The membership is valid for one year from the date of joining. You will be prompted to renew your membership at the end of one year. If you have chosen free membership you will be asked to reconfirm your income level, or upgrade to paid membership.

We accept various payment methods, including credit/debit cards and online transfers. We process payments through Payfast and Peach Payments, both leaders in secure and easy payments. We are adding new payment methods often, so check back soon.

If you are not satisfied with the membership and cancel within 30 days of purchase we can provide a refund. After this period we are unable to provide a refund for any fees paid, as your fees are allocated to support the work and projects of the chamber.

Yes, you can cancel your membership at any time by contacting our support team or through the member portal.

The membership fee is the only cost associated with joining. You will be notified before your membership renews and given the opportunity to cancel without incurring any additional fees. Additional products, event tickets, or workshops are sold separately. Your card will never be charged without your knowledge.

Both methods of joining have exactly the same benefits. The difference in membership is to provide access on a sliding scale based on income. We trust our members to operate on an honor basis and be truthful in self-assessing themselves as whether they earn over or under R10 000/ per month (or equivalent in local currency). Income is measured before taxation and deductions and applies regardless of dependencies and liabilities. Free membership is intended for students, unemployed persons, those earning under what we consider a comfortable living wage, and those who have unstable access to income. We value the contributions of all members regardless of whether you have paid for membership or not and your access to opportunities is the same regardless of status.

However in order to limit spam and to maintain the integrity of our database, free membership applications are screened, while paid are not. You may have to wait for your membership to be activated when applying for free membership; and we reserve the right to conduct random checks on free membership applications. If you are found abusing free membership access when you earn over R10 00pm, you will be asked to switch to paid, failing to do so may result in your membership being revoked and your account banned.

If you don’t know which membership is applicable use the following as guidelines:
– If you can comfortably afford R150 per year without sacrificing a necessity like food or rent; please apply for paid membership. Your contributions maintain this important work across the continent.
– If you are a freelancer or self-employed, average your yearly earnings out over 12 months to get a monthly estimate.
– If your work relies on tips or commissions, count your average tips/commissions together with any basic earnings to get a total income before tax and deductions.
– If you earn R9999 or less, in total over all income sources, including support from family members, grants or stipends, you may apply for free membership
– If you earn R10 000 or more in total over all income sources, including support from family members, grants or stipends, rent, etc please apply for paid membership.

Individual Membership is available to people wanting to join the chamber as individual persons i.e. as community members, academics, civil society, etc. We offer this membership at a very affordable rate to afford all Africans an opportunity to participate in the sustainable economy. You may not use this membership to represent your company or business regardless of the size. In addition there are benefits only available to company members designed to help your business grow. If you have a small business or are just starting out, you may qualify for Startup membership or if your business is more established you would benefit from SMME membership.

Yes you can! Individual membership is for anyone participating in the sustainable economy in a non-commercial regard. You are welcome to use this membership application to join us, but your organisation might benefit from partnering with us as well. Please get in touch via our contact form. Please note your NPO/NGO cannot use our logos or advertise itself as a member if you only have an individual membership. The same would apply to academic organisations, incubators, accelerators, parastatal and government organisations. Please connect with us to discuss how we can best work together.

Membership is open to anyone residing on the continent of Africa regardless of nationality, as well as African nationals residing abroad, as well as anyone who identifies as a member of the African diaspora. If you work on the continent and have a concern for African sustainability, you may apply for membership. However it should be noted most of our benefits are best suited to those who can access the regional opportunities. If you wish to instead support the work of ACORN as a philanthropist or donor, you may be interested in our ‘Friends of ACORN Membership’ which allows you to set a sliding scale donation. If alternatively you have a company abroad and wish to bring your technologies and services to Africa, please explore our Corporate membership instead. If you have an international NPO/NGO/Incubator/etc and want to deploy your solutions or fund projects in Africa, please connect with us to explore a partnership.

Memberships are non-transferable and are for individual use only. If you have dependents who wish to access membership, encourage them to sign up for a free membership.

As a member, you will receive exclusive access details and instructions via email, as well as in the Member’s portal.

Members have the opportunity to be considered for speaking engagements by expressing their interest and expertise. A form is available in the members portal. 

Yes, all members can enjoy special discounts on exciting regenerative products. Some exceptions apply where discounts are for Company memberships only i.e. exhibition stands, marketing services etc. If you have a new business and want to access these benefits you may qualify for a Startup Membership.

Membership is open to all adults over the age of 18. We unfortunately cannot accept membership from youth under the age of 18 for legal reasons, but will in the future explore youth programs for Africa’s future leaders.