Return to club as life member from another as Member

[Guest Fred]

In an international fraternal orginization there are "clubs" or sub-divisions of the same in many states. There are three types of membership, Associate where you cannot vote or hold office and do not meet entry requirements, member where your dues are required yearly, and Life where your membership is paid to the club for life. To enter any of the international clubs you have to prove that you qualify, then be voted in by the club's membership.

"Sam" lives in City X where he is a Life member of the fraternal orginization in Club # 4. Sam leaves Club # 4 and goes to Club # 17 in City Y as a member. He still retains his "Life" membership with Club # 4, but his membership status there is changed to an "Associate Member" only in Club # 4 as he cannot hold office or be a full member in two or more Clubs.

Three years later Sam returns to City X where he was a life membre in Club # 4, and wants to change his membership back. Sam will then become an Associate member in Club # 17, and return to Club # 4 as a former life member.

There are no bylaws in either the local clubs, the state office level or the international charter and bylaws that cover the returning member.

The question has arisen, does Sam as a returning Life Member have to be voted back into Club # 4 by the membership as if he was a new member, or just have his status changed back as a Life member of Club # 4?

[Chris Harrison]

Since the organization has multiple classes of membership it will now be up to you all to work out the details (and then codify the details in the bylaws).

[Trina]

What makes you think Sam ever stopped being a Life member in club #4? He didn't die in between, did he?

[Guest Edgar]

What makes you think Sam ever stopped being a Life member in club #4? He didn't die in between, did he?

He still retains his "Life" membership with Club # 4, but his membership status there is changed to an "Associate Member" only in Club # 4 as he cannot hold office or be a full member in two or more Clubs.

Apparently this organization has some contradictory rules it needs to iron out.

[David A Foulkes]

And here I was prepared to say that Sam's average speed traveling from City X to City Y and back again was 40mph. But -- that wasn't the question, as it turns out.

He still retains his "Life" membership with Club # 4, but his membership status there is changed to an "Associate Member" only in Club # 4

Well, this seems contradictory to me. But they're your bylaws, so you'll have to figure that out.

The question has arisen, does Sam as a returning Life Member have to be voted back into Club # 4 by the membership as if he was a new member, or just have his status changed back as a Life member of Club # 4?

While RONR deals almost exclusively with one class of member, with all the rights of membership, it recognizes that some societies provide for other classes, such as active, associate, or honorary member. The bylaws would need to define those, as well as stipulate how a person is categorized as such a member (such as length of membership, residency requirements, and so forth), and what rights if any are assigned to the class. This would also include the process of how that assignment occurs, such as vote of the membership (or board) at any regular (or special, or annual) meeting, for instance.

You mention that a person cannot be a full member in two or more clubs. If Sam was a "full" member in Club #4 as a Lifetime Member, it might be argued that he couldn't join Club #17 until he resigned his membership in Club #4, if there is no provision that allows him or the Club #4 membership or board to alter his membership, demoting him to Associate Member. If there is such a provision, and it was followed, then fine. If not, his membership in Club #17 may have never been valid. There's only one way out of a Lifetime Membership, barring a (disciplinary) procedure to strip that from a person.

So the question is, how does a person go from being a Lifetime member to an Associate member, and back again? RONR will not give you the answer. It must be found in your bylaws. If it isn't there, I suspect you will need to amend your bylaws to clarify that.