Changes Coming to Your Membership Dues System

February 1, 2025

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With FAQ

LWV nationwide will be switching over to a new membership management system for all Leagues on February 1, 2025. The database transition will be happening in January 2025.

Instead of over 700 local and state Leagues individually tracking, collecting, and then sharing dues at the local, state, and national levels, the LWVUS national League office is implementing a central, computerized membership dues system to support the dues collection and basic membership data records of every League nationwide.

This system will run on a customized online membership software system developed by ChapterSpot, which interfaces with the existing SalesForce database already in use by LWVUS.

 

Here's what to expect:

• January 4, 2025 – permanent shut-down of the local LWVCS online membership join, renewal and profile data update systems, done early to avoid conflicts during the national database transition.
  
  
• Early-February 2025 – an e-mail notification to sign in to your membership account in the national LWVUS ChapterSpot system.
  • The email will come from: "League of Women Voters"
  • The associated email address will be:  noreply@notifications.chapterspot.com
  • There's no big rush to log in for the first time, but sometime before April or May would be a good idea
  • You may choose when you go through your first login whether to set up auto-renewal payments

     

• After 2/1/25 - To pay dues anytime you can go to our website and click the JOIN/RENEW button in the page header. Once there:
  • to pay online (credit card or ACH), click the link to ChapterSpot. You will need to know your ChapterSpot email ID.
  • to pay by check, click to download and print a form and mail your check with the form to us--same as you have done before
  • {Note for LWVCS: To check your next renewal date: on lwvcs.org, log in, mouse over your name, click to go to your Profile page, look for “Exp. Date:”}

     

• Expect Annual Renewal reminders for you to login to ChapterSpot to renew online, repeated until you pay. (See the FAQ below for the schedule.)
  
  
• Choose your own dues amounts - no longer an amount set by the vote of the members of your local League.
  • The new National system, to encourage a wider membership, has a $20-minimum / $75-suggested “pay-what-you-can” model.” Consider a combination of dues and donations/contributions to support the work of the League.
    
    
• Donations: During the ChapterSpot online renewal process you will reach a “Contribution” page where you can donate to the LWVCS General Fund. This donation is not tax deductible, but the entire amount does go directly to LWVCS and is a great help in carrying out our mission.
  • If you wish to make an additional tax-deductible contribution to the education fund, it must be done at lwvcs.org, click the DONATE button in the page header.

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 FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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Questions About the New Membership System

Q: What is this new System?

The new system is called ChapterSpot. It’s an online membership platform, based on the SalesForce database that LWVUS has used for many years, where you will be able to log in and update your own member information and renew your membership online. 

It will replace the Join and Renew applications by every local League, including ours at LWVCS, as well as give access to members to update their own data in the US national (LWVUS) member database.  All other functions of the LWVCS online system will continue as is, including our website, member, committee and volunteering files, calendar, and event registration system.

Q: Why is LWV adopting a new unified membership system?

There are many anticipated benefits to this new system:

1. First, adopting technology that streamlines membership is intended to free up time for League leaders to focus on more substantive work.
2. Second, we believe it should increase and diversify overall membership nationwide and accordingly will increase our ability to fulfill our mission.
3. Third, restructuring the dues sharing model is intended to increase the funding at the state and local levels where it is most needed.

Q: When does the LWV membership switch over to ChapterSpot?

February 1, 2025

 

Q: Should I still renew my membership before early January 2025?

Yes, if your membership is due prior to late February 2025, you should go ahead and renew early to avoid any issues that might happen during the changeover.  Your renewal date will not change.
If your renewal is March or later, you probably can wait.

{Hint: How to check your next renewal date: Log onto lwvcs.org >  in the upper right, mouse over your name > click to go to your Profile page > look for “Exp. Date:”}

 

Q: Will there still be half-price Associate/Household memberships?

No. You can still sign up for yourself and someone else, but it’s not designated as a household membership anymore. As individuals, you can each choose any dues amount (min. $20), including a lower rate for the former ‘Household” member. Renewal reminders will be sent separately to each member.

Q: What will happen to current Associate/Household members?

When the member database is updated prior to February 1, 2025 all current Associate, Household, and Student members will be recoded as 'Members.'

 

Q: Will there still be free student memberships?

No. There will no longer be a 'Student' member type. The minimum $20 of the pay-what-you-can model is intended to extend the understanding of possible financial need to all members, including students.

NOTE: LWVCS plans to subsidize full-time student members to pay the $20 minimum. If you’re a student member, check with our Membership Chair.

Q: What will happen to current Student members?

When the member database is updated prior to February 1, 2025 all current Student members will be recoded as 'Members.'

 

 

Q: Will there still be free Lifetime memberships?

Yes, those who have been members for 50 or more years will still be dues exempt.

Q: So, after 1/31/2025 the only LWV member types will be  Member and Lifetime Member?

Yes.

 

Questions about Dues & Donations in the New System

 

Q: What will the dues rate be after February 1, 2025?

• Not LWVCS’s current $100 dues (of which we currently keep $32)
  (although you could do that – LWVCS would keep about $14-$15)
• Dues will be “pay-what-you-can.”
• The LWVUS recommended dues rate will be $75.
• But a member can pay any amount, starting at a minimum of $20/year.

Q: When I’m paying dues, can I still make a donation that goes exclusively to my local League?

Yes, whether you pay online or by check.

• Online, on the page after you choose what you will pay in dues, there will be an option to make a contribution directly to your local League. 100% of that donation (less processing costs) will go to your League.
  
  
• By Check: If you choose to pay dues by check, you can write a separate check for your donation.
  •  The separate check  is necessary because we will be forwarding your dues check to LWV-US separately for you.  
  • {note: If you donate by check to BOTH the General and the Education funds, the IRS requires separate checks for those, so you'll need to write 3 checks: 2 for the donations and 1 for the dues} 
    

Q: Are my dues tax-deductible? (answer specific for LWVCS)

Not yet, and never entirely.

 Any portion of dues that go to a 501(c)(3) organization are tax-deductible. 
Under the new dues-sharing setup, taxability is split the same way the dues are split, so:

• LWV-US's  33% is not tax-deductible, because they are not a 501(c)(3),
• LWV-C (California)'s 47% is not tax-deductible, because they are not a 501(c)(3),
• LWVCS's 20% is not yet tax-deductible, because we are still in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status.
   Our application has been in for several months, and we hope that by mid-2025 we will be a 501(c)(3), and then the LWVCS share of dues (20%) and also donations (100%) to LWVCS will be fully tax deductible. 
  • Until then, LWVCS share of dues are also not tax deductible.
• Bottom line – same as now, none of your LWVCS dues will be tax deductible on 2/1/2025.

 

Q: Can I pay dues online?

Yes, that is the preferred method. You'll just be doing it through your LWVUS ChapterSpot login, not through your LWVCS.org login.

• While you can pay online by credit or debit card, the preferred online payment method is ACH (Automated Clearing House), because it has the lowest processing fees, so it maximizes the amount of money going toward League work. ACH is an electronic payment method between banks that uses the routing and account numbers from the bottom of a check, instead of a credit card number.

 

Q: Can I still pay by paper check?

Yes., but not online. This is not the preferred method because this requires more time and effort from the local League Treasurer, but it is still possible. If you need to pay by check, the check should be made out to LWV-US and given (or mailed) to our LWVCS League Treasurer.
LWVCS members - please send your check with the form you can download from our Join/Renew page, or contact our Membership Chair to have it sent to you.

 

 

Q: When will I renew?

Annually, just as you do now.
FOR LWVCS members: Since we already use the “Rolling Renewal” model, there is no change in your annual renewal date.

 

 

Q: How will I know it’s time to renew?

You will receive automated email reminders from the ChapterSpot system (instead of the ClubExpress system that we use today) when your expiration date is approaching:

• 60 days before your membership expiration (renewal) date
• 30 days before your membership expiration (renewal) date
• On your renewal date
• 45 days after your expiration/renewal date
• 60 days after your expiration/renewal date (informing you that you are now classified as an ‘inactive’ member)

 

Q: Will there be an easier way to renew?

• Yes. You can check the box for auto-renew, choose the amount you want to pay annually for dues (and an optional automatic donation to our local League), and provide financial payment information. Then, each year, your membership (and optional donation) will automatically renew for the same amount.
• Annually, you will receive a reminder email notifying you that the renewal is coming up. If you do not want to make any changes, you won’t need to do anything.

 

Other Questions

  

 

Q: Can I sign up to get fewer emails?

Yes and No.

• Yes: You can unsubscribe from some types of messages, such as fundraising emails or optional newsletters, but that’s not done through ChapterSpot.
  • Instead, go to the bottom of any LWVUS email you got, click on “Manage Your Preferences” and respond at that page.
• No: Since you hold a membership in the League, messages about the status of your membership, such as renewals, will still be sent.

 

 

Q: What if I have additional questions later?

• For questions about the new ChapterSpot system, please email LWVUS at membership@lwv.org
  
  
• For questions about LWV of Cupertino-Sunnyvale, please email either membership@lwvcs.org or online@lwvcs.org