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Complimentary Membership Policy

Status: Proposal draft for Ganjier Guild (pre-formation). Adopt by board resolution. Owner: Membership & Ethics committee (policy); Administrator (intake); Treasurer (financial recording).

1. Default rule: the Guild does not issue complimentary memberships in exchange for service

This is the lead rule. Everything else in this policy is an exception, and every exception is narrow, board-approved, and recorded.

A "complimentary" or "comp" membership means full member benefits with the dues set to $0 or waived. Issuing comp memberships in exchange for volunteer service, board service, committee work, or any other contribution creates three problems:

  1. Worker classification. A comp membership granted in return for services is bartered compensation. Its fair-market value is taxable to the recipient and may require a 1099-NEC if total comp from the Guild reaches $600 in a calendar year (IRS Form 1099-NEC instructions). It also makes the recipient look like a contractor rather than a volunteer.
  2. Benefits exposure. For volunteers receiving SSDI, SSI, VA disability, or Medicaid-waiver supports, in-kind compensation may count as wages or earnings under SSA rules (POMS DI 10505.001) and trigger CDR or eligibility review.
  3. Mission and equity. Membership is the Guild's primary expression of who is in the community. Trading it for service distorts that signal and disadvantages members who pay full dues.

The Guild instead recognizes service through non-monetary recognition (see programs/volunteers/recognition-and-offboarding.md) and resolves financial-need cases through the Scholarship & Hardship Waiver, which is separate from any volunteer service.

2. The four narrow exceptions

The Guild may issue a comp or zero-dues membership only in the following situations. Each requires board approval and the recordkeeping in §3.

2.1 Founding-member promotional discount (time-limited)

During an opening enrollment window the board defines by motion, the Guild may offer a discount on first-year dues to founding members in specified tiers. The discount is a discount, not a comp: dues are set above $0, the discounted amount is recorded as the actual sale price for that period, and the offer is open to anyone meeting the published criteria — it is not awarded for service. The board's motion fixes the eligible tiers, the discount percentage or amount, the enrollment window, and the cap (a count or "decide later by board action" — to be set when the board adopts this policy).

2.2 Honorary memberships (rare, non-substantive)

The board may, by majority vote at a regular meeting, name an individual an Honorary Member in recognition of long-standing contribution to the broader profession (not Guild-internal service). Honorary Members: - Pay no dues - Receive a recognition certificate and listing in the annual report - Do not receive voting rights, board eligibility, directory listing as a current credentialed member, or access to member-only commercial benefits - Are reviewed annually for renewal

Honorary memberships are reported on the consent agenda and noted in the meeting minutes. The list is small by design — typical practice is no more than two per year.

2.3 Press / media access passes (non-membership)

For events, the Administrator may issue press passes to credentialed journalists at no charge. A press pass is not a membership and does not appear on the membership roster. Press attendance is logged separately.

2.4 Reciprocal organizational comps (peer agreements)

The board may, by motion, enter a reciprocal arrangement with a peer 501©(6) or trade association where one designated officer of each organization receives a comp membership in the other for the year. These are recorded as institutional courtesies, not personal compensation, and the recipient is named in writing in the meeting minutes.

3. Recordkeeping for any zero-dues or below-cost membership

For every founding-member discount, honorary, reciprocal, or scholarship/hardship waiver:

  • Board motion or committee approval recorded in minutes
  • Membership record in the system flagged with the specific category (not "comp")
  • Treasurer codes the foregone revenue under a dedicated GL account so it appears on financial statements
  • Annual report discloses the count and category of zero- or below-cost memberships in aggregate

The Guild does not issue 1099s for these memberships because they are not compensation for services. If the board or Administrator ever proposes a comp membership outside §2, the Treasurer must flag it in writing as a 1099 trigger and bring the question to the full board before issuance.

4. What this policy explicitly forbids

  • Comp memberships "for" volunteer service, board service, committee service, event support, content contribution, or any other contribution of time
  • Forgiving expense reimbursements in lieu of paying them ("in-kind reimbursement"); reimbursements are paid in full under the Accountable Plan, and any donation back is a separate transaction
  • Backdated or undocumented comps
  • Ad-hoc comps issued by any single officer; every comp requires board action under §2

5. How requests are handled

  • A volunteer or member who asks for a comp in exchange for service receives a courteous explanation of this policy and a pointer to the Scholarship & Hardship Waiver if dues are a financial barrier.
  • A board member who suggests a comp brings a written motion to the next regular meeting.
  • An Administrator who is asked to "just comp it" declines and routes the request through the Membership & Ethics committee.

6. Adoption and review

This policy takes effect on the date the board adopts it by motion. The Membership & Ethics committee reviews it annually before the renewal cycle and recommends updates to the board.

Cross-references