Skip to content

Frequently asked questions for current Ganjier Guild subscribers

Status: Draft, pre-formation. Will be published on ganjierguild.com and emailed to active subscribers in the weeks before the new 501©(6) launches. This FAQ reflects current pricing: Friend of the Guild (free), Community Education Membership ($49/month or $499/year), Certified Ganjier Membership ($49/month or $499/year). Additional tiers are under consideration; this FAQ will be updated by the founding board before publication.

What is changing

Why are you incorporating?

The Guild has been operating as a community on a subscription model. To do the work professional associations do — fund scholarships, advocate for the profession, run a credentialing program with real legal weight, and accept member dues that members can deduct as a business expense — the Guild is incorporating as a 501©(6) trade association under U.S. nonprofit law. That structural step doesn't change who we are or what you signed up for. It changes what we're allowed to do for you and how we're held accountable for doing it.

When does this happen?

The founding board is targeting incorporation in [Q3 2026 — placeholder, founding board to confirm]. We'll send a confirmed date with at least 60 days' notice before any change affects your subscription.

Will my membership transfer to the new entity?

Yes. Your active subscription, your credential status (Certified Ganjier, GPS, or Community Education member), and your member benefits move forward with you. You don't need to re-enroll, re-pay, or re-pass any exam. The legal entity behind your membership changes; your membership does not.

There is one administrative step: at the cut-over you'll receive an email asking you to confirm — by clicking a link — that you consent to your member record being assigned to the new entity. This is required because the new entity is a separate legal organization. Most members will click and move on. If you don't click within 90 days we'll reach out personally before treating it as a cancellation.

Is my data being moved? Is it secure?

Yes, and yes. Your name, email, billing record, certification status, and member-portal account are being moved from the current Ganjier Guild DBA to the new 501©(6). The new entity adopts the same privacy commitments, retains the same data-protection vendors, and complies with the same applicable privacy laws (including the GDPR and CCPA where they apply to you). You'll receive an updated privacy notice 30 days before cut-over.

You can request export or deletion of your data at any time, before or after the move.

Pricing and billing

Is my price changing?

No. If you are currently subscribed at $49/month or $499/year, your price holds at incorporation and through your next renewal. The board has committed to no price increase for current subscribers in the launch year of the new entity.

Will my subscription auto-renew at the same rate?

Yes, at the same rate, on the same date, on the same payment method. You don't need to do anything.

When my next renewal comes up, what tier am I renewing into?

If you are a Certified Ganjier today, you renew into the new entity's Certified Ganjier tier at $499/year (or $49/month). Same benefits, same voting rights, plus the additional rights that come with being a member of an incorporated 501©(6) (the right to vote at the annual general meeting, to stand for the board after one year of membership, and to participate in committee work).

If you are a Community Education Member today, you renew into the new entity's Community Education Membership tier at $499/year (or $49/month). Same benefits.

If you are on a comp or reduced rate — see the section below.

What about the new tiers I keep hearing about — Educator, Business, Industry Partner, Lifetime?

Those are new tiers the founding board is proposing to add, not replacements for what you have. They exist for audiences the current subscription model doesn't serve well — instructors, dispensaries, ancillary businesses, industry partners, and supporters who want a permanent stake. If one of those tiers is a better fit for your situation than your current tier, you can switch at renewal. Nobody is being moved into a more expensive tier without their consent.

Are dues tax-deductible?

For most members, no, not as a charitable contribution. A 501©(6) is a trade association, not a charity. However, dues paid in support of a trade or business are typically deductible as an ordinary business expense, and we'll send you an annual statement at year-end with the dollar amount and the lobbying-percentage adjustment required under §162(e). Talk to your tax professional about your specific situation.

This is a structural improvement over the current arrangement: today, your dues to the Guild DBA aren't deductible as either category. After incorporation, the business-expense pathway opens.

Why aren't dues tax-deductible as charitable contributions?

Because trade associations exist to serve the common business interests of their members — that's the whole point — they are not classified as charities under federal tax law. The structure that lets the Guild advocate for the profession, set credentialing standards, and represent members publicly is the same structure that prevents charitable-deduction treatment. We picked 501©(6) over 501©(3) deliberately, to protect the Guild's ability to do the advocacy and standard-setting work members have asked for.

Comp and reduced-rate memberships

I have a comped membership today. Will I lose it?

Not without a conversation with you first. The new entity's policies treat memberships granted in exchange for time and talent as bartered compensation, with tax and benefits implications that didn't exist in the current informal arrangement. To protect you and the Guild, the board is converting comp memberships into one of three structured pathways:

  1. Founding-member promotional discount — a time-limited, public discount available to anyone joining within a defined window
  2. Honorary membership — a non-substantive recognition voted by the board for individuals whose contribution to the profession warrants it; comes with the title and the public recognition, but not free dues
  3. Scholarship or hardship waiver — a financial-need-based waiver of dues, decided by the Membership & Ethics committee under a published policy

Before any change to your account, the Membership & Ethics committee will reach out individually to discuss which pathway fits, what your continued contribution looks like, and what the timing is. You will not see your access changed without this conversation.

What if none of those apply to me and I can't pay?

The scholarship and hardship waiver is designed exactly for this situation. The application is short, the criteria are financial-need based, and the decision is confidential. If you've been on a comp or reduced rate because the Guild knows you can't afford full dues, the waiver makes that arrangement explicit, durable, and consistent with how the new entity has to operate.

Why are you doing this?

Two reasons. First, undocumented comps create tax and benefits risk for the people receiving them — particularly for any member on SSDI, SSI, VA disability, or Medicaid waiver, where in-kind compensation can affect eligibility. Second, the IRS treats free or reduced memberships exchanged for time and talent as bartered compensation, with reporting obligations the Guild hasn't been meeting. Moving everyone to a clean pathway protects members and the Guild equally.

This is not about reducing the number of members or recovering dues. The Guild's commitment to the people who built it remains. The mechanism that honors that commitment changes.

Voting, governance, and how the Guild is run

Do I get to vote on this?

If you are a Certified Ganjier in good standing at the cut-over date, yes. The founding board will hold an inaugural members' meeting after incorporation where you'll vote to ratify the bylaws and elect the first formally seated board.

If you are a Community Education Member, Friend of the Guild, or honorary member, the bylaws give voice but not vote at that meeting. Voting rights for any additional tiers added by the founding board will be defined at the time those tiers are adopted.

Who is on the founding board?

[Placeholder — the founding board will be named publicly before the inaugural members' meeting. Names, biographies, and disclosure of any conflicts of interest will be posted at ganjierguild.com/board at least 60 days before the vote.]

How are decisions made now versus after incorporation?

Today, the Guild operates under the leadership of its Navigators (Vision & Strategy, plus others), with administrative support and informal consultation. Decisions are made within the existing operating entity that hosts the Guild as a DBA.

After incorporation, the Guild is governed by a board of directors elected by Certified Ganjier members, operating under written bylaws, with standing committees for Audit & Finance, Nominating & Governance, Membership & Ethics, Education & Certification, Events, Communications, and Advocacy. Decisions are recorded in board minutes; conflicts are disclosed and recused; finances are audited.

This is more structure than the current arrangement, and intentionally so. Trade associations work because they're predictable.

How can I get involved beyond paying dues?

Three paths once the new entity is seated:

  1. Volunteer — through the volunteer program, which has roles in education, events, communications, and member onboarding
  2. Committee membership — Certified Ganjiers and qualified others can be appointed to standing committees
  3. Run for the board — Certified Ganjiers can stand for board election after one year of membership in good standing

We'll send a separate "ways to contribute" email with the cut-over communications.

Practical questions

What happens to my member-portal login?

Same login, same URL, same password. Behind the scenes, the account is being assigned from the current entity to the new one; the user experience does not change. The first time you log in after the cut-over you'll see a one-screen confirmation that your membership has moved (this is the consent step described above).

What about my certification, badges, and CE credits?

All of it transfers. Your CG or GPS credential, any badges issued through Credly or equivalent, and any CE credits you've earned all move with your record into the new entity. Your post-nominal "CG" remains valid; in fact, after incorporation it carries the additional weight of a recognized 501©(6) credentialing body.

What about my preferences — newsletter subscriptions, community-platform settings, directory listing?

Carried forward unchanged. Your directory listing, community profile, and email preferences move to the new entity as part of the same record assignment. If you want to change anything (including opting out of the directory or unsubscribing from the newsletter), you can do that in your member portal at any time.

Where's the bank account my dues go to?

Through cut-over, dues continue to flow to the operating bank account currently used by the Ganjier Guild DBA. After cut-over, dues flow to a new bank account in the name of the 501©(6), with separate signatories and segregated funds. The transition is internal — your payment method on file does not change.

What if I want to cancel?

You can cancel any time, before or after cut-over, the same way you can today: through your member portal or by emailing membership support. The cut-over is not a billing event; you will not be charged at cut-over for any reason.

If you cancel before cut-over, your subscription closes under the current entity. If you cancel after, it closes under the new entity. Either way, no early termination fee, no awkwardness, no questions asked.

Where can I read more?

Who do I ask if my question isn't here?

Email [placeholder — membership@ganjierguild.com or the navigators@ inbox] and you'll get a response from a real person within two business days. Specific questions about your account, your tier, your pricing, or your access go to that address. Specific questions about the proposal itself, the bylaws, or the governance structure are also welcome at the same address; the working group will share the relevant section of the proposal directly with you.

What we are not changing

To be explicit, because rumors travel faster than facts:

  • Not raising prices on existing subscribers in the launch year
  • Not auto-converting anyone to a more expensive tier
  • Not invalidating any existing certification, badge, or CE credit
  • Not requiring you to re-pass any exam, re-take any course, or re-enroll under the new entity
  • Not changing your password, your URL, or your day-to-day member experience
  • Not removing anyone from the Guild because of an undocumented comp arrangement
  • Not requiring you to make a charitable contribution; dues remain dues

What changes is the legal structure behind the Guild, the governance, and the discipline of how the Guild does what it does. That's worth doing carefully.

Cross-references