Circular – 1 October 2019
C11/19
New Process for Membership Renewals
Dear sub-Branch Honorary Secretary,
As all sub-Branch Honorary Secretaries would be aware, the process of renewing membership has been extremely labour intensive and time consuming at both the sub-Branch and State Branch level. In an attempt to cut down on double handling and errors in the system, ANZAC House is introducing a simpler process for the 2020 renewal process. By working together, and in a more efficient manner, we should be able to renew all our members in a few easy steps.
Step 1 – Member List: In the next week or so, you will receive a member listing generated from the ANZAC House database. The list will contain every member in your sub-Branch that needs to be renewed for 2020. We ask that you check the list and alert us to any errors by contacting the Support Unit at the email address or phone number attached to this circular. It is important you let us know if there are any changes to the members’ status as this may affect the amount the sub-Branch owes in capitation fees.
Step 2 – Renew: The sub-Branch will need to collect the annual subscription fee ($35) from each of the members on the list. This money should be banked directly into the sub-Branch account. It will be assumed by ANZAC House that all members on the list will renew for 2020 unless we hear otherwise from the sub-Branch or member. The sub-Branch will have until the end of March to complete its renewal process.
Step 3 – Invoice: Pending any changes to member status after the issue of the list in Step 1, ANZAC House will issue an invoice to the sub-Branch in April next year for the capitation fee set by Congress (for example, under the current capitation fee of $27, a sub-Branch with 100 renewing members will receive an invoice for 100 x $27). The invoice will be generated on the membership list for the sub-Branch as determined at 31 March 2020. Please note no money should be forwarded to ANZAC House for membership renewals prior to the sub-Branch receiving the capitation fee invoice in April 2020.
Cards and Slips: The membership card is being redesigned with a view to it being a permanent card, rather than an annual issue. All members of the League will be issued with a new permanent membership card in 2020. Members should retain their 2019 card until they receive the replacement.
The three-piece backing sheet which usually accompanies the cards has been retired. As such, there will be no paperwork that needs to be sent back to ANZAC House as part of the membership renewal process. Some sub-Branches may need to purchase a small receipt book to issue receipts to members for their annual subscription.
To reiterate, the process for membership renewals at the sub-Branch will be:
- Check the member list issued by ANZAC House in October 2019, and alert us to any changes.
- Ensure members have paid their annual subscription fee to the sub-Branch prior to 31 March 2020.
- Pay the invoice for capitation fees, which will be issued in April 2020.
I hope you will agree that this greatly simplifies and reduces the administrative workload associated with membership renewals. I recognise that the system is new and, as such, a dedicated staff member has been assigned to the Support Unit to answer any and all questions relating to this new system. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need assistance.
Regards,
Jeff O’Brien
State Secretary
