Join the National Association for Community Mediation and take advantage of these great benefits!
The National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) is a membership organization for community mediation centers, staff, and volunteer mediators. We would like to invite you to join our organization. Many recent exciting changes at NAFCM will directly benefit your center with funding possibilities, networking, research, publications, a membership directory, and more.
Benefits and Initiatives
NAFCM membership conveys a number of benefits to centers and allows for participation in several long-term, nation-wide initiatives designed to promote and develop community mediation across the country. Listed below are some of the major advantages of being a NAFCM member.
Clearinghouse
NAFCM’s Clearinghouse of community mediation-related materials contains 2500 items, ranging from sample forms to videotapes to training curricula from community mediation centers and other organizations throughout the country. Materials are available at no cost to members.
Insurance
Working with Marshall and Sterling, NAFCM offers professional liability and directors/officers insurance for community mediation centers. Professional liability insurance covers all mediations conducted by center staff AND volunteers, with premiums based on the center’s budget rather than the number of mediators covered. NAFCM Insurance Overview and Applications.pdf
Listserv
NAFCM’s 300 community mediation center members are connected electronically through a listserv where centers exchange ideas, opinions, experiences, and materials almost instantaneously. Using the list, centers have conducted informal research, taught each other how to establish new programs, and built a true virtual community.
Quality Assurance
The result of two years’ research and writing, NAFCM’s Community Mediation Center Quality Assurance Self-Assessment Manual was released and mailed to member centers in 2002. The guide, written by a committee of current and former community mediation center directors provides a non-prescriptive guide to assessing and improving centers’ services.
State Funding
NAFCM has developed a report for policy makers, community mediation centers, and state mediation associations to describe the value and potential of community mediation programs and to assist in the development of funding and support mechanisms for community mediation at the state level. The report will be used for information and education, advocacy, and technical assistance to states that are developing state funding mechanisms for community mediation. This report, State Funding for Community Mediation, is available in the PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS section of this website.
Regional Training Institutes
NAFCM’s regional training institutes are two-day symposia for community mediation center directors, staff, and board members, featuring training in center administration, volunteer management, case management, fundraising, program and project evaluation, new program development, public relations/marketing, and government relations/partnerships. These training sessions, conducted by expert trainers from mediation programs around the country, provide both new and established centers with advanced tools for growth.
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~ Opportunities to participate in nation-wide mediation and conflict resolution training projects
~ Subscription to The Community Mediator, NAFCM’s newsletter spotlighting developments in the field
~ A web page template and guide to establishing a presence on the web (including a programming tutorial), specifically designed for community mediation centers
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National Association for Community Mediation:
· Serves as a national voice and an advocate of community mediation in legislative, policy-making, professional, and other arenas.
· Promotes the values, understanding, public awareness, and practice of community mediation and collaborative problem solving.
· Educates private and public funding sources about the experience, breadth, benefits and applications of community mediation and develops financial resources for community mediation.
· Serves as a national clearinghouse of information on the development and practice of community mediation.
· Fosters communication and mutual assistance among members in such areas as training, funding, technology, and program and policy development.
· Creates and maintains a national directory and database for community mediation.
· Encourages and promotes regional and national collaborative projects among community mediation programs.
· Promotes and encourages collaboration between community mediation programs and non‑dispute resolution organizations at both the local and national level.
· Develops and maintains ties with national, regional, state, and other dispute resolution and related organizations to enhance the growth of community mediation.
· Supports research, program evaluation, mediation theory development, innovation, and quality in community mediation.
· Recognizes and celebrates volunteers in community mediation.
· Develops local and national community mediation leadership.
