Q: What will the island do for me?

The island will do as much for you as you are willing to do for it. When you visit Tesoro and bring your experiences and contribute to the community, you will be rewarded by the contributions and experiences brought by your fellow members.

We expect our members to not only take advantage of the rich atmosphere surrounding them, but to give back to the island and its members in turn. You will be joining a beautiful community on a beautiful island that exists solely because our members give just as much (and usually more) love for each other and Tesoro Island than they take away from it.

If you are asking yourself what a membership with Nomadbase will do for you -- we challenge you to join us on this adventure as we find that out, together!

Q: What’s expected of me as a member?

The only universal expectation is that each member follow the bylaws and do their best to live according to the code of ethics we establish as a community. Beyond that, there are no mandatory duties--if you want to do nothing but sunbathe during your time on the island, that’s your call. That said, there will be ample opportunity for members to use their knowledge, talents, skills, or just time and manpower to contribute to the community; everything from dish duty to teaching yoga to serving a term on the Executive Committee.

Q: How much does it cost?

There are three pieces of what a Nomadbase membership costs:

Initiation Fee : Paid when you sign your membership agreement, this deposit locks in your membership tier price for 90 days. The initiation fee is non-refundable.
Membership Fee: Tiered buy-in price for club membership. Due within 90 days of signing the membership agreement. Failure to pay in full that time will “reset” your membership fee to the level currently on offer. In accordance with our legal charter, this fee will be repaid in full by the end of our 20th year of operation.
Membership Dues: Your yearly dues, paid in Jan of each year after the island is purchased, are equal to 5% of your membership fee. These are non-refundable.

Q: Do you have sponsored memberships? Can I work in exchange for my membership?

We’d love to be able to offer sponsored memberships or the opportunity to ‘pay’ for a membership through non-financial contributions to the community. However, until we actually have the cash to buy the island and set up basic infrastructure, it’s just not responsible strategy. If cash is tight, your best move is to get in now--early adopters are compensated with lower membership fees :)

Q: So, when do I get to pick out my little piece of the island?

You don’t. Here’s how it works: Isla del Tesoro is owned by Nomadbase, a membership organization (or club) which individuals join by paying a membership fee and annual dues. As individual members, none of us own any piece of the island or anything on it. As a community, though, we own an island! And we get to build it up--physically and culturally--into a haven of sustainability, diversity and all-around awesomeness.

Q: If I don’t technically own a piece of the island, how do I know I’ll have a place when I want to visit?

We’ve done some pretty careful occupancy modeling that strongly suggests we won’t ever run into our limit of 150 people on the island at any one time. That said, as members continue to join, we’ll be revisiting that modeling and adjusting the membership plan as necessary to ensure that all members can utilize the base in the way that fits their lifestyle best.

Q: When can I start living on the island?

As soon as the island is purchased, any club member may legally live there. It’ll be pretty rustic for the first year or so, though--it’ll likely take that long to get things cleaned up, clear brush for facilities, and set up basic water/sanitation systems and shelter. You’re welcome to join us if hardcore roughing it is your thing!

Q: Can’t I build my own little place?

The Executive Committee, with full votes from the membership as needed, decides what will be built on the island and when. Isla del Tesoro isn’t a large place, and we want to be very careful about our impact. Currently, our plan is to build a series of minimalist bungalows/cabanas strategically placed around the island to optimize convenience, privacy, and of course views!

Q: What happens to my money if we don’t get enough members to buy the island?

This one’s really simple; all membership fees will be refunded in the event that we don’t have enough to buy the island by Jan. 1, 2020. Initiation fees are non refundable.

Q: Is this a scam? This seems too good to be true.

While skepticism of an undertaking of this nature is perfectly reasonable--healthy even; we’re talking about buying Treasure Island for pete’s sake!--Nomadbase is no scam, and we’re 100% serious about the island and the community we’ll create together there.

Nomadbase LLC is a fully registered business (you can look us up on the CO Attorney General’s site here.) Your Membership Agreement and successive payments create a contract with that legal entity. Thus you are protected under US contract laws, with all the rights to legal recourse that affords.

We’re happy to answer any and all questions! Just drop us a line through the website and we’ll talk.

Q: Why do you need my passport information? Can I be confident that information is secure?

Because our members hail from across the globe, we cannot use any one country’s standard identification (like a US SSN for example). Passports are an internationally accepted form of identification, and so we ask you for that instead.

We utilize end-to-end encryption along with cryptographic signing of all of your files and sensitive information and are privacy and data act compliant in all countries. Access to membership files is restricted to the minimum necessary members and operators of the club, and such members complete compliance and security training before being granted access to such files.

Our system creates cryptographically-signed paper trails for every action taken by every user. This tracking meets standards for court-admissible evidence, protecting your rights as well as those of all other members and the company.

Q: What about legal stuff? How will my rights be protected as a member of the club?

Nomadbase has several levels of legal protection for its members while on the island:

First are the rules you agree to by contract as a member set out in the Membership Agreement and Bylaws. These rules cover a wide range of situations that may arise, though we don’t really expect them to.
Second is Panamanian Law, which members visiting Tesoro Island are obligated to adhere to as visitors to the country.
Finally, you are afforded legal protection under the laws in your country of origin in many circumstances. These protections are dependent on the type of entry you are using for Panama (visa, temporary work, etc).

In addition, Nomadbase members are always protected by:

The Membership Agreement and Bylaws. These documents, crafted by the law firm of Davis, Graham & Stubbs, outline procedures for making decisions as a community and holding members accountable for actions that damage the community. They also include provisions for legal action should the owner of Nomadbase LLC ever go against the principles and practices adopted by the community.
Contract law of the United States and the state of Colorado. Nomadbase LLC is registered in Colorado and that is the law that would govern any possible disputes.