Membership
Membership with Sister Cities International includes a number of services, resources, and discounts to help members find partners, promote their activities, expand and improve programming, and save time and money.
Membership with Sister Cities International is open to cities, counties, and states of all sizes, and gives members access to our network of citizen diplomats from nearly 400 communities with over 1800 partnerships in more than 140 countries around the globe.
At the heart of all of our services is assistance by our staff and leadership, who have experience working with hundreds of communities around the United States.
Membership with Sister Cities International guarantees that you have the right tools to grow and strengthen your sister city programs. Learn more about our member services, resources, and discounts by clicking the images below.
Why And How To Become A Sister City
Watch the videos below to get a better understanding of the benefits of becoming a Sister City and how to get started.
Member Services
Sister Cities International works with hundreds of communities around the United States to help volunteers and members organize, build, and manage their programs.
We offer member services in four different areas: communications, connecting with the network, governance and policy, and our Cities Seeking Cities Program.
To learn more about each service, click the menu items below.
Communications
We offer a variety of communications services to our members, including promoting sister city programs, exchanges, and events.
City Connection Marketplace
The City Connection Marketplace provides members with a more hands-on, proactive approach in establishing.
Connect With Our Network
Our greatest resource is our network of thousands of peers not only dedicated to citizen diplomacy, but who have the credentials.
Governance And Policy
In our network, there is no such thing as “one size fits all.” Programs range in size partnerships, sectors, countries.
Resources and Discounts
Sister Cities International provides members with key resources and discounts that help to efficiently build and grow a program. Before embarking on an exchange, receiving a delegation, or vetting volunteers, Sister Cities International’s membership provides you with access to visa consultations, discounted background check services, traveler’s insurance, travel medical services, and templates and toolkits. If you are already a member, you can visit the Member Resource Center. If you would like to become a member, see more information on our Becoming a Member page.
All members receive access to discounted Intellicorp background check services for host families, chaperones, volunteers, and new hires to administer international exchanges. The comprehensive services include:
- Preferred pricing
- System & product training sessions
- Compliance information/online sample forms
- Personalized customer support
- Criminal product validation
- Secure online report ordering & retrieval
Sister Cities International provides members with a number of resources to help build and run your program. Some of these resources include:
- Templates for invitations, partnership agreements, and more
- Guides to economic development, visa types, and more
- Toolkits on communications, program building, and more
- Presentations from previous conference speakers and panels
- Certificates of recognition
- Webinars on topics like grant writing, cities seeking cities, and events
