Show Me the Money, It’s Dues Collection Time

By Sue Pelchat, KAPPAN Staff

Martha-Mae hasn’t paid her dues. It’s January 30. You’ve reminded her several times, and now you know what you have to do. You tether your pit bull to the back stoop and position your sleeping bag on the front porch so she can’t sidestep the payment again. Somehow, she noiselessly starts her Maserati and steers directly toward you as your feet slog through a swampy pathway. Wake up, treasurers! It’s only a dream.

Dues collection should be easy for the treasurer and the members, with information shared, reminders sent and regular follow-ups. Working together as a chapter to solve problems related to dues collection will prove beneficial in the long run.

The KAPPAN staff randomly invited 80 treasurers to discuss their workflow and found many common practices among the 30 who responded. At dues time, many treasurers simply inform members of the due date and wait for them to send it in. That makes sense. We’re all grown-ups. We should be able to get our dues in on time. But some treasurers do things a little differently. Here is a combined flow of their ideas.

Let members know when dues are due, how much and what the payment options are. At some point, explain the dues breakdown, where it goes and what it covers.

Allow sisters to pay as early as September to avoid holiday pressure. Send monthly dues reminders and let members know who has submitted dues payments. Make dues collection as simple as possible, providing information on how to fill in the check itself. Consider the circumstances of members when pressing for dues payment. Could you allow members to pay in installments prior to the due date? Could you assist those who are not comfortable with online payments? Clear explanations and regular reminders should help bring in dues on time without having to awaken the pit bull.

Treasurers set their own need-by date that will give them sufficient time to forward dues to S/P/N or International Headquarters. If late payment threatens their work completion, treasurers might ask presidents to follow up. This also alerts the leadership team that there may be a retention issue. Communicating personally with members via email, text or telephone sends the message that people care about their membership. A formal letter of concern close to the dues deadline will remind members that time is of the essence. But what do treasurers do when the deadline passes, and dues have not been received?

Many treasurers say they have never had to deal with nonpayment of dues. All treasurers should be so lucky.

Members should be informed of the consequences of nonpayment, not as a threat but as a fact, calmly and with resolve. If a member is having trouble paying her dues, another member or the chapter might carry her until she becomes more financially stable. If a member chooses not to pay her dues, she is passively resigning. Find out if that is her intent or if some other influence is weighing on her. Speak with her. Let her know that she is welcome and needed, vital to the group and that you want her to stay. She may always request reinstatement if she ultimately chooses to leave. From the responses our surveyed treasurers gave, it is clear that our leaders do not easily give up on members.

Knowing that it is a responsibility of membership to fulfill one’s financial obligations on time, should we give out trophies for paying dues? Hardly. But how might we acknowledge the dues payment? Our responding treasurers shared some of their practices.

Noting payments in the treasurer’s monthly report acknowledges those who have paid their dues and points out who still needs to pay. Informing the chapter of what percent of the membership has paid dues, and watching that percentage grow, can encourage timely payments. Applaud the first person to pay her dues. Congratulate the chapter when 100% is achieved. Give a gold coin in exchange for dues payment – a chocolate gold coin, that is. Emphasize your appreciation as the treasurer. Prompt dues-paying members make the job less stressful, less work and more enjoyable. Thank the group via email or in group WhatsApp for a job well done. Appreciate that, for some people, procrastinators like this author, remembering to bring a check to a chapter meeting is a great accomplishment.

Say thank you, and be grateful, treasurers. The dues season will soon end, and you’ll wake up from this dream with smiles on your face.

We thank and appreciate these treasurers who responded to our survey: first submitter Barbara Drier, WI Gamma Delta; Peggy King, OH Sigma; Marcia King, AL Delta; Laurel Kinsey, GA Beta Sigma; Karen Evans, CA Lambda; Allene Dupont, FL Fidelis Zeta; Cynthis Elmore, SC Tau; Terri Knapick, AK Alpha Epsilon; Ann Kay, MI Beta Nu; Emogene Kernodle, NC Tau; Jenny Kelly, TX Beta Chi; Patsy Eddins, KY Pi; Neoma Farrar, MO Upsilon; Melissa Elrod, LA Delta; Marjorie Evans, CO Iota; Florence Ezell, AZ Fidelis Zeta; Maria del Rocio Salas Valencia, MX Epsilon; Anana Dunavant, KY Alpha Kappa; Cheri Kaniper, FL Delta Chi; Karen Evans, LA Tau; Donna Duncan, NC Beta Kappa; Shirley Dunham, DE Iota; Maureen Kennedy, NH Lambda; Sandra Kravnok, WY Kappa; Connie Epperly, WV Alpha Upsilon; Sherry Kost, MT Eta; Corinne Ethier, ON Rho; Mary King, NC Pi.