The National League of Women Voters has enabled access to the new ChapterSpot JOIN/RENEW page. Read about the  new ChapterSpot portal in a previous article.  The JOIN/RENEW page on the Wheaton website will provide background information on the changes in membership fees. You can also read a summary at the end of this article. To pay for your membership, you will no longer go to a page on the Wheaton LWV website. Current members will get an email sixty days before you need to renew with a link that takes you directly to the ChapterSpot to renew. Alternatively you can use the JOIN button on the home page to renew.

In the coming weeks, you will receive an email through ChapterSpot, the new membership system, asking you to log into the portal for the first time. You are NOT being asked to renew or pay dues, only to log in and complete your member information. 

It is important that you log in to the portal to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information, as well as to help the League more broadly understand who we are as an organization. 

If you haven't received an invitation to log in before February 7, please check your spam folder or reach out to membership [at] lwv.org or Sue Benjamin (our League Treasurer) treasurer [at] wheatonlwvil.org.  Sue will also be happy to assist or answer questions as we move forward with this new process.

Summary of the Main Functions of ChapterSpot

You will be given the option to sign up to auto-renew annually, and your membership will last a year after your last renewal. 

• Once you have access to the portal, you will be able to update your own information, including contact information. 
• When it comes time to renew, you will receive an email reminder. 
• Dues will no longer be a fixed rate but will be pay-what-you-can. The recommended dues amount for all members across the country will be $75, but members can pay any amount (minimum $20), including the current Wheaton LWV dues rate of $85. We recommend that amount if possible.
• Under the current system, LWV of Wheaton pays a fixed rate per member to LWVIL and to LWVUS.
• Under the new system, a percentage of dues will go to the state and national League. This means that when you renew, if you would like to make an additional contribution directly to LWV of Wheaton as some members choose to do when they renew, this will need to be separate from choosing a higher dues amount
• There will still be the option to renew by check for members who do not feel comfortable using the system.
• Members who want to donate should fill in the "Additional Membership Contribution" section of the form. Do not add the donation to the amount you pay for your membership. Members and non-members can donate any time during the year by using the DONATE Button on the Wheaton LWV website. Donations go to the Wheaton LWV.