"Carrying" expired members is a different issue from whether a membership
year is calculated on a calendar (January 1 through December 31) or
anniversary (12 months from the date the membership was received) basis.
Each institution makes that choice based on the size and activity of their
membership and membership "staff" (in small museums that may be the director
or a single volunteer).

Here we run memberships on a calendar basis (which we make clear on all our
membership forms).  If a member joins more than part way through a year
(after August 1) we usually extend their membership through the next
calendar year (i.e., December 31 of the following year).   We usually don't
drop members until May, mostly because that's when we have our annual
benefit and it is fairly unproductive to ask someone to donate to the Museum
if you've just told them they're not a member anymore.   Yes, that means
that some members get a little extra time on their membership than others,
but then they don't get the same warm and fuzzy feeling that the "prompt"
ones do :-)

janice

Janice Klein
Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Kendall College
[log in to unmask]
www.mitchellmuseum.org

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