1. Who runs the affairs of the Society? ANSWER: The Society is a non-profit, all-volunteer, qualified 501 (c) 3 organization. The Society does not employ hired staff, nor can we afford to do so at this time. The Board of Directors is responsible for all business functions of the Society. All Board positions are elected by the membership. The 12-member Board consists of 6 at-large Directors, 5 Officers (President, VP of Operations, VP of Finance, Treasurer and Secretary), and the immediate past President. The Board establishes formal committees on an as-needed basis for special projects, such as cataloging the archives. The bulk of the day-to-day jobs, including management positions such as Company Store Manager, Archivist, Membership Chairperson, Convention Chairperson, etc. are performed by dedicated volunteers, most of whom hold full-time jobs, and help the Society in their spare time.
2. How can I volunteer my time to help the Society? ANSWER: We are always glad to have helping hands! There are several areas where help is always needed, including the Company Store, the archives, conventions and special projects. The easiest way to get started is to contact the Society at PO Box 24225, Baltimore MD 21227-0725, or via e-mail at info@borhs.org, indicating your job preference and availability. We also like to keep an inventory of special skills, interests and talents of our diverse membership – there’s a space to provide this on the membership application form when you join, or on the interest profile section of your renewal notice.
3. What’s the difference between a Regular and a Sustaining membership? What do I get for a Sustaining membership? ANSWER: Sustaining membership is for those who would like to provide a higher level of support to our Society than Regular membership does. Much of the dues paid for the Regular class membership goes to pay for The Sentinel, postage and administrative costs, while most of the extra money Sustaining members pay goes directly to support the Society's historic and archival projects. Sustaining class members receive a calendar each year, while Regular members do not. Both classes receive issues of The Sentinel, Short Blasts newsletter, convention flyers and other announcements throughout the year.
4. When are the calendars available? If I join as a Sustaining member, will I get my free one right away? ANSWER: Calendars are usually printed in time for the annual convention, which typically occurs in early to mid-October each year. Sustaining members in good standing receive their free calendar as part of a bulk mailing, which usually occurs soon after the annual convention. The Sustaining member calendar cutoff date is September 30. That means all members who join as Sustaining or upgrade from Regular to Sustaining must do so on or before that date, in order to be on the bulk mailing list for the upcoming year’s calendar. Anyone who joins or upgrades after that date may still elect to do so, but won’t get a free calendar until the following year.
5. My membership is current, but I haven’t received anything from the Society for several months. Whom should I contact? ANSWER: Please send all membership-related inquiries to the attention of the Membership Chairperson, BORHS, PO Box 24068, Baltimore MD 21227-0568, or via e-mail at membershipchair@borhs.org.
6. When do I have to renew my membership? ANSWER: Approximately 20 – 40 days prior to your renewal anniversary month, you’ll receive a renewal notice in the mail. If you allow your membership to lapse more than 6 months, and renew after that time, your anniversary date will be changed to reflect the month you rejoin/reactivate.
7. I recently renewed my membership. Why didn’t I get a new membership card? ANSWER: We do not issue membership cards for renewals – only for new members. There is no expiration date printed on the cards – only your name, month and year you joined, and membership number. This policy allows the Society to save the cost of printing cards each year, which is a significant amount of money. If your card is lost or damaged, and you need a replacement, we’ll be happy to do so upon request to the Membership Chairperson.
8. I rejoined the Society after a lengthy absence. How do I obtain all of the back issues of publications that I missed? ANSWER: The Society doesn’t automatically "catch you up" on publications you missed while you were away. Similarly, we don’t do new memberships retroactive to a requested date in the past - everything is done from the date payment is received going forward in time. You can obtain back issues you want through the Company Store. Please keep in mind that the Society eventually does run out of printed Sentinel and calendar stock. The farther back in time, the higher the risk that the issue may be out of print. Issues with popular themes tend to sell out quickly. Also note that we do not provide back issues of our Short Blasts newsletters, since the information is dated and becomes stale from one issue to the next.
9. Can I renew my membership for more than one year at a time? ANSWER: As per the Society By-laws, memberships are renewed once a year. Our membership database and renewal notice procedures are accordingly geared for annual renewals. From time to time, we have to increase dues to stay in line with increasing postage, printing, publishing and other membership-related costs. Pre-paying for future years at today’s prices isn’t fair to other members who pay the increases when they’re announced. For these reasons, we discourage multiple-year renewals.
10. How can I pay for my membership? ANSWER: We accept personal checks or money orders – please do NOT send cash through the mail. The Society does not currently accept credit or debit cards for payment. This is because the credit card companies charge fees to their merchants, which the Society has determined are too expensive to justify. Not accepting credit cards thus helps us keep our membership dues lower.
11. The interest profile section of my renewal form is blank each time I get it. Why doesn’t it show me what my interests are now, so I can adjust only the specific items I want to change? ANSWER: The renewal notices are generic pre-printed copies, to which we affix a mailing label. At this point in time, our database program is not sophisticated enough to print personalized renewal notices. If you’re not sure what your interest profile choices were from the previous year, please re-enter all choices.
12. Will my personal data be shared with other members or organizations? ANSWER: We do not share any of the data on our membership database with any outside organization. Mailing lists are generated for Officers, Directors and our publishing staff for internal use only. We also will be offering a published directory for distribution to members who opt to have their name displayed in it. The directory will include name or company, address, telephone number, e-mail address and interest profile. The new member application form and renewal notice provides a place to indicate whether or not you wish to be included on the directory – no response defaults to a "no" choice.
13. The effective date for annual dues on my renewal form is several months (or years) old. Shouldn’t this date be the current date? ANSWER: The effective date on the renewal form reflects the last time dues were increased or modified in some way. If the date is more than a year old, it means that the dues schedule hasn’t been changed since that date. The due date of your renewal is printed on your mailing label, along with your membership class code and ID number.