As a result of the multiple closures this year, and in an effort to reduce the workload for volunteers in December and January, we are changing the way we handle memberships at the Centre.
No longer will your membership be tied to the calendar year.
Starting with June 1, 2020, the date you purchased your membership will be used as your renewal date. For example, if you bought your membership June 7, 2020, it will now expire June 6, 2021.
As the blue cards expire this December 31st, you will need to exchange your card for a new one. The new card will have your June 6th expiry date and you will not be charged until you renew next June.
If you purchased your membership before June 1, 2020, your renewal process is the same as it’s always been. You have paid until December 31st.
If you renew before then, your new card will cost $30 and it will expire December 31, 2021. If you are not using the Centre and choose to renew later in 2021, the expiry date will be one year after the purchase date.
Part of the reason for doing this is as stated above, to reduce the load on volunteers in December and January—but the other reason is to compensate members for the loss of use of the Centre for much of the year and to reward them for their continued loyalty.
If you provided the Centre with an email address when you registered, you will be contacted prior to the expiry of your membership—letting you know it’s time to renew. If you choose to, you can wait until you receive that notification, but if you prefer, you can renew at any time prior to that, and your membership renewal period will start on your established renewal date. Hmmmm. That sounds more complicated.
Here’s another go at explaining it:
If you bought/renewed in April 2020, you can pay for your renewal any time prior to April 2021 and your membership will then extend until April 2022.
A small benefit of this change is that you will now have a “permanent” membership number. One less thing that changes . . . once you’ve memorized your number . . . as long as you renew on time . . . you keep your number! It’s like a password no-one demands you change, or tells you isn’t “strong” enough. And, it’s probably less likely to be the source of identity theft than any of the other numbers and passwords you are required to maintain in order to be human in today’s society.
We are extremely grateful to our membership who have been so patient with us during extended and intermittent closures this year, and this is one way we are saying thank you. We are also pleased that we won’t be raising membership fees for 2021.
