What this checklist is and who it is for
This is a dated list of the jobs that make up renewal season, from May to September, for a club whose year starts on 1 July. It is for the secretary, treasurer and registrar, who usually share the work, and for any committee that wants the season on one page instead of in one person’s head.
It covers two things that run side by side: collecting renewals, and the Conditional Registration Scheme follow-ups that depend on who has renewed. The steps and their timing are suggestions. The Scheme report dates are not: they come from the Code of Practice and assume the club’s financial year also ends on 30 June. For the reasoning behind each step, see our guide to running membership renewals.
The checklist
May: get ready
- Agree membership types and prices for the coming club year, and check they match the constitution.
- Check the list of who will be asked to renew. Leave off members deemed financial under the constitution, such as life or honorary members if yours treats them that way.
- Tidy contact details, so notices reach the right address or inbox.
- Decide and write down the date a membership lapses if it is unpaid, under your constitution.
- Check which members’ log books reach the end of their third year from issue in the coming year (the Code, clause 2.28).
- Prepare the three letters: first notice, reminder and final notice. Our renewal reminder letter template has all three.
June: send the first notice
- Early June: send the first notice, with the amount, the due date (1 July) and how to pay.
- Remind members with Scheme vehicles that they must stay financial at all times (clause 3.5(a)).
- Record payments as they arrive, so the list of who is outstanding stays accurate.
July: the new year begins
- 1 July: the new club year starts. Members who have not renewed are now outstanding.
- Mid July: send the reminder to everyone still outstanding.
- Treasurer: reconcile payments received against the list of renewals.
- Registrar: start a list of members with Scheme vehicles who have not renewed.
August: final notice and the first Scheme reports
- Early August: send the final notice, with the lapse date and the Scheme paragraph.
- Contact lapsed members who still hold log books. Explain that a member who is not financial must not drive the vehicle (clause 3.11) and that the log book must be returned to the club for cancellation (clause 3.5(j)).
- Cancel log books that are returned, and record the date.
- By 31 August: report to the Registrar the members with Scheme vehicles who are no longer financial (clause 2.33).
- By 31 August: give the Issuing Body (the Federation) a completed Logbook Declaration (clause 2.30). The form is on the Federation’s website.
September: close the season
- By 30 September: send the Issuing Body the report of log books issued to members (clause 2.32).
- Prepare membership numbers for the committee and the AGM: renewed, lapsed, new members, and amounts collected by membership type.
- Note what worked and what did not, and put next year’s May meeting in the calendar.
Scheme dates at a glance (30 June year end)
| Report | Sent to | Due | Code clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members with Scheme vehicles who are no longer financial | The Registrar | 31 August | 2.33 |
| Logbook Declaration | The Issuing Body | 31 August | 2.30 |
| Log books issued to members | The Issuing Body | 30 September | 2.32 |
Our guide to the yearly Scheme reports explains what each report contains and where the forms come from.
How to use it
Copy the dates into the club calendar at the May committee meeting, and write a name beside each step.
- Shifting for other year ends. Move every step by the same number of months as your year start differs from 1 July. For a club year starting 1 January, move everything six months: May becomes November. The Scheme reports fall due two and three months after the end of the club’s financial year, so for a 31 December year end they are due by the end of February and by 31 March.
- If your membership year and financial year differ, use the membership year for renewal steps and the financial year for the Scheme dates.
- Keep the lapsed list current. The August steps depend on knowing who has not renewed and which of them hold log books. Our guide to lapsed members who still hold log books covers a fair way to handle them.
Where MemberCrew fits
MemberCrew tracks renewals per club year and shows who has paid, who is outstanding and the dues still to collect. The treasurer records payments by bank transfer, cash or cheque, including part payments; online renewal payments into the club’s own Stripe account are coming soon. It lists lapsed members still holding log books and produces the Scheme reports in one click. See memberships and renewals. Email to members is coming soon, so for now the club sends its own notices.