ChapterSpot Resources

ChapterSpot, the new League membership platform, is set to launch approximately February 1st, 2025 and will provide a centralized portal where any person can join the League or renew their membership, regardless of which League they are joining.  This will improve member experience by making the joining process consistent across Leagues and will allow new members to join their local League, Unit or as a state member from any platform. This change is also intended to make membership accessible to those who currently find dues to be a barrier to joining. There will still be the option to renew and/or donate by check for members and donors who don't use the internet.

 

Membership Fees Structure:    In the new Chapterspot system, dues are set as follows: 

• ‘Pay what you can’: Any individual may join the League for one year by paying any amount equal to or greater than $20. 

• The suggested amount will be $75. 

• Member Types are only Individual or Life: 

• There is no longer a Household membership type - though multiple league members at the same address are welcome to join and renew pay-what-you-can

• There is no longer a Student membership type - though some Leagues may choose to subsidize members to pay below the $20 minimum to further remove barriers to joining 

• Persons who have been league members for 50 years are Life Members and will continue to have their member dues waived 

• Payment information is stored by Stripe, a trusted payment processor.  Payment information is not visible to anyone at any level of LWV.

• Auto-Renew: League Members will have the option to sign up for automatic renewal

• Don’t use online credit card or ACH payments?  No problem!  Checks for dues and donations will always be welcome, though they will have to be written on two separate checks.  Starting in February 2025, donations by check intended for your local or state league must be made out to your local or state league.  However, renewal/joining dues checks must be made out to LWVUS and given/sent to your local League treasurer address or for state/unit members, mailed to LWVOR at 1330 12th St SE, Suite 200, Salem OR 97302.  Your local league or LWVOR will mail your check with a deposit slip to LWVUS to process.

 

New Membership Model - How it Will Affect Our League  

 

Individual Membership

 

Most of our league members will not need to renew their annual memberships around the February 1, 2025 cutover date.  Every current member of Oregon leagues/units who have an email address in our system will receive an email in early 2025 directing you to log in to the ChapterSpot portal for the first time to “claim your membership.” This just means that you will log in and be given the opportunity to fill out any membership information asked by your League and to verify and update your data if needed in the LWVUS National League member database (ChapterSpot), even though your membership may not yet be up for renewal.  Watch for this email. The LWV contract with ChapterSpot affirms that all data is owned and exclusively safeguarded for LWV purposes only.  ChapterSpot is not authorized to use it for anything other than fulfilling its service to our organization.

 

For those league members who cannot access the internet to claim their Chapterspot account, all League Membership Coordinators can maintain/update their membership information in Chapterspot and continue to track years of league membership as they do now.  

 

Change to Household and Student Membership

 

Although renewals will not happen all at once, the change of member status will happen in early 2025 to all Household and Student membership levels.  With the new ChapterSpot system, Household and Student membership types will be discontinued and everyone not a Life Member will be changed to Individual. 

 

Then, when your annual membership expiration approaches, you will receive an email renewal notice.  This is a change from current practice of household renewal emails sent to the individual (primary) member, which includes the household member. 

 

When the Individual (Primary) member in your household receives their renewal notice, the individual member will have the option to renew on behalf of another member in your household as well, though a unique email will be requested for your household member.  They should be aware that the notices are coming and that they have the option to renew on their own.  Your email address is your username for ChapterSpot, so it’s important that you include one, even if you’re only an occasional internet user. This is the way you will receive renewal reminders and forgotten password emails. Because your email is your username, you won’t be able to have the same one as someone else. Any member can unsubscribe from some types of messages, such as fundraising emails or optional newsletters. As a member of our organization, some messages, such as those about your membership, are not optional.

 

Dues, Donations and Tax-Deductible Percentages

 

Any portion of dues or donations going to a 501(c)(3) are tax-deductible. Members can still donate directly as desired via their local or state league website “Donate” button, or by check. If your local and/or state League dues are going to a 501(c)(3), that will be identified in your confirmation email, which can be used as a tax receipt. 

 

An increase to 20% of dues will go to the local League, an increase to 47% of dues will go to the state League, and a decrease not to exceed 33% will go to LWVUS, in order to increase support for local and state voter education and advocacy efforts.