In March, the Membership Committee will be busy preparing the renewal forms, which will be mailed to each member in mid-April. We would appreciate it if branch members would also prepare for their renewal so that timely payment can be received by the branch.

In the past, the branch has received requests from members to pay their dues on a payment plan. However, we do not have a financial system that can accommodate such payments and do not want to create an additional burden for the treasurer, who already volunteers an incredible amount of time maintaining our records. Since the dues amount of $85 in 2016 and the deadline of June 1 are known in advance, we suggest that members set aside funds so when the renewal form is received, it will be less of a financial burden to pay by the deadline.

Additionally, the Board has adopted the following:

Sacramento Branch Dues Assistance Process

In the past, the Sacramento Branch implemented an informal system to assist members who are temporarily unable to pay their dues renewal due to unusual financial circumstances. These guidelines are intended to formalize that process to provide better consistency and application.

1.  Since members were advised in prior newsletter articles about the Dues Assistance Fund, the renewal form will not provide information about it, other than retaining a line for members who wish to make donations to the Dues Assistance Fund.
2. Assistance will only be provided if there are monies in the Dues Assistance Fund. No monies will be committed out of the general operations budget.
3. Members seeking assistance must submit their request in writing/e-mail to the Membership Director(s) explaining the general circumstances giving rise to their current financial need.
4. The Membership Director(s) will share the request with the President, Membership Treasurer and the Financial Director so that the criteria in these guidelines can be addressed.
5. The Membership Director(s) will review the request and apply the following criteria:

a. The member is not eligible if they received assistance in prior years.’

b. As this is intended to be a fix for a short-term problem, are the circumstances in the                      nature of short-term rather than long-term need?

c. Determine their level of participation and contributions to the branch in the past                            year. Involvement in branch meetings and committees will be given more weight                            than special interest groups.

d. Require a payment from the member to cover, at a minimum, the state and branch                      dues (in 2016 that is $36.00).

6. The Membership Director(s) will make the final decision and respond to the applicant after         consultation with the President, Membership Treasurer and the Financial Director.