{"id":291,"date":"2025-08-26T13:59:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T17:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/?page_id=291"},"modified":"2025-12-23T08:24:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:24:53","slug":"our-membership","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/?page_id=291","title":{"rendered":"Our Membership"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_small color_alternate\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_f0d36188 has_text_color\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Our Membership<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row us_custom_d6ead830 height_small\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_2-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container us_custom_7e20fa79 us_animate_this\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h5>Membership Qualifications<\/h5>\n<p>Generally, to become a member of COLED, a person of Liberian descent must meet certain eligibility criteria, which include at a minimum a Bachelor\u2019s Degree earned from an accredited university\/college, plus at least five years of working experience in the member\u2019s Field of Specialization. A member must be of good moral character and have no felony conviction. Refer to the general membership checklist below.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h5>Membership Eligibility Checklist<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>College Graduate from an accredited university\/college<\/li>\n<li>At least 5 years of work experience in the field of specialization<\/li>\n<li>Liberian Descendant by birth\/immigration, and\/or verifiable claim to Liberian nationality<\/li>\n<li>Complete 1)the Application, 2) the Consent Form, and 3) the Attestation Form<\/li>\n<li>Submit updated Curriculum Vitae or Resume with Application<\/li>\n<li>Submit Proof of College Degree earned from an accredited university\/college with the Application<\/li>\n<li>Pay the required Membership Dues upon acceptance of the membership application<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h5>Application Process<\/h5>\n<p>A Membership Application including a Consent Form and an Attestation Questionnaire is required to be completed on the COLED website. All applicants are subject to vetting by COLED\u2019s Membership Committee. All confirmed new members shall be required to pay annual membership dues effective the date of becoming a member. Members in good standing are eligible to participate in elections and\/or stand for elected office.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h5>Associate Membership<\/h5>\n<p>Professionals who are not of Liberian descent but who meet all other membership qualifications herein are welcome and may become Associate Members of COLED upon referral by a member in good standing, subject to the consent of the Membership Committee, and approval by the Executive Committee. Associate Members shall abide by and uphold the COLED Constitution &amp; Bylaws. However, associate members are not required to pay membership dues and do not have voting rights.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container us_custom_47474b22 us_animate_this\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_6a381d91\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>PAYMENT METHODS FOR MEMBERSHIP DUES: <\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>Annual Membership dues can be paid directly into COLED&#8217;s bank account via Zelle or Over The Counter Deposit at a JP Morgan Chase Bank near you.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>(1) for Zelle, the member should send payment to Council of Liberian Experts in the Diaspora Inc. and use the email address\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:treasurer.coled@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">treasurer.coled@gmail.com<\/a><span>.<\/span><br \/>\n<span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>(2) Money Orders and Cashier&#8217;s Checks can be deposited at a JP Morgan Chase Bank which has branches nationwide. Dues should be deposited into COLED&#8217;s Bank Account Number 5 8 1 7 5 5 8 7 6. Please alert The Treasurer of your deposit by sending a screenshot of your deposit slip via direct message. <\/span><span>The Chase Account # is attached for easy reference. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>CashApp is no longer an option because COLED&#8217;s CashApp account is closed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span>Thank You for your participation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_small\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container us_custom_60e9caca us_animate_this\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Membership Application Instructions<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"g-cols wpb_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_middle type_default stacking_default\" style=\"--columns-gap:3rem;\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Membership Application<\/strong> &#8211; Please assemble the required documents and fill in your application in one setting. Complete all sections of the Application, include all attachments, including a clear photo. The next step in the application process is to click the Submit Button to submit the application.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_center\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_1\" href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/233406004567148\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Membership Application<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Consent and Attestation Forms<\/strong> &#8211; Kindly fill in and sign the Consent Form or download the form to complete.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_center\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_1\" href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/233405592860155\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Consent &amp; Attestation Forms<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Membership Rules <\/b>&#8211; Download the Rules for The Council of Liberian Experts in the Diaspora, Inc. (COLED). Membership rules derive from its Constitution and Bylaws.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_center\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_1\" href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/COLED-Membership-Rules-Final-1.pdf\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Download Membership Rules<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span><strong>Constitution and By-Laws<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>&#8211; Membership rules derive from its Constitution and Bylaws.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_center\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_1\" href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Constitiuton-of-COLED-Ratified_11-12-2023.pdf\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Download Constitution and By-Laws<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Note that the entire application will be rejected if the above steps are not followed, and you will have to start the process over again.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row us_custom_60e9caca us_animate_this height_small color_alternate\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Member Vetting Process<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"g-cols wpb_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_middle type_default stacking_default\" style=\"--columns-gap:3rem;\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Application:<\/strong> Prospective members of COLED will be required to fill out an application form that includes basic personal information and qualifications for membership.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p><strong>Screening:<\/strong> After receiving the application, the COLED Membership Committee will conduct a screening process to include the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The applicant is a college graduate from an accredited university\/college.<\/li>\n<li>Has 5 years of work experience in the field of specialization<\/li>\n<li>Liberian decent: (i.e. Liberian by birth\/immigration or person whose legal parents are of Liberian decent.<\/li>\n<li>Curriculum Vitae or Resume and proof of college degree.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_1f257949\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p><strong>Selection and Notification:<\/strong> After completing the vetting process, the Membership Committee will contact applicants with an acceptance decision. In the event an applicant is rejected, the application will be referred to the Executive Committee for a final decision. An applicant accepted for membership will pay the required annual membership due to complete the registration process.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_custom\" style=\"height:30px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Our Membership Membership Qualifications Generally, to become a member of COLED, a person of Liberian descent must meet certain eligibility criteria, which include at a minimum a Bachelor\u2019s Degree earned from an accredited university\/college, plus at least five years of working experience in the member\u2019s Field of Specialization. A member must be of good moral...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-291","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":400,"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291\/revisions\/400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coledinc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}