Our viability as an organization is dependent on encouraging new members to become part of The Gardeners.  All members are encouraged to bring guests who might be interested in joining The Gardeners to any of our meetings.  Anyone planning to bring a guest should inform the President and the head hostess-of-the-day prior to doing so.

A Gardener who would like to propose a potential candidate for membership must first inform both the President and Membership Chair. The candidate may attend the next meeting where she will be introduced to the membership by her proposer, who will say a few words about her. The proposer might also wish to host a small gathering of Gardeners to further acquaint these members with the candidate. To proceed, the proposer should give a copy of our Bylaws to the candidate download the Membership Application Form from The Gardeners’ website for the candidate to complete, having been given a copy of our Bylaws.

The proposer is responsible for securing the three letters of support that are required for the membership application process; these include: her letter, one from the seconder, and one from the endorser. All letters must be mailed or emailed to the Membership Chair, along with the completed Membership Application which has been signed by all three sponsors.

These three sponsor members (the proposer, seconder, and endorser) must inform their candidate of member responsibilities and activities; this should include information on annual dues, donating to the Fertilizer Fund, and participating in our Civic Engagement Service days.

Once all forms have been received by the Membership Chair, the candidate’s finished proposal will be announced at the next meeting (the candidate should not attend this meeting). Members will also be informed of the candidate’s proposal for membership via email the same day. Members will have three weeks from the announcement of the proposal to send comments in writing to the Membership Chair. After the three week period, the Membership Chair will then call a meeting of the Membership Committee to review the completed portfolio and any member comments.

The Membership Committee will then vote to accept or deny the membership application.

Prior to the next meeting, the President, the membership and the candidate will be informed by the Membership Chair of the committee’s decision. If accepted,  the candidate will be invited to attend the next Gardeners’ meeting to be officially welcomed as an Active Member.

The three sponsors (the proposer, seconder, and endorser) are fully responsible for mentoring the new  member, making her feel welcome and facilitating introductions to the membership. One of the three sponsors should try to accompany the new member to the Gardeners’ meetings and activities during her first year.

See Bylaws: Article II
Section 1-10 January 2023