Policy and Procedures: Membership Management and Entitlement

Introduction

HKVCA is defined as a Corporation and membership is subject to the By-Laws of the Corporation (see Reference, above for details).

A membership in the Corporation must meet the qualifications specified in Articles 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the Bylaws and individuals must be of 12 years of age or older.

Membership fees are set by the Corporation and are paid in advance.  All memberships are renewable on January 1 of the year concerned.

Membership in the Corporation includes the entitlement to vote during elections and/or any major business change that calls for a vote.

Membership is held at the National level, with each member being administered at the Regional level (Primary region). Dues are paid to the Primary Region which collects them on behalf of National.

Membership Types

"R" - Regular Members

Membership in the HKVCA allows a Regular member the privilege of contributing to major decisions and elections by exercising a vote. Because HKVCA is designated as a "Corporation", each member has one share and is allowed one, and only one, vote.

Memberships are due for renewal on Jan 1 of each year. While the By-Law states that members in arrears by one month cease to be members, for reporting purposes those who remain in arrears as of 1 Dec of the year (11 months in arrears) will be removed from the members' list.

"H" - Honourary Members

The “Honourary Membership” classification may be granted to individuals under the following conditions: 

• After due Notice of Motion has been served to the Regional Membership and a ballot taken – justification shall be submitted to the Board of Directors outlining the attributes of the individual in relation to one or more of the following:
  • outstanding contribution in the service of the HK veterans in Canada
  • outstanding contribution to the Region proposing the honour
  • outstanding contribution to the HKVCA in particular.
• This membership classification is considered a courtesy or an award, therefore no fees shall be assessed, nor does this membership type include voting privileges, eligibility or entitlement to hold office in the HKVCA.
• Certificates and member cards shall be on forms prescribed by the Corporation and issued by the Region concerned.

This category will not be tracked at National level for membership statistics.

Life Time Members

This member type includes Veterans (V) and Widows (W). Life Time Members shall have the same privileges as shareholders (Regular Members). No fees or dues are charged

Responsibilities

Regional Membership Representatives

1. Maintain accurate records of all members administered by the Region.
2. Be aware that each member is restricted to one membership as per our By-Laws, and work with the National Membership rep to eliminate duplicate memberships.
3. In conjunction with the Regional Treasurer, process members' dues.
4. Forward membership updates to the National Membership Rep as per agreed schedule.
5. On death of a veteran, based on information received through HKVCA liaison with Veterans Affairs, attempt a verification of the spouse (now widow) and update the Region's member list.

National Membership Representative

1. Maintain the National Membership database, based on membership information on member types "R", "V" and "W" forwarded by Regional Membership Reps.
2. Keep membership records, past and present, for audit purposes.
3. Cross-check member lists and liaise with the Regions as necessary to ensure that no one holds a dual membership.
4. Provide membership details to the National newsletter editor as required for newsletter distribution.
5. Process widows for Life Time membership based on information forwarded by the Regions.

Correspondence and Newsletters

The Primary Region is responsible for corresponding with members it administers, including mailing Regional newsletters.

Notwithstanding what is stated above, if a member wishes to also receive correspondence and newsletters from a second region, this should be arranged directly with the second region. Fees for this service may be charged at the discretion of the region involved and this member will not appear on the Membership List of the second Region.