Welcome
ROTARY CLUB OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS POLICY
POLICY NAME: Membership
DATE APPROVED BY BOARD: May 1, 2023
EFFECTIVE DATE: on approval
NEXT SCHEDULED REVIEW DATE: May 2025
REPLACES POLICY DATED: Policy dated May 10, 2021
PURPOSE: The Policy is intended to describe the process for bringing new members into the club, categories of membership and expectations of members once in the club.
POLICY STATEMENT:As described in the club bylaws, Membership in the Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs shall be open to anyone in a nondiscriminatory manner who has an active interest in the affairs of the community who can meet membership requirements and adheres to the policies of the club.
CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP:
ACTIVE MEMBERS – Active members make up the backbone of the club and is the category for all members unless a different level of membership is approved by the Board of Directors.All members are expected to engage with a significant participation level in meetings and other club activities and responsibilities, meet identified responsibilities and meet requirements of the Meeting and Attendance Policy and be in good standing with their financial obligations.
ACTIVE MEMBER, ATTENDANCE EXCUSED - This category of membership is intended for members who travel frequently for business purposes or for extended periods of time, which prohibits them from consistent attendance. A member may also apply when they have extenuating personal circumstances. To apply for this status, a member must have been an active member longer than one year. The request must be for a defined period of time not to exceed 12 months. During this time the member is expected to attend meetings as usual if/when they are in town. The member dues calculation while in this category will be the portion of the dues required to meet the operational requirements of the Club. The member will be billed for meals of meetings attended at the direct meal cost rate. No meal credit for make-ups will be granted. Member is excused from the requirement to purchase event/raffle tickets only if they are out of town for the reason the status was granted when the event takes place. In all other respects, it is expected that the member will maintain their active involvement with the club.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE - Upon written request to the Board of Directors and submitted to the President, setting forth good and sufficient cause, a Leave of Absence may be granted excusing a member from attending the meetings of the club for a specified length of time, normally 3 to 6 months. A member may not be on Leave of Absence for more than 50% of the club year except under extenuating circumstances. Members who have been members less than one year, may not request Leaves of Absence. Unless waived by the board for an exceptional circumstance, if a member of less than one year requires time away, they will be asked to resign and reapply when their time allows them to meet attendance requirements of the club. The Leave of Absence will be under such terms as determined by the Board of Directors. Leave of Absence may be retroactive if the board deems this to be fair and reasonable. Leave of Absence may be granted for illness, extended out-of-town stays, or for any other reason deemed to constitute sufficient cause by the Board of Directors. Any Rotarian on a leave of absence is responsible for Rotary International and District dues and fees and will be billed accordingly. The member dues calculation while in this category will be the portion of the dues required to meet the operational requirements of the Club. The member will be billed for meals of meetings attended at the direct meal cost rate.
RESIGNATIONS – Members who choose to resign from the club should submit their intent to resign in writing to the board or chair of the membership committee. It would help the board in understanding and why members choose to leave the club if the member could give a brief reason that they are choosing to resign. Resignations cannot be made retroactive to a certain date, but are considered as of the date the board acts on the resignation. Any “hard costs” spent by the club on behalf of the member must still be paid for a member to be considered resigned in good standing. This includes costs such as Rotary International or District dues paid while the member is on the active role, pledges made for specific purposes prior to the resignation that have been paid by the club, etc.
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP - is reserved for former club members who have been a member of the club for an extended period of time and have provided extraordinary leadership and participation in club activities during their membership as described below.
Honorary Membership is granted on recommendations from the Membership Committee to the Board or may be conferred directly by the Board.
When an Honorary Member dies, their Honorary Membership will be ended.
The membership committee shall be responsible for managing the Honorary Member program and maintaining contact with Honorary Members.
The membership committee shall be responsible for:
- Evaluating honorary membership requests and recommend action to the board based on the selection criteria.
- Assist the President in communicating with existing honorary members periodically (at least every two years) to ascertain their interest in continuing their honorary member status.
Four specific qualifying attributes should be considered in granting honorary membership. A fifth attribute shall recognize “special circumstances
Points should be assigned to each attribute (i.e., 20 for each) and an aggregate score of 75 points should be required for a candidate to qualify. The attributes include:
• Member for 10 years or more: Up to 20 Points (Pro-rate for less than ten years, but at least five years.)
- Club Leadership: Up to 20 Points (An officer of the board, board membership and/or committee chairmanship)
- Financial Support: Up to 20 Points (Paul Harris and/or Jack Black Fellowship; Other substantial contributions)
- Regular Attendance and Participation: Up to 20 Points (Participation in club meetings and projects)
- Special Circumstances: Up to 20 Points (Significant financial support; Extraordinary leadership or service.)
An Honorary Member is encouraged to remain connected to the club by:
• Attending at least three to four meetings of our club each year when in town.
- Contributing at least $100 annually to the Steamboat Springs Rotary Endowment and $100 to the Rotary Foundation.
METHOD OF ELECTING ACTIVE MEMBERS
To be eligible to submit an application for membership, the applicant must have attended four (4) weekly meetings of the club and have been a full-time resident of Routt County for more than one year. If they have lived full time in Routt for less than one year they must attend six (6) meetings. If the applicant is currently a member of another Rotary club, then he/she need to attend three (3) meetings prior to submitting the application. The Club will absorb the meal costs for the first two (2) meetings for any prospective member.
No individual who is for standing for election to any public office that club members are eligible to vote on shall be considered for membership in the club until after the election to avoid any appearance of club endorsement for that particular candidate. Current club members and guests who choose to seek elected office that club members are eligible to vote on may not engage in any campaign activity or discussion during club meetings or events except for election forums sponsored by the club. This prohibition also includes persons a member or guest acts on behalf of. The club email list and Club Runner cannot be used for any campaign purpose for election to public office.
A prospective member must then submit an application to the Membership Committee Chair with two sponsoring members signatures indicating the sponsors will uphold their expected responsibilities as a sponsor.
Prior to being presented to the membership, the prospective member must attend an orientation program which will formally explain the expectations of members to assure the member is able and willing to meet the expectations.
The Board of Directors shall consider and approve or disapprove the recommendation of the Membership Committee and shall then notify the sponsoring members, through the Membership Chair, of its decision. If the decision of the Board of Directors is favorable, the sponsoring members or a member of the membership committee shall contact the prospective member to advise that their application for membership will be presented in announcements at two consecutive regular meetings of the club.
If a written objection to the proposed member is received by the Secretary from an Active Member within six days of the first or second reading, the Board of Directors shall review the issue in executive session with input from the proposed member's sponsor(s) and from the objecting member(s) at any regular or special board meeting and shall take a vote on the proposed member. Unless two or more negative votes are cast by board members, the proposed member shall be approved for membership. The new member shall then be formally introduced at a regular meeting of the club.
If no written objection is received within six days of the second reading by the Secretary the prospective member, upon payment of his/her admission fee shall be considered to be elected to membership.
Following the members' election as herein provided, the Secretary shall issue a new member's badge to the member and report the member's name to the General Secretary of Rotary International and make appropriate posting on Club Runner.