Granite State News Collaborative – Membership Agreement (Simplified Sample)

NOTE: This is a starting point. Adapt it to fit your group.

1. Purpose

The Granite State News Collaborative is a network of news, education, and community organizations working together to share stories, strengthen local journalism, and better serve the public across New Hampshire.

2. Member Commitments

GSNC members agree to:

  • Share original stories they choose to contribute through the collaborative

  • Work cooperatively on joint reporting projects when feasible

  • Contribute resources such as reporting, editing, visuals, or expertise when possible

  • Credit the originating outlet and reporter when publishing shared content

  • Participate in meetings and collaborative activities

  • Designate a representative to participate in governance and editorial discussions

  • Promote collaborative work and projects when possible

3. GSNC Commitments

GSNC agrees to:

  • Maintain a system (News Exchange) for sharing stories among members

  • Coordinate reporting, timelines, and collaborative projects

  • Contribute reporting and editorial support to shared efforts

  • Ensure proper credit and protect the integrity of member content

  • Coordinate calendars, coverage, and communication across partners

4. Content Sharing

  • Members may publish content from other members with proper attribution

  • Content remains owned by the originating outlet

  • Stories should not be altered in ways that change editorial meaning

  • Minor edits (localization, shortening) are allowed with care and/or permission

  • Content is shared only within the collaborative network and not redistributed externally

5. Participation Expectations

  • Members contribute when feasible (not all contributions are equal)

  • Members attend a reasonable portion of meetings

  • Members communicate openly about capacity constraints

  • Members collaborate on agreed-upon topics when possible

6. Structure + Representation

  • Each member designates a representative

  • Members participate in governance and editorial collaboration

  • GSNC coordinates overall strategy and operations

7. Term + Termination

  • Membership continues unless ended by either party

  • Members may leave with notice

  • GSNC may remove members for lack of participation or violation of agreement

8. Legal + Responsibility

  • Each member is responsible for the content it provides

  • Liability is tied to the originating outlet unless altered by another party

  • Members maintain appropriate insurance coverage where applicable

9. General

  • This agreement represents a shared understanding among members

  • It may evolve as the collaborative grows




Don’t go it alone

You don’t have to figure this out from scratch. We’ve worked through the same challenges—structure, trust, participation, momentum—and we help other collaboratives do the same.

👉 GSNC: Strategy, facilitation, and collaborative design
👉 Plucky: Tools to share content and scale your work

Start here: www.collaborativenh.org/consulting