7qvLpg/viewform?usp=sf_link).
- If you are paying for your membership via Paypal recurring payments, then you are responsible for cancelling your payments. We do not have access to your PayPal or credit card or bank accounts to control your recurring payments, so cannot do it for you. Simply log in to Paypal.com and head to your Recurring Payments section to cancel them, your account will then deactivate automatically at the end of your last paid month.
- If you are paying for your membership via Stripe, please [click here](https://billing.stripe.com/p/login/dRm28rg3H1ng9GtanYbMQ00) and sign in with the email used for stripe payments to cancel your recurring payments.
- Payments made after membership is cancelled (by email to the BoD) will be considered a donation to Vancouver Hack Space (we don’t know otherwise!).