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Membership Types & Benefits
By Kathy Makgill; revised by Ken Fuchs

Several members have asked, “What does being an ‘Active Member’ mean? So I thought it'd be good to review our 5 Membership types, dues and their benefits, as recorded in our Iris Society of Austin’s By-laws.

FISCAL YEAR:
Our fiscal year runs January 1st through December 31st.

MEMBERSHIP & DUES:
Our membership also runs that same January 1st through December 31st period. Membership dues are $12.00 for an individual membership and $18.00 for a joint membership. Dues are set by the executive committee and approved by a vote of the members. Dues are payable (due) for the next membership year by the close of the November meeting, since we do not meet in December. If you don’t pay your dues by the close of the January meeting, you are dropped from the membership roster = no more newsletter, etc. Dues for new members who join after January 31 are pro rated and will set at $1.00 per month for the remaining months of the year.

MEMBERSHIPS & BENEFITS:
There are 5 types of memberships to the Iris Society of Austin. Each has their own set of criteria and benefits, as follows:

1. ‘Associate Member’:
Each fiscal year, or during the year when you first join the Iris Society of Austin, you are an ‘Associate Member’. All of us start this way each fiscal year until we’ve attended 5 meetings and/or club activities during the current fiscal year.

Benefits:
-- Receive the monthly Newsletter
-- Receive all notices and info from the Society

2. ‘Active Member’: When you have participated in 5 meetings and/or approved club activities during the current fiscal year, you are an ‘Active Member’. You’ll see the activities that qualify towards Active Memberships are marked with an asterisk (*) in our monthly Newsletter’s Calendar of Events. Since AIS dues are paid at the end of December, it’s important to participate in 5 activities by then to get your dues paid.

Benefits:
-- Same as Associate Member, plus
-- Payment of Region 17 membership dues in December, includes receiving their Bulletin.
-- Payment of American Iris Society (AIS) dues in December, includes receiving their
    Bulletin
-- Ability to order irises at volume discount (usually wholesale) along with our club order
    placed
-- See next section on ‘Active Working Member’ for reimbursement of National
    Convention and Region 17 registration fees.

3. ‘Active Working Member’: After you’ve been a member for 12 months, you are eligible to be considered for being an ‘Active Working Member’. Active Working members are members who attend at least seven (7) meetings and/or club activities in a fiscal year. The Society’s executive committee (elected officers) votes on who has performed significant work to strengthen our Society, Region 17 or the American Iris Society.

Each year the Executive Committee votes on what awards Active Working Member can receive. So, please note -- the past benefits cited below are not automatically granted each year, but are voted on by the executive committee each year. They are included as an example of benefits received in the past.

Active Working Members whose registration fees are reimbursed are asked to gather educational info, articles, newsletters, catalogs, horticultural info, etc. and to report back what they learned to the Society.

Examples of past Benefits:
-- Same as Active Member, plus
-- Partial or full reimbursement of registration fees to an annual National Iris Convention.

4. ‘Honorary Members’: The executive committee can vote to award Honorary membership to people they feel deserve such recognition. No dues are collected from Honorary Members. These may include officers from nearby clubs, Region 17 staff, and judges we have been lucky to come judge our shows over the years.

Benefits:
-- Same as Associate Member

5. ‘Youth Membership’: Youth membership is available to anyone who is a youth as defined by the AIS. Dues are the same as those of other members.

Benefits:
-- Same as Associate Member