Connect Association
A legal and administrative framework for collaborative social, cultural and community-based work.
Connect Association is a Norwegian nonprofit association established by Adrian Bowden. It currently provides the legal and administrative framework for Adrian’s consulting, volunteer and community-development initiatives.
Its longer-term purpose is broader: to make responsible collaboration possible for people developing compatible nonprofit projects who do not want to operate only as private individuals or establish a separate organisation before their work is ready for one.
A framework, not yet a collective
Connect Association is not being presented as a mature network of participating organisations. At this stage, it is a structure and an invitation. When real people and projects choose to work together under the Connect Association banner, its shared identity and governance should grow from that participation.
At that point, Connect Association can develop its own dedicated website, collective leadership and public programme. The personal work of Adrian Bowden and the shared work of the association would then be presented separately.
What shared support could include
- A recognised legal entity for approved activities
- Contracts and invoicing
- Basic financial administration
- Governance and project agreements
- Policies and accountability
- Shared communications and public identity
- Connections between compatible initiatives
- Practical mentoring during development
Not simply an organisation number to use
Participation cannot be automatic. The association remains responsible for activities carried out in its name. Each project would therefore need to fit the association’s purposes and be supported by an appropriate agreement, financial transparency, clear authority and responsible governance.
=CONNECT
=CONNECT is one experiment within this wider idea. It explores how people involved in community and nonprofit work might recognise and exchange time, skills, hospitality and practical help through a mutual-credit system.
Developing a compatible nonprofit idea?
A conversation does not imply acceptance into the association, but it may help clarify whether there is a useful basis for cooperation.