"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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