MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Listed below is a description of the Membership Committees duties and responsibilities. A fully detailed presentation of procedures is to be followed together with samples of forms, and letters to be employed. Together they can serve as an operations manual for the Membership Committee Chairman.

Membership Chairman

The Chairman must see to it that accurate up to date records pertaining to the membership are properly prepared and maintained and that all designated procedures are followed. He is also responsible for initiating any action needed to ensure that a climate for encouraging prospective candidates to seek full membership is created.

Prospective Member Procedures

To become eligible for membership an individual must first attend three (not necessarily consecutive) meetings as a guest of an active or a sustaining member. On completion of this requirement the individual becomes a candidate provided he is sponsored by two active members. At the time he is listed in the Candidate Attendance Record book and running record of attendance is maintained. His record of attendance has some bearing on his date of acceptance into the organization. As a candidate he will receive a special name tag, a welcoming letter from the President and a set of application forms which are to be completed by him or one of his sponsors. The forms include a sheet of instructions defining the responsibilities of the sponsors and a space for the written endorsements of the candidate. It also includes an application form for a social membership to the YMCA.

Induction to membership

A candidate must attend at least three meetings before being considered for induction into the RMA. As a vacancy occurs, the Chairman notifies the candidate of his proposed date of induction. It is the candidate�s responsibility to see that his sponsors are notified and available for his planned induction date. Only one induction is planned for a given meeting unless special permission is given by the President.


May 2005 1/5 Sec 23

Any circumstances pertaining to the induction of a Candidate, other than those described above, must be referred to the Board of Directors for decision.

Induction Procedures
  1. The Membership Chairman, acting as emcee, invites the Candidate and his Sponsors to the podium. Meanwhile, the President has been given a copy of the Candidate�s Application Fom, together with a Presentation Folder which contains a welcoming letter from the President, copies of the Constitution and By-Laws, a Membership Roster and a Permission Form that allows the Member to grant or deny his permission to have an illness or hospital stay announced at a meeting, plus a list of Volunteer Agencies, and a list of current Officers and committee Chairmen.
  2. The Membership Chairman briefly introduces the Candidate, then invites the two Sponsors to articulate their ndorsmnts of him.
  3. The candidate is voted on for membership.
  4. The Membership Chairman then calls upon the President (or Presiding Officer) to make appropriate remarks, deliver the Presentation Folder to the newly inducted Member, and see to it that he receives his White Name Tag. The President then invites the new Member to make brief acceptance remarks.
  5. After these rituals, the Membership Chairman gives a copy of the Application Form to the duty editor of the Cigar Box Bulletin and to a member of the Computer Committee to ensure his inclusion on the Membership Roster and the CBB Mailing List.
  6. The complete Application document is then given to the RMA Historian for file. The member is required to pay the special YMCA Association fee.
Procedure Governing Membership Status
  1. Any Active Member who misses 10 consecutive meetings or who has attended notably infrequently during the fiscal year will be contacted by the Membership Committee to determine the reason for his delinquency. If the reasons are deemed insufficient or inadequate, the Member will be transferred to Sustaining status, and so advised, or, at his preference, dropped from the Membership Roster.
  2. A Sustaining or Non-Resident member may request a return to Active status by written request to the Membership Chairman, and by paying the YMCA�s special RMA membership fee.
    May 2005 2/5 Sec. 23
    Active status will be restored when the first vacancy occurs and will take precedence over a Candidate�s induction, provided that the latter�s induction date has not been specifically set.
  3. Annually, the Membership Committee will review the list of Sustaining and Non-Resident members. A form letter will be sent to anyone with whom there has been no contact over a 12- month period, asking that the RMA be notified if he wishes to continue in his status. If an affirmative answer is not received in a reasonable length of time, and unless justifiable reasons for his absence are advanced, the member�s name will be dropped from the list.

    Membership Roster

    The Membership Chairman is responsible for notifying the Chairman of the Computer Committee and the Associate maintaining the CBB Mailing List of any changes to the Membership Roster and CBB lists. �Changes� include changes of address, telephone numbers, death of a spouse, additions of New Members and Candidates, and any change in membership status. Members are responsible for giving the Chairman applicable information about the timing and duration of Temporary Changes of Address.

    Identification Badges

    The Membership Committee, in conjunction with the Computer Committee, must ensure that a White, computer-generated Identification Badge is prepared for every full Member. A similar, hand-lettered badge in a color other than white is issued to Candidates, and a �stick-on� badge, also hand-lettered, is given to Prospective Candidates and other visitors. To help Candidates and Members identify and more easily approach current RMA officers and Past Presidents, their titles are included on,,he latters� color-coded ID cards. Past Presidents� cards display Hi�stripes across the card; those of all current officers feature a red stripe.

    Member and Attendance Recording

    At the end of each meeting, designated Membership Committeemen collect and return Identification Badges and enter the names of those who attended in an Attendance Record book. Others see to it that, before the start of each meeting, all ID badges are displayed in alphabetical order for Members to pick up.

    A weekly posting of Members� birthdays (later to be publicly acknowledged) is made.


    May 2005 3/5 Sec. 23

    Reports-To-Membership Procedures

    Each week the Membership Chairman or his delegate reports the following to those present:
    1. Attendance count by membership status. Includes Members, Candidates, Guests and Visitors. Candidates are acknowledged by name, and Guests and Visitors by �stand-up� recognition.
    2. A list of those having birthdays on the meeting date and in the week to come are reported and acknowledged by a membership rendition of �Happy Birthday.� A birthday cake is presented to Active members (if present) celebrating their 90th, 95th or 100th birthday. The Membership Chairman must a.) notify the Refreshment Committee in time for the cake to be ordered, and b.) contact the honoree to ensure his presence at the appropriate meeting. Members, themselves, are responsible for notifying the Membership Committee of their 50th Wedding Anniversary if they wish It to be acknowledged.
    3. The Membership Committee must also provide the President with a list of ''Returnees''--those who have been away from the greater Greenwich area or who have been ill or hospitalized, so that the President may extend Welcome Back greetings.

    Correspondence

    The Membership Chairman is authorized to handle all correspondence specifically pertaining to the status of individual memberships.

    Records

    Upon the election of a new Chairman, the Membership Committee must turn over certain records.
    1. To the incoming Chairman
      1. Attendance records for at least the past six months
      2. Inductee Priority List, with accompanying attendance data
      3. All Name Tags, Forms and Supplies
    2. To the Historian
      1. Membership Roster, Supplements
      2. Any other materials the Membership Chairman may find appropriate

    May 2005 4/5 Sec. 23

    Membership Committee Forms

    Copies of these forms will be attached to the manual given to the incoming chairman.
    1. Letter to new candidates
    2. Application for membership (White form)
    3. Application for YMCA Social Membership
    4. Instruction for sponsors endorsements of candidates (Green form)
    5. Letter to habitual absentees, listed as active members.
    By-laws; Article II, section 2
    May 2005 5/5 Sec. 23
    Month Item By-Laws & Constitution
    MayAudit committee report (B1.6)
    last year�s Treasurer�s report
    Approve Annual Dinner subsidy
    Names of Appointed committees
    Budget information to Budget Committee
    Memorial Service for deceased Members.
    Past-President award     		Art. II, Sec 6, By-Laws(B2.6)

    Art. 1, Sec 6, By-Laws (B1.6)
    Art. II, Sec 7, By-Laws (B2.7)

    Art. I, Sec 3, By-Laws (B1.3)