Digital preservation infrastructure remains unevenly accessible, with participation often constrained by institutional size, funding, and technical capacity. This paper presents a case study of the Academic Preservation Trust (APTrust), a community-governed digital preservation consortium, and examines how its Associate Member model functions as an incremental mechanism for broadening participation. Through sponsorship-based membership and shared governance, APTrust enables a wider range of organizations to engage in preservation activities without requiring full institutional equivalence. Drawing on early implementation experience, member census data, and the APTrust Associate Member Toolkit, this paper analyzes both the benefits and limitations of this approach, with particular attention to governance design, organizational readiness, and the distribution of risk and responsibility across member institutions.