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2024 Membership Renewal Processing Session 3,
November 27
(posted November
30, 2023)
Each year dues renewal invoices are sent via USPS mailing
to members using the postal addresses on record. A
query is sent in July to make sure all addresses are
current. Despite the effort, some members do not
update their addresses and therefore suffer a risk that the
invoice is sent to a superseded address. And, in spite
of this, when members realize their error, they send a
request to determine how to proceed and instructions are
provided. So far this year, we have had only 4 such
problems and each were quickly rectified. The process
adds inefficiency but as long as members realize how to
proceed, no problem has remained unrectified. We take
their new addresses and update the databases accordingly so
the problem does not repeat.
The dues invoices were mailed to all members on record in
mid October. That was about 6 weeks ago. All
members of record should have received an invoice. As
of November 27 at our third envelope opening session, we
have had responses from 53% of the membership body.
Thank you for responding but that means we have only just
passed the half way mark and must still receive and process
47%.
Please submit your renewals if you have not already done
so.. We have approximately 4 weeks remaining in the
normal renewal cycle. If those that have not responded
do not respond by December 31, they will be identified as
delinquent and will owe a $20 late fee when they finally
submit their dues payment. In the meantime, the gate
access card is suspended until payment is received and
processed. When January 31 rolls by and we still have
not received your renewal fees, your membership lapses and
to gain membership status again you will need to re-apply as
a new member to include the initiation fee and work hour
commitments. Please avoid this situation as it pleases
no one to have a membership lapse. It is inconvenient
and expensive, so do not let your membership status lapse.
So far this year we have completed three full sessions of
renewal envelope openings. The last was on November
27. Sessions are alternated from weekday mornings to
weekend mornings to allow people needing work hours to
participate. At each session we try to staff 3
processing tables to share the workload. It is a labor
intensive activity but allows members to mix laughter,
incredulity and toil together. For the most part we
have developed a group of "regulars" in addition to new
members needing work hours. The job gets done!
We process 50 or so renewals in 3 hours or less. As
payments are gathered, your gate entry (All-in-One cards)
are updated for another year and will continue to open the
gates until 1/1/2025. No other acknowledgement will
you receive other than a check that will be processed and a
functioning All-in-One gate card on January 1, 2024 (which
is your permanent membership card as well as photo ID).
Here are a couple of photos of the group that gathered on
November 27 to process renewals. Without the sacrifice
of these member volunteers, membership renewal would be more
arduous for fewer people than it already is. Thank you
volunteers!
Membership information (Updated:
December 9, 2023)
Introduction:
The Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the Izaak Walton
League of America (IWLA) is currently accepting new members.
The membership year for the Chapter starts on October 1st
and ends on September 30th of the following year, and is the
same as the membership year for the National level
organization. The Chapter
offers both Individual and Family memberships and has
instituted a simple process for inducting new members.
Ideals of the Izaak Walton League and its
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter: The Chapter is formed as a 501C(3)
tax-exempt, charitable and non-profit organization that is
devoted to the conservation of natural resources in the
servicing area of Virginia. Its
service ideals are embodied in the Member Pledge:
To strive for the purity of water, the clarity of air, and
the wise stewardship of the land and its resources; to
know the beauty and understanding of nature and the value
of wildlife, woodlands, and open space; to the
preservation of this heritage and to man's sharing in it.
Accordingly,
the
Chapter is seeking members that are interested in pledging
themselves to the furtherance of the ideals.
A desired member will join the organization in
order to serve along with like minded individuals in the
advancement of conservation, and the betterment of the
Chapter to serve its ideals. Although
the Chapter has other features deemed valuable (firearms and
archery ranges, fishing ponds, hiking trails, etc.), which
are perquisites intended for recreational use by the
members, these are not the reason for being of the Chapter. In short, the Chapter is not a
"rod and gun club," and anyone seeking only the benefits of
a rod and gun club will not be considered a desirable
member, and should seek to join another organization that
aligns with their interests.
Prospective Member: A prospective member (or 2 members
if a Family application) must first have a Chapter member in
good standing for at least a year serve as a Sponsor. The prospective member(s) must be of
sound character and must meet with a Membership Review Panel
comprised of three Chapter members as defined in the
Operational Policies. The prospective member(s) should
complete a provisional application and bring it for review
at the meeting with the panel.
Typically, the meeting with the Membership Review Panel will
be on a Saturday work day before the following monthly
membership meeting (for example, the prospective member will
need to appear at the Chapter house on December 3, 2022 (a
scheduled work day) to meet with the Panel in order to be
able to join the Chapter at the next membership meeting on
January 5, 2023). The meeting
is an opportunity for the candidate and the Panel members to
have a dialogue concerning the ideals of the organization,
its bylaws and policies, and the organization's expectations
of any new member, as well as to answer any questions by the
prospective member before the prospect makes a final
decision to proceed with an application. The
prospective member(s) will be asked if they have read the
Chapter's bylaws, operational policies and, if intending to
use the ranges, being familiar with the governing range
rules. A working awareness of
the importance of the Chapter's web site will also be
expected.
After this meeting, and if the prospect is interested in
proceeding, the prospective member(s) will be required to
attend the next monthly membership meeting at the
chapterhouse, along with their sponsor, and be presented for
a vote of acceptance by the membership body. The
Sponsor for any prospective new member(s) must
be present when the prospective member appears at the
monthly membership meeting to join the Chapter. If
the
Sponsor cannot be there to vouch for the candidate, the
candidate will be asked to return at a future meeting.
At the voting meeting the prospective member should bring a check made out to IWLA for
the appropriate fees (Initiation, dues, and shooter’s
fees); see Membership Fees below. It
should be noted that Membership meetings are held usually
the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM at the
chapterhouse, and the Membership Review Panel for
prospective members to be inducted the following month will
be held on the Saturday (2 days later) in the chapterhouse.
Check the Chapter calendar to
pinpoint the exact dates.
The Sponsor:
The sponsor will be accountable
for properly preparing the prospective member with the
ideals of the IWLA organization as well as its foundational
bylaws, policies and safety rules governing the
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter! This
foundation of understanding will be key for the success of
the initial meeting of the prospective member with the
Membership Review Panel. Also,
the sponsor must be present to enable a new person
to join at the membership meeting as the Sponsor is required
to present the prospective member(s) for the approval vote
by the membership.
Membership Application:
After completion of the meeting
with the Membership Review Panel, a prospective member(s) must
appear at the next membership meeting on the following month
in order to be introduced by the sponsor and voted on for
admission by the assembled membership. It
would be good form to show up no later than 6:15 PM. Other members arrive at around that
same time, and voting on new members is one of the first
agenda items at the meeting, which will start promptly at 7
PM. Your check will not be
cashed until you have been formally admitted for membership,
and will be returned to you if for any reason you do not
join at the membership meeting.
Click here to download a
copy of the Membership Application.
*NOTE*
- Please
complete your membership application by printing clearly
and signing the application prior to attending the
meeting with the Membership Review Panel.
- Be
sure to print your current email address in the place
provided.
- Provide
your spouse's name and email address if you are applying
for a family membership.
- New
members must submit the fully completed
application and payment in full at least 30 minutes
prior to the regular monthly meeting time as
applications will not be accepted once the
meeting has started.
New
Member
Orientation: It is mandatory that all new members
attend a "Park Safety and Rules" class, held on the Saturday
morning following the Thursday evening initiation session in
order to receive an All-in-One membership card and
photo ID "Shooter's Badge" if there is an intent to use the
firearms ranges. You must
attend this safety and rules class prior to having
unescorted access to the IWLA Park and before receiving an
entry gate (All-in-One) card (either temporary or
permanent). Sponsors should
read/download a copy of the new member
orientation presentation charts to help stress
membership points with the prospective member. This is
the same presentation provided on the Saturday after the
member has been initiated and accepted for membership.
Note: This is a relatively
large file and will take a minute or so to download if you
have a slow internet connection... be patient.
Temporary Badge
Because the new member might not have a
membership number assigned at the time of the orientation
meeting, a photo ID cannot be issued at orientation.
Instead, a temporary badge (orange color) will be
issued. This will identify the member for the first
month of membership and will allow the new member un-escorted
access to the Chapter grounds. It will expire on the
following Saturday work day so the new member and any family
member will be expected to come in that next Saturday work day
to surrender their temporary badge, to have a photo taken and
be issued the All-in-one card. If this is not done on
the next scheduled Saturday work day after orientation, the
temporary badge will be rendered non-functional and the
gate will not open with the temporary badge From start
to finish, becoming a credentialed new member takes a
commitment of three consecutive Saturday work days. It is
suggested that a prospective member consult the Chapter calendar when planning to start
the membership admission process.
Membership Fees:
The one-time initiation fee for
either an individual or a family is $350.00. The
annual dues for an individual member is $120 and family
memberships are $193.00 and are payable at the time
of membership acceptance. If one chooses to apply for
membership on or after October 1 of the dues year, the
prospective member will be paying the following year's
fees and will pay a prorated fee for each month
preceding January 1 of the membership year. By
the same token, anyone joining before October 1 will be
paying the full current year's dues, and will receive a
dues invoice for the following year soon after joining. The
local Chapter membership dues also provide membership to
the National chapter of IWLA and the Virginia State
chapter of the IWLA.
As
indicated, there is an additional $20.00 Fee for each
new member if they plan to shoot on any of the
Chapter's firearms ranges. The
initiation fee of $350.00, the full amount of the
annual dues and, as indicated, twenty dollars ($20.00)
for each prospective member that intends to use the
firearms ranges, are payable at the time of joining in
either cash or by personal check made payable to IWLA.
The time of joining is the membership meeting on a
Thursday evening when the established members vote on
a prospective members acceptance to the
organization. The fees are paid at or before
6:30 pm before the formal start of the meeting at 7:00
pm. A prospective member and their sponsor will
be introduced early in the meeting. After
introductions, prospective members are excused from
the meeting while members deliberate and vote for
inclusion.
Membership Publications:
Included as
a benefit of your annual membership is a
subscription to IWLA's Outdoor America
magazine; the award-winning quarterly magazine
of the Izaak
Walton
League of America.
Each quarterly issue is filled with
articles about the conservation work of League members as
well as an in-depth coverage of broader conservation issues.
The only way to get this magazine is
to become a member of the Izaak Walton League. It
comes as a magazine in the mail but can also be downloaded
from the IWLA web site if you are a
registered member. In addition the National
Organization has many publications relating to environmental
stewardship. View the extensive
library of publications
offered by the National organization.
Chapter Affinity Merchandise (Hats and Tees):
The Chapter sells shirts and hats of various colors, styles
and sizes. Usually the merchandise is available for sale
at the Membership meetings on the first Thursday of each
month. It may also be available at other times (Saturday
work days) if a sales person is at the Chapterhouse and the
merchandise room is open. The prices vary according to
this price list.
Chapter Service Requirement for New Members:
All
new members must obtain 20 documented Chapter Service
Hours (40 for Family Memberships). If
this service requirement is not met in the first
year period, the Chapter will levy a $150 fine for a
single membership or a $300 fine for a family.
Note well: The 12 month
period begins at the month of membership induction and
ends 12 months later at the Saturday anniversary of
membership induction. It does not have
direct relationship with the dues membership year.
Starting January 1, 2020, any service hours not
completed in the first year will roll over to the next
year. This process would continue until the
Service Hours are earned.
If the fine is not paid, the member
or family membership will be terminated at the end of the
first year. In other words, the payment of the fine
no longer forgives the balance of the service hours not
worked in the first year. Sign-up sheets are provided for
each qualified event, and serve as the official record for
accruing the required service time. Make
sure you are signed up if you perform service, until you
have accrued the required number of hours.
The Chapter Board of Directors may, at
their discretion, waive or extend time due to unforeseen
circumstances. Each member or
family may appeal any impending fine to the Chapter Board of
Directors for adjudication.
By the way,
the organization is made strong through the work of
volunteers. The Board is
hopeful that after the initial requirement has been
fulfilled a "volunteer ethic" and an affinity with fellow
members will have been developed and each member will seek
opportunities to continue to serve frequently and strengthen
the organization.
Unanswered Questions: If your Sponsor
is unable to answer all your questions about becoming a
member of the Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the
Izaak Walton League you may consult with Sandy Stanford,
Chapter Membership Chairman at stanfolr@comcast.net
Annual Chapter Membership Dues Payment Policy: Because
of members not paying Chapter Dues on time each year, and
the additional cost and work-hours incurred by the Chapter
because of these late payments, the Dues Policy instituted
in the Operational Policies of the Chapter provides for a
strict payment schedule. Here
are some key points from the Chapter membership dues payment
policy:
- Annual
membership dues are payable no later than December 31 of
each year.
- If
the membership dues are not paid by December 31, a late
payment fee of $20.00 will be added during a one month
"grace period" that will end on January 31.
- If
the dues are not paid by February 1 of each year, the
member will be expelled from active membership.
- If
either an expelled individual or family desires to
be reinstated the expelled individual or family will
have to reapply for membership and be required to pay
both 1) the current initiation fee ($350) and 2) the
current membership dues ($120 for an individual and $193
for family membership).
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