Many questions, concerns, and actual situations have been shared with this officer regarding rules pertaining to direct payment to DAR members (remuneration) for various DAR activities. Please remember that we are a volunteer organization and the following scenarios are prohibited.
1. Payment to a DAR member for time spent researching a “prospective member’s” lineage or to prepare the prospective member’s application papers is not permitted. Even if a DAR member is a “professional” genealogist, she may not charge a prospective member for these services. She must volunteer her time.
However, if the DAR member makes photocopies for the prospective member, has expenses for ordering records, postage, and the like, the prospective member should reimburse the DAR member for these items. It is wise to make sure that the prospective member agrees to what is being ordered before the DAR member takes any action, and to have receipts to give to the prospective member so she may reimburse.
On this subject, an official ruling of the Wright Administration ruling from June 24, 2011, states:
EC #30
To formalize as NSDAR policy that NSDAR members serving as Chapter, State and National Officers and/or Chapter, State and National Chairmen of Membership, Lineage Research and Volunteer Genealogists or members of these committees, may not charge any prospective NSDAR member for genealogy research or the preparation of her application paper. The member may be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses she incurred for vital records, documentation and postage upon presentation of an itemized statement with receipts. This policy applies even if the member is a professional genealogist. These restrictions do not apply for supplemental papers.
Rationale: As a volunteer organization our members should not profit from a prospective member who wants to join the Society. Every effort should be made to streamline the application procedure. Adopted.
(Please note that this ruling does not apply to “supplemental” applications; it only applies to applications for prospective members.)
2. Payment to a DAR member for financial services such as bookkeeping, financial review/audit of the chapter finances, or performing the job of chapter treasurer, is not permitted. Even if a DAR member is a finance professional (CPA), she may not charge a chapter to prepare its taxes, to perform a financial review or audit, or for professional advice given.
Finance professionals who are DAR members may give financial advice to a chapter, however, they are not allowed to charge for that advice. These members should check the tax code or with their personal accountants to determine if volunteer time spent giving professional advice to a chapter is tax deductible.
3. DAR members who present programs to chapters and districts are not permitted to accept chapter or personal checks from members reimbursing them for mileage, hotel bills, gas, food, etc. Guest speakers who are members may not “charge” to give a program. Programs are given on a volunteer basis.
The correct way to honor a member who presents a program to your chapter is to make a chapter donation or honorarium in the presenter’s name to a DAR project. It is nice to ask the presenter where she would like the honorarium donated (a DAR National or State project). After the meeting, the chapter treasurer sends the donation to the appropriate entity with the appropriate form, noting that it is in honor of the speaker.
Chapters often offer the guest speaker a home in which to spend the night while traveling, the chapter hosts meals or obtains a good hotel rate for the speaker. Chapters also offer to provide transportation from the airport, train station, or from the hotel. DAR speakers willing to travel to present programs can be found in the Program-Resource Material Guide available on the CSSDAR Members’ website under the “Forms” link.
If you have any questions regarding these issues, please contact the State Regent.
Thank you.
Debbie Jamison
State Regent
regent@californiadar.org