Membership Guidelines
Onboarding Steps for New Members (Click to link)
Steps for Proposing a New Member to the Garden Club of Chevy Chase (GCCC)
Proposing a candidate for membership is a process that takes between three and four months depending on how quickly members complete the outlined steps below. Please refer to Section V of the By-laws.The steps which must be followed to propose a new member are listed below:
You must be an active Member in good standing for at least two years in order to propose a candidate. Seconders must have been a member for at least one year. Members of the Membership Committee may not propose a new member.
You should explain to your candidate the expectations of becoming a member. Share with your candidate the Membership Information Flyer. (Click on link.)
After determining that your candidate is interested and understands the responsibilities of becoming a GCCC member, advise the Membership Chair that you would like to begin your candidate’s proposal process for membership. Send the Membership Chair via email the candidate’s name and full contact information.
Bring the candidate to one GCCC open business meeting and one GCCC program. Inform the President and the Membership Chair if you are bringing a guest that you intend to propose.
Introduce your candidate to all members of the Executive Board and Membership Committee when the guest attends the meetings. Please remind the Membership Chair that the guest you are bringing is one you intend to propose.
Write a letter proposing the candidate and secure a seconding letter after the candidate has attended the requisite meetings/programs. The letters should set forth information about the candidate and the reasons why you think they would make a good member. Submit both letters in PDF form via email attachments to the Membership Chair.
The letters for the candidate will be announced to the membership on two separate occasions after the letters have been voted on by the Executive Committee. The two occasions include: (a) members proposing the candidates reading the letters to the membership at the meeting following the submission of the letters and (b) announcement in the NewsBud. Candidates will then be voted on at the meeting following these two announcements. (Please note that the sequence of these two announcements will depend on when the letters are submitted.)
The official letter from the Membership Chair or Co-Chair will be sent to the new member via email and postal delivery no later than a week following the meeting that the vote occurred so that the new member can be properly welcomed and oriented before the next GCCC meeting. A copy of the email notification will also be sent to her two sponsors.
The Club President sends the new member a welcome note.
Lastly, please review the document titled, "Onboarding Steps for New Members", before starting the process for proposing a member as it is important that you are committed to mentoring your proposed new member. This is a critical component of proposing a new member.
September 2019