"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
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www.mitchellmuseum.org
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