SSAFE Chapter Application

SSAFE is an independent 501c3 non-profit organization consisting of residents in senior living communities that have been admitted as chapters.

Learn more about our mission and values.

Unlike many other organizations, SSAFE first grants admission to a senior living community as a chapter. Once a chapter is admitted to SSAFE, then individual residents can join SSAFE as part of their chapter.

To form a new SSAFE chapter, a representative from the prospective community must apply for membership. SSAFE is an independent organization run by volunteers and has no ties to any particular senior living community or organization. Most SSAFE chapters have been formed because a small group of residents, committed to achieving carbon neutrality, decided to join SSAFE as representatives of their community.  (It might be helpful to think of SSAFE as an environmental organization similar to the Sierra Club, but much smaller.) Because SSAFE is an independent nonprofit organization—run by volunteer residents, funded through resident donations, and unaffiliated with community administrations—the decision to form a SSAFE chapter does not require approval from your community’s administration or resident council, unless you choose to seek such endorsements before joining.

Membership benefits:

• Participate in monthly General Meetings meetings which feature impactful speaker presentations. (Open to all Chapter residents and staff.)
• Participate in the Greening Our Campuses monthly meetings to learn more about community sustainability, ask questions, and receive feedback.
• Participate in work groups and workshops to deepen your skills and obtain valuable tools to use in your community.
• Meet other senior living residents across the country with similar interests and gain valuable referrals.

Membership expectations:

Chapter Representation: Each SSAFE Chapter is encouraged to designate a resident to serve as Chapter Leader. This individual will act as the primary point of contact for their community and represent the chapter in all SSAFE-related communications and activities.

Participation: Each SSAFE Chapter will recruit residents to join SSAFE and encourage them to participate in monthly General Committee meetings.

Recruit at least one member to participate in the Greening Our Campuses Project Team to learn from other communities, ask questions, and receive feedback.

Participate in work groups and workshops as available to deepen skills and obtain valuable tools.

Financial Support: SSAFE is supported through generous donations from individual members. While joining SSAFE is free for individual members, each SSAFE Chapter is expected to participate in annual fundraising to support the operations of SSAFE. There is currently no fundraising target for SSAFE Chapters. The current annual SSAFE budget for 2025 is just over $200,000. An application fee of $250 and an onboarding fee of $1000 (due within 3 months of acceptance) for the new chapter will count as part of the chapter’s annual contributions.

Desired community qualities:

• Has a current group in the community working on climate change (sustainability) issues, whether as advocates, educators, or changing norms in the community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Has a cadre of residents (at least 5-6) with the time and leadership skills who want to move their community toward carbon neutrality.
• Is a community with active resident participation in the community decision-making process.

Application Process:

Read the following steps before completing the online application form.

1. Register with SSAFE (FREE): At any time during the application process, ask all interested residents to register with SSAFE to receive our digital quarterly newsletter and occasional action alerts by clicking here to add your contact information. When individual residents register with SSAFE, it shows interest ahead of chapter approval. Once your chapter is approved, all registrations will be converted to full SSAFE members allowing each member to receive monthly meeting invitations.
2. Online Application: Fill out the SSAFE Chapter Application form online, see form to the right.
3. Application Fee: Paid staff and SSAFE Board volunteers will carefully consider each application. Because the application will use administrative hours, SSAFE asks for a $250 non-refundable application fee. Submit a payment using the Donation options. (Clicking this link will open a new browser tab.)
4. Committee Review: Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the SSAFE Expansion Committee. A decision will be made and communicated to the applicant within 4 weeks.
5. Committee Zoom Meeting: If the Expansion Committee would like to proceed with your application, they will contact you to arrange for a Zoom meeting with 2 or 3 resident representatives from your community.
6. Board Visit: One or two SSAFE Board members will arrange to visit your community to meet representatives and administration in person, tour the community, and answer any additional questions. SSAFE encourages you to visit a SSAFE Chapter community to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of SSAFE’s mission but it is not required for admission.
7. SSAFE Board Final Review: The SSAFE Board of Directors will review the application and the committee proposal to make a final determination of acceptance.
8. On-Boarding Donation: On-boarding a new chapter requires many hours of staff administrative work. If your organization is accepted, SSAFE asks for a $1000 onboarding donation (single paper check) within 3 months of your chapters acceptance. The onboarding check should be mailed to the address on our Donation page.
9. Onboarding: The SSAFE Executive Director will schedule a “Next Steps” meeting with the chapter representative. This meeting will cover several key topics, including plans for a community-wide “What is SSAFE?” Zoom presentation and guidance on how to access and navigate SSAFE’s resources, meetings, and ongoing activities.