Beginning in February 2025, joining and renewing membership with the League became a standardized nationwide process regardless of which local or state League a member is part of. Below is information about the renewal period, how to join/renew through the LWV Member Portal, and how to join/renew offline.
Renewal Period
Reminding a member to renew is now a collaborative process between the Membership Portal and the local League. Members will be reminded to renew their membership several times.
- All members will receive a renewal reminder email 60 days before their expiration date (for most of LWVTSC’s members the expiration date is December 31).
- Members who do not renew in response to that first email will receive a second renewal reminder email 30 days before their expiration date.
- After the second email, LWVTSC will reach out with a reminder to the members who have not renewed. That reminder may be via email or phone call as in the past.
- If the member does not renew before their expiration date, they will receive another reminder email from LWVUS on their expiration date. Those members also will be contacted by LWVTSC.
- Unrenewed members will receive a final reminder email 45 days after their expiration date.
During a 60-day grace period after a member’s expiration date they are still considered an active member. After 60 days, they will be considered inactive. (For most LWVTSC members, those who have not renewed by March 1, 2026, will be placed in inactive status.) Their member data will be preserved in the Membership Portal. LWVTSC may continue to contact recently inactive members to encourage them to re-join.
Joining/Renewing Online
Members are encouraged to join and renew online. This video gives a step-by-step overview of the online join/renew form. (It’s very fast though.) The process of renewing is similar to that of joining, except that for renewing members some of the fields on the renewal form will be pre-filled with information LWV already has about a member. LWVTSC has added a link to the online join/renew portal on its website. Note that current members can access the Membership Portal via links sent in the renewal reminder emails and also by using the link on the LWVTSC website. When loggin in to the Portal, use the email address where your renewal reminder and the Voter are delivered. The form should be almost entirely filled out for renewing members, but one thing to be careful of–towards the bottom of the form be sure the “League” box specifies LWV of Topeka-Shawnee County.
Annual Dues Have Become More Flexible
In the past, the local leagues had the ability to set their own dues. However, this year the US League assumed that responsibility and has adopted a “Pay what you can” model. The recommended dues are $75, but you can choose to pay any amount, $20 or over. When you get to the “Dues” box, there is a drop down list with varying amounts (all $75 or over). If you choose to pay less than $75, select the last one in the list “Choose your own amount (Minimum $20)” and enter the amount you’d like to pay in the “Dues Amount” box.
Adding a Second Member During Online Renewal
The new membership structure does not include ‘household’ memberships. Each member is individual. However, when a member joins or renews, they can also join or renew on behalf of a second member. Some important things to note about this process:
- The member can specify if the second member lives in a household with them or not. This function can be used for gift memberships, in addition to replacing what was formerly household membership.
- When the member chooses their dues amount, it will be the amount for each member, that is, the dues amount selected will be doubled. (Remember that while the recommended dues are $75, any amount over $20 per member may be paid.)
- Each member is identified in the LWV member data by their unique email address, so each member’s email addresses must match the one already associated with that member. For members who share an Gmail inbox, the email address for the second individual can be appended with a + to function as a distinct username. As an example, the email address SuzySmith @ gmail.com could be used in the LWV database for Suzy’s daughter if altered to: SuzySmith+herdaughter @ gmail.com. For instructions on how to do this, see this Gmail blog.
Joining/Renewing Offline
If you want to join or renew offline, you may send your check payable to “LWV” for the amount of dues you wish to pay along with a completed copy of the ‘Join Form’ to:
LWVTSC
PO Box 67251
Topeka, KS 66667
Do not include a ‘sustainer’ donation in your dues check. Any amount in a dues check will be split among the local, state, and national leagues. A separate donation check or online donation from our website is always gratefully accepted.
LWVTSC
PO Box 67251
Topeka, KS 66667
For additional information about joining and renewing see the LWVTSC website.
