Chapter 7: Membership

Handling membership can be a time-consuming task depending on the size of your section. The membership chairperson is responsible for keeping the section aware of new members, renewals, and correct addresses. Fortunately the GMC office tracks all membership information and is a terrific resource. Use it to help with your administrative tasks. Responsibilities also include recruiting new members and making them feel welcome. And do not forget the existing membership. Think about ways to hold their interest and make them value their GMC section membership.

Strategies for Recruiting New Members

Before you launch on a section membership campaign, take time to think about who it is that you are trying to reach. There are many types of people who support organizations like the Green Mountain Club. Rather than thinking of one generic type of member, try to think of groups of members who share common interests and values. 

Trailworkers are one group with whom we are all familiar. These are people who are willing to make a commitment of time and physical effort to support trailwork and other section efforts. Of course, there may be any number of other groups who are members, or prospective members, of your section. Take every opportunity to talk to both current and potential members to find out what they share in common. You may find that there are enough families, seniors, young adults, backpackers, peak climbers, canoers, bicyclers, or Sunday strollers to merit scheduling activities that are planned especially for them. You will also need to plan your recruiting methods to ensure that you are reaching your intended audience. 

The GMC office is happy to provide brochures, membership applications, and copies of the Long Trail News for use in section membership recruitment. GMC staff are always available to make suggestions in terms of design of section newsletters and other material printed by sections. The list that follows is a collection of ideas that have worked for some sections.

Make Use of Free Publicity

• List outings and events in a local newspaper calendar.
• Mail your schedule to other groups, such as outdoor clubs, environmental groups, social clubs, and church groups.
• Post outing schedules and applications on bulletin boards in sporting goods stores, book stores, supermarkets, community bulletin boards, co-ops, health food stores, laundromats, and health or fitness centers.
• When posting a schedule in a public place, include tear-off telephone numbers for the membership chair.

Follow up on Inquiries

• Mail or e-mail your schedule, application form, and newsletter to people who inquire about your section.
• Make sure the schedule has the name and phone number of someone to contact for more information about the GMC.
• Place names of interested people on your mailing list for some period of time, perhaps six months.

Make New Members Feel Welcome

• Write a welcome letter from your section, and use it as part of your own welcome packet, or ask the staff in Waterbury Center to use in the complete section welcome packet.
• Make a phone call, or use your application form, to find out exactly what kind of outings and activities a new member is interested in.
• Invite newcomers to a specific event. New members may be looking for more than a hiking experience. Plan potlucks, pancake breakfasts, or other social events.
• Include a volunteer sign-up sheet in your new member packet. It allows newcomers to get involved with other members, and gives you some idea of their special interests and talents.
• Make an effort to extend a special welcome to new members at all your section outings, meetings, and special events. At your annual meeting you could ask all new members to raise their hands so that everyone can recognize and welcome them to the group. This shows that you care that they are a part of the section.

How to Keep All of Your Members Interested

As chairperson offer your membership tools and knowledge to other section leaders to help them plan their activities.

• Categorize your mailing list so that information, invitations, or requests can be sent to a particular group; for example, you could categorize newcomers, inquiries, seniors, families, volunteers, trailworkers, etc.
• Make such demographic information available to other section leaders to help them schedule activities for specific groups including children, seniors, families, or certain interests.

Membership Assistance from the GMC Office

 The staff at the GMC office is available to assist sections by keeping section membership lists up-to-date, printing lists and labels, mailing renewal notices, and providing membership development materials. Development materials may include a supply of GMC brochures and applications, advice on newsletter or flyer design, and assistance with publicity.

Monthly Updates from the GMC Office

Once a month the GMC office sends membership information to section membership chairs and section treasurers. If there is no membership activity for a given section during the previous month then no information is mailed. Membership chairs receive a monthly report listing new member information, address changes, transfers from at-large or other sections, and renewals. 

Section treasurers receive photocopies of any renewal forms or membership applications the GMC office has received as well as a check for any renewals or new membership dues received during the previous month. Sections receive 25% of all dues payment and 100% of all contributions designated specifically for section use.

Updates from the Section

Likewise, sections are asked to notify the office of any changes to their membership lists on a timely basis. Changes may include new section members, members who have renewed directly with the section, or recently deceased members. Sections are asked to send 75% of all collected dues to the GMC office on a monthly or bimonthly basis. 

Annual Update of Membership List

Complete section membership lists are sent annually to section membership or treasurer chairs prior to mailing section renewals. Chairs are asked to make necessary modifications to the list so that renewals are sent to appropriate members and correct addresses.

Mailing Labels and Membership Lists

Mailing labels and membership lists for your section are available at any time at no cost. It is helpful if requests for labels or a list are made two weeks in advance. When placing your request, please include the date you need the list or labels by and whether you would like labels in alphabetical or zip code order. Membership lists can also be put on disk. The Club maintains its membership data in Raiser's Edge and can convert information into the following file formats: Comma-Separated Values (CSV), Data Interchange Format (DIF), Excel 2.1 - 5.0 (XLS), Lotus 1-2-3 (WK1, WK3, and WKS), Record Style (Columns of Values), Rich Text Format (RTF), Text, Microsoft Word Merge File, WordPerfect Merge File, Microsoft Access Database, FoxPro Database, dBASE III, MS Access Report Writer Database.

Access to Mailing Lists of Other Sections and At-large Members

On June 3, 1995 the board of directors approved a policy regarding the internal distribution of mailing lists. Lists or labels are available at the discretion of the executive director. Approval is granted based on the following guidelines:

• Purpose. The mailing could be for purposes such as inviting members from another section or members at_large to help with a special project, such as a shelter, through donations or volunteer work; to subscribe to a section newsletter; to attend a special event; or to consider the formation of a new section. The list encompasses a variety of reasons for encouraging wide participation in section activities. It does not allow for the direct solicitation for section membership.
• Procedure. A written request stating the purpose of the mailing should be submitted to the executive director. Where appropriate, prior approval should be obtained from the trail management committee, the fundraising committee, or affected section presidents. If approval is denied, the petitioner may appeal to the executive committee. The executive director may request reimbursement for mailing label costs.

Welcoming New Members

Every new GMC member receives a welcome packet from the Green Mountain Club office. Packets are prepared and mailed weekly by staff and volunteers. The executive director personally signs all welcome letters. 

There are three types of welcome packets prepared for new GMCers depending on what membership category and section a member joins. Section officers are encouraged to contact the GMC office and designate either the basic or complete welcome packet if they are not satisfied with their current welcoming practice. 

The Basic Section Welcome Packet is mailed to all new members of the Burlington, Connecticut, Killington, Ottauquechee, and Sterling sections. The packet includes a welcome letter signed by the executive director, a set of GMC bylaws, a current Long Trail News, a section description and member benefits list, a free GMC decal, a Long Trail Protection Campaign report (if available), a GMC Annual Report (if available), and timely flyers advertising GMC workshops, slide shows, and special events. 

Note: If your section elects to use the basic section welcome packet, you are responsible for sending section membership cards and current section newsletter/outing schedules. You may want to include an informal welcome note. 

The Complete Section Welcome Packet is mailed to all new members of the Bennington, Brattleboro, Bread Loaf, Laraway, Manchester, Montpelier, Northeast Kingdom, Northern Frontier, and Worcester sections. The complete packet includes all items listed above for the basic packet but also includes a section membership card and a current section newsletter or activity schedule. 

Note: If your section has elected to use the complete section welcome packet, you are responsible for making sure that the GMC office has a supply of signed membership cards and your most current newsletter or outing schedule. 

The At-large Welcome Packet is mailed to all new at-large members. This packet includes all items listed above for the basic packet but also includes an at-large membership card.

Transfer Members

Both at-large members and members of other sections should be encouraged to transfer to your section if they enjoy participating in your activities and outings. Either the prospective member or a section officer can contact the GMC membership staff to request the transfer. 

The GMC office does not send anything to members who transfer. We suggest that you send a note to confirm the transfer and to welcome them to your section.

Transfer from At-large to Section

Sections are notified about members transferring into their section on the monthly reports. In most cases, sections do not receive money for members who transfer. However, if a member makes a transfer request within a month of joining the club or at the time of renewal, the new section receives 25% of the dues.

Transfer from Section to Section

Sections are notified about members transferring into or out of their section on the monthly reports. Sections usually do not receive money for members who transfer from another section. However, if a member makes a transfer request within a month of joining the club or at the time of renewal, the new section receives 25% of the dues.

Membership Renewal Process

The GMC office offers a renewal program to all sections. The program includes writing, printing, and mailing renewal notices at no cost to the section. As of May 2001, the renewal program is transitioning from sending notices once a year (at the end of a section's fiscal year) to sending notices monthly (just prior to the anniversary of a member's join date). This new method of renewing members will avoid member confusion and will spread out GMC income over the course of the year.

Annual Renewal Mailing

Most sections are familiar with the annual renewal mailing. At the end of a section's fiscal year the membership office works with section officers in writing a renewal letter. The office coordinates the printing and mailing of the letter to lapsed section members. Two additional notices are mailed one month apart to members who do not respond to previous notices. This once-a-year mailing provides sections with a lump sum of money at the start of their new fiscal year. Despite having cut-off dates in place, this method is unfair towards new members who are asked for their first renewal within less than a year after joining the club.

Rolling Renewal Mailing

The GMC's new membership and fundraising software makes it possible for the club to manage a rolling renewal schedule. Current members used to receiving their notices at the start of the fiscal year will continue to receive notices at that time. However, new members will receive future renewal notices just before their anniversary join-date. In both cases, successive follow-up notices will be sent to members who do not respond to previous notices. Under this method sections will still, for a time, continue to receive a bulk of funds once a year but eventually receipt of monies will be spread out over the year. Rolling renewal mailings are practiced by most nonprofit organizations; sections are encouraged to switch all members to a rolling renewal cycle.

Nonrenewals

Memberships are dropped when members do not renew within the four months following their join-date. Sections are encouraged to take additional steps to retain their members. Some approaches that have been used include:

• marking section newsletters to alert delinquent members;
• writing an informal note;
• making a phone call;
• sending the section newsletter for an additional six months.

A section may at any time request a list of their dropped members from the GMC office.