Part III – Chapter 6
Understanding Member Eligibility, Payments and Dues
i. Member Eligibility Guidelines
As per LWV Minnesota bylaws, Section 1:
Any person who subscribes to the purposes and policies of LWV will be eligible for membership.
As per LWV Minnesota bylaws, Section 2:
Voting Members: Persons at least 16 years of age who join LWVMN also will be voting members of local LWVs and LWVUS.
Individuals who live within the area of local LWV may join that LWV or any other local LWV.
Individuals who reside outside the area of any local LWV may join a local LWV or become state members.
Individuals who have been members of LWVUS for 50 years or more will be honorary life members excused from the payment of dues.
Associate (non-voting) members. All others who join LWVMN will be associate members.
ii. Per Member Payments
The Per-Member Payment (PMP) is the way Leagues satisfy the requirement to support the national level of our three-level organization. The PMP is a major source of income for the LWVMN and for the LWVUS, providing partial support for advocacy, membership and organizational activities, convention and council, and national board and committee meetings.
Payment of the PMP is neither optional nor subject to local amendment. In order to retain the right to vote at state and national convention, Leagues must have made full payment for the LWVMN and LWVUS PMP.
LWVMN PMP rates are determined at State Convention. LWVMN sends out PMP invoices to each local LWV around late April/Early May every year. PMPs are due in the LWVMN office by March 31. Payments received by March 31 will receive a 5% discount. 2023 LWVMN PMP amounts are as follows:
Primary Member: $27.00
Additional Member: $13.50
Limited-Income Member: $13.50
Student Member: $0.00
Lifetime Member: $0.00
LWVUS PMP rates are determined by delegates at National Convention. 2023 LWVUS PMP amounts are as follows:
Primary Member: $32.00
Additional Member: $16.00
Student Member: $0.00
Lifetime Member: $0.00
Calculating the PMP Obligation
Your League’s PMP obligation for the current fiscal year is based on the January membership count of paid-up members as reported to the LWVUS on January 31 by means of the verified summary sheets in the member database.
Student PMP Rate
The PMP rate for both LWVUS and LWVMN student League members is $0, to help encourage youth membership. A student is defined as an individual who is enrolled either full or part-time in an accredited secondary or post-secondary institution. Students must be counted separate from other categories (i.e. low income) in order to qualify for the $0 PMP rate.
Special Considerations in Figuring PMP Total
Life or 50-year members: Those who have been members for 50 years or more are full-voting members but are excused from the payment of dues. Therefore, no PMP is charged.
Members in a common household: When two or more members reside in the same household, the full PMP is charged for the first member and one-half PMP for each additional member.
LWVUS PMP Billings
The billing that your League receives reflects the amount due for the entire current fiscal year. The invoice takes into account the special cases listed above for which your League pays part or no PMP at all. You will receive balance forward statements each quarter, until the PMP obligation is paid in full. The quarterly balance forward statement indicates payments made and the total now due or credit balance, if any.
PMP should be paid in full at the beginning of the fiscal year, or on a regular quarterly basis in July, October, January and April. Balance forward statements will be sent to those who pay quarterly.
Outstanding PMP Obligations
Payments to PMP will be credited first to any outstanding PMP obligation. If a League owes PMP from a previous year, that debt must be cleared before payments will be credited toward the current year PMP obligation.
Satisfying Part of the PMP Obligation by Using Tax-Deductible Contributions
The portion of dues that goes to LWV United States is NOT tax deductible. The portion of dues that goes to LWV Minnesota or a local League (must be a 501(c)3) IS tax deductible.
Students must be coded as a Student in our state database in order to get the free student membership.
Donation receipts are only required for donations of $250 or more; however, LWVMN sends tax receipts for all donations made to LWV Minnesota throughout the year, no matter the amount. Local Leagues are responsible for sending their own tax receipts to their donors at the local level.
To learn more about using tax-deductible contributions to partial PMP payment, raising tax-deductible funds for LWV Education Fund, and using tax-deductible funds already on deposit with your State League’s education fund, please reference:
https://www.lwv.org/league-management/policies-guidelines/member-payment-information
iii. Setting Membership Dues
Local Leagues can establish their own local dues above what is owed to LWVUS and LWV Minnesota. That way, they’ll have additional funds for their local work. Most Leagues offer an individual rate, a family rate and perhaps a new member or student rate, which allows a range of opportunities to help make membership both affordable, but also sustainable to help meet the ongoing needs of the League.
iv. Membership Roster Duties
Roster Manager
A Roster Manager is an individual appointed by their League to periodically log in to the Roster Manager Portal and ensure their League’s information and membership roster remain up to date. Frequently the League Treasurer takes on the role of Roster Manager, but each League gets to decide on the approach that fits them best. The membership information provided through the LWVUS Roster Manager portal is used for a variety of purposes including helping prospective members find a League and contact League officers, documenting voting rights at Convention, ensuring members get LWVUS e-newsletters, and assessing Per-Member Payment obligations.
Look here for the most up-to-date information on the LWVUS Roster Manager Portal:
https://www.lwv.org/league-management/recruitment-engagement/roster-manager-portal-faq
Roster Updates
LWVUS and LWV Minnesota PMP assessments are based on the February 1 membership count. It is important that your LWV’s information be correct and roster updates are complete by January 15. The roster should include active members only. Please help keep your rosters current in the LWVMN database as well by using this Member Update Form.
Leadership Changes
After your LWV has elected its officers they should be updated on the LWVUS database, as well as the LWV Minnesota database. Updating this information will ensure that your LWV leaders will receive information in a timely manner from LWVUS and LWV Minnesota. Please update any leadership changes using the form under League Admin in Member Resources.