Retaining Your Members: Helpful Hints for Chapter Dues Collection

During the Spring chapters will begin to collect dues.  The International Membership and Expansion Committee put together this list of helpful hints to assist chapters with their collection of dues.  This will lead to chapters maintaining their membership.

Make no assumptions about why someone doesn’t send in their dues after multiple reminders.

• Instead, try different methods of reaching them (call, text, mail, in-person visit).

If the treasurer has submitted dues and there are still members who’ve not paid, don’t despair.

• Continue to connect with those members.  Life happens and we are all busy. 
• If they pay at a later date, that’s fine. The treasurer just sends in those dues separately.

Since life does happen there may be a member who says she is too busy to continue to be a DKG member for now.  In these cases:

• Keep in touch with her and if her life situation changes, ask her if she is able to come back to your chapter; keep her in the loop with chapter activities.

For members who share that they’ve come upon hard financial times:

• Explore ways to help pay that person’s dues (anonymous member donates funds).

If the member gets dropped by International for non-payment of dues and realizes that she does want to remain a member, no problem.

• Members can be reinstated at any time.
• Dues are paid to the chapter treasurer who will submit them.

Throughout the year, pay close attention to member attendance.  Lack of participation may be a sign of someone heading to not paying dues.

• Send to those not at meetings a “we missed you note” with meeting highlights. 

• If the person is not attending, find out why they are not attending.  Perhaps your chapter, meets at an inconvenient time or day.  The chapter can consider varying the day or time of the meetings. 

Don’t hesitate to contact your regional representative to the Membership and Expansion Committee with comments or helpful hints that are working for your chapter.