Membership Status: Dues Deadline Has Passed….Now What?

Congratulations to the chapters that submitted their National dues postmarked by the November 30^th  deadline! Now your chapter is assured of its voice at Continental Congress.

The question remaining for chapters is:

 “What do we do about those members who give us their dues check after the November 30th deadline date?”  If a member’s dues have not been paid, she is categorized as delinquent.

A member whose dues are delinquent (1) may not be counted in determining representation of your chapter to meetings of the National or State Societies; (2) may not vote for delegates or alternates to meetings of the National or State Societies; (3) shall not be entitled to act as representative or alternate at such meetings; (4) shall not be entitled to transfer or to resign from membership.

Membership will be automatically terminated if dues are not received showing a Federal Postal Service or other carrier’s cancellation date no later than the last day of February.  Once a member has been terminated for non-payment, she must apply for reinstatement, which carries a reinstatement fee of $10.00, plus two year’s dues (at the current dues rate). This must be submitted with a Chapter Dues and Fees Control Sheet – Document No. OSG 1003 (Remittance Form) available in the NIP sent to chapter regents. It can be found online under “Forms and Publications” at nsdar.members.org. Also, see Guide for Chapter and State Treasurers, page 14.

So what to do if:

1. Your chapter submitted National dues with the Chapter Dues Invoice Form, by the required deadline, but some members had either resigned, died, or simply did not pay their dues; therefore, you did not include their dues in the chapter dues check you sent to National.  If the invoice was submitted without accounting for some of the members, and they pay their dues later than November 30 but prior to the National Drop date, you will need to submit a chapter check and Remittance Form National Dues and Fees Control Sheet Remittance Form OSG-1003 available on the DAR Members’ website listing the members names, National numbers, and addresses to whom payment should be credited.
2. If a member indicates a desire to resign or transfer to another chapter or to member-at-large (MAL), after  the December 1 deadline and she has not yet paid her dues,  advise her that her dues are in a delinquent status and she is therefore not eligible to resign or transfer. She may pay her dues now and resign or transfer at a later time, or she will be dropped by National after the last day of February. The dues for MAL are currently $52.00, unless a woman is applying for MAL for the purpose of organizing a new chapter, in which case her National dues are $37.00. Remember, permission to organize a new chapter must initially be approved by the State Society.
3. If a member’s dues were paid on time and submitted by the chapter by the November 30^th deadline and she then requests a transfer, either to another chapter or to Member-at-Large, advise her that she cannot transfer unless she:(a)  has been a member of her current chapter for at least twelve months; OR (b) is transferring to Member-at-Large for the purpose of organizing a new chapter.  If either of these requirements is met, then follow the process outlined in the Chapter Registrar’s Guide, page 13-15, to accomplish the transfer. The chapter registrar usually processes the request, but the member herself may download the Change in Membership Status Form and submit it to the Organizing Secretary General’s office.
4. If a member has been resigned or reported deceased in error (yes, it does happen), send an e-mail to the office of the Organizing Secretary General (organizing@nsdar.org) explaining the situation and request that it be resolved. It can easily be fixed.

More on Member-At-Large Status 

Two situations exist whereby a Daughter may either join or transfer to Member-at-Large of the National Society:

1. An organizing regent may be appointed by the state regent for the purpose of organizing a new chapter in her state. In that case  a chapter member or member-at-large may have notified  the state regent of a desire to organize a chapter in a specified geographic area, or the state regent may have identified a locale where she would like to have a new chapter organized and appoint an organizing regent.  A chapter can be organized with a minimum of  twelve (12) eligible members-at-large in a city or town where no chapter exists or in a metropolis where chapters do exist, but another chapter may be needed to suit the time or availability of the members. After the state regent approves the organization of a new chapter in California, she submits a request to the Organizing Secretary General for approval of the Organizing Regent (who must have transferred to MAL) by the National Board of Management.  Other members or prospectives wishing to become a member of the newly organized chapter will transfer to MAL. The instructions for organizing a new chapter are included in “Instructions for Organizing a New Chapter,” found on the Organizing Secretary’s web page.  Under these circumstances the National dues for a member-at large are the same as the National dues for a chapter member.
2. For various personal reasons, a prospective member or chapter member may decide that membership-at-large is more appropriate for her than chapter membership. In that case she is not a member of a chapter or a state society and does not hold voting privileges in either of those groups. Her National dues are currently $52 per year and she is billed directly each year by the National Society. In California a prospective member desiring to go MAL may request application assistance from Virginia Rood, (vsrood@aol.com) State Chair for California Members-at-Large.  A member-at-large may attend Continental Congress and serve on the House Committee or as a page and is eligible to enter various DAR contests. In California, she may also attend the State Conference and is permitted with approval of the state regent to work on conference committees.

A member-at-large may choose to join a chapter, upon approval by the chapter membership. The process for changing membership status is documented in the Guide for Chapter Registrars, available on the DAR Members’ website.  

Beverly Moncrieff
State Registrar
registrar@californiadar.org