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Houston Area Traditional Dance Society

Houston Area Traditional Dance Society

Board Handbook: Membership Coordinator

Original document by Kendall Rogers, updated by Keith Holmes.

Overview

The HATDS Membership Coordinator is tasked with managing the HATDS member roster data and communications regarding membership. This entails performing several general ongoing responsibilities as well as generating some specific products at certain times of the membership year.

The HATDS membership year begins September 1. Registration opens for the upcoming membership year on August 1, allowing renewing members the entire month of August to renew early. New memberships taken during August take effect immediately as well as applying to the new membership year.

However, registration is closed for July. This allows time for the new board to decide on any changes, the webmaster to make any needed adjustments to the online tools, and the membership coordinator to produce a renewal letter. It also prevents new members from paying for less than one month of membership.

Membership Coordinator Requirements

  • Must have secure internet access to access the membership database.
  • Will need to work well with the webmaster, who owns the database, tools, and files. The coordinator merely curates the data in the database using said tools.
  • Does not need to be a board member, but needs to be trustworthy and responsible.
  • Should be able to generate printed documents (name tags). Owning a printer is not mandatory, as there are retail printing services commonly available. However, these services incur costs.

Tools Used

  • Word Processor and Spreadsheet Program
    • Membership data is stored on HATDS servers in comma-separated value (CSV) format that is easily read by a spreadsheet program such as LibreOffice Calc or Microsoft Excel.
    • The mail merge feature of office software is useful for creating name tags.
  • The HATDS’ online membership tools accessed at hatds.org/mc or through the Management Dashboard allow the membership coordinator to
    • Download current and past membership data.
    • Enter or edit current membership data.
    • Download reports including
      • a list of members for dance sign-in,
      • emails only, and
      • roster data with Do Not Publish fields redacted.

    New coordinators should communicate with the webmaster for information and training, if necessary.

Membership Products

The membership coordinator is responsible for:

  • A renewal reminder letter that is emailed in July.
  • A roster two to four times a year (discretion of the board).
  • Name badges as needed throughout the year.

It is recommended that a copy of the roster and renewal letter be placed in the HATDS Dropbox Membership subfolder for future reference. Previous years’ documents are available for review, and may be used as a guide or template for future years.

Renewal Letter

The renewal letter is a brief, friendly letter to the current members. It is saved as a PDF and sent to the mailing list volunteer (listmaster@hatds.org) for distribution.

This letter should:

Membership Roster

The membership coordinator produces the roster as a PDF document, makes it available to the mailing list volunteer (listmaster@hatds.org), and puts a copy in the Dropbox Membership subfolder. The listmaster will upload the PDF to a secure storage area and email the link to the members.

The roster

  • Includes address, phone and email information for all adult members, except as requested by the members at registration.
  • Must exclude any information that is stored in the database but the members have elected not to have published.
  • Excludes individuals under 18 years of age.
  • Includes a statement that the roster is for personal, non-commercial, and non-political use only.

A roster that meets these requirements is available as a computer-generated report on the membership coordinator's dashboard. However it must be formatted and then saved as a PDF before being distributed. See previous rosters in Dropbox for examples.

The first roster of the new membership year is usually created and distributed in October. Others follow every three or four months after that or whenever the board chooses.

The following sections may no longer apply. Until a firm decision is made by the board, they remain but are grayed out.

Membership Renewal Packets

The membership renewal packets are mailed to current members at the beginning of August. One packet is sent to each membership address. The packet content must be developed and sent to the HATDS Board with enough lead time for proofreading, review and approval prior to being assembled and mailed. Each packet contains the following items:

  • Renewal Letter: A brief, friendly letter to the current members, reminding them to renew their membership. This letter should:
    • Remind the members of what HATDS brings to them
    • Give instructions for available renewal methods, including web instructions and the HATDS mailing address. (P.O. Box)
    • Remind members of HATDS volunteer needs and opportunities
    • Include a listing of the HATDS Board of Directors (names and positions)
  • Membership Form: A paper form that may be filled in by hand and either mailed in with payment or brought in person to a dance.
    • No longer the preferred method of registration, but is still in use.
    • Indicates the amount of the dues to be paid.
    • Members should be encouraged to enter their own data using the online registration form, even if they pay with cash or check. That way the coordinator will not have to read and manually enter handwritten information into the HATDS membership database.

Free Dance Certificates

The Board sometimes elects to issue a free dance certificate for each member whose registration is received at or before the first regular contra dance of the new membership year. Typically we issue one certificate per adult member. Each certificate admits one adult to any one regular dance during the current membership year. This may be a contra dance or an English country dance. The certificates are transferable, i.e. they may be used to admit any adult, not just the member to whom the certificate was issued. These may not be used for special events such as Bayou Bedlam.

These certificates are to be generated and mailed by early October. This allows ample time for all mailed registrations to be taken into account, while still allowing members most of the membership year to utilize them.

It is suggested that something simple, such as a sticker, be affixed to each certificate mailed. This will help ensure that a copy is not accepted for entry. This helps with accounting as well.

Name Badges

The Membership Coordinator must create, in as timely a fashion as possible, name badges for new HATDS members, as well as replacement badges for current members as needed. HATDS owns a laminator and supplies for such, and this equipment is entrusted to the coordinator.

To create name badges:

  1. Using the HATDS nametag template found in the Dropbox folders and your word processor's Mail Merge feature, create a document with a nametag for each member who needs one.
  2. Print this document onto business card paper.
  3. Separate the cards and laminate each badge.
  4. Let laminated cards cool before affixing magnet.
  5. With a 2-piece magnetic badge holder affix the metal strip portion to the back of the laminated badge. The magnetic portion will cling to the metal strip.

Advise the Supplies Manager when additional laminating supplies or magnets are needed.

Ongoing Responsibilities

The Membership Coordinator must perform some simple tasks on an ongoing, as-needed basis, such as:

  • Make name badges for new members, as well as any needed replacement badges for current members.
  • Maintain the HATDS laminating machine and supplies.
  • Maintain the membership database.*
  • Work with the Treasurer to ensure that dues paid by cash or check are handled correctly.*

*Since all memberships are supposed to be entered online by the members and dues are paid through PayPal, these tasks are effectively rendered obsolete. However, if someone absolutely refuses to use PayPal and insists on paying with cash or check, the online tools—developed in the days of snail mail and handwritten forms—allow the coordinator to enter a membership.

Membership Database Maintenance

When someone joins online, the coordinator receives a courtesy email notification. No database maintenance is normally required.

However, occasionally there are changes to emails, phone numbers, or addresses that need be made or typographical errors to be corrected. These changes can be simply applied using the online editing tools.