The Junior League of San Antonio, Inc.
2011 Admissions Guide for Prospective Members
Mission Statement
The Junior League of San Antonio, Inc. is an organization of women
committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women,
and improving communities through the effective action and leadership
of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and
charitable.
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................... 2
Foreword ....................................................................................................... 3
Definitions ..................................................................................................... 4
Eligibility ........................................................................................................ 5
Obligations .................................................................................................... 5
Options for Response ................................................................................... 6
Timetable ...................................................................................................... 7
New Member Requirements & Time Commitment...................................... 8
Resignations and Reinstatements ............................................................... 9
Community Placement Information .............................................................. 9
Membership Requirements ........................................................................ 10
Sustaining Membership .............................................................................. 11
Introduction
Our Purpose…
The purpose of our admissions system is to promote voluntarism and to allow our
League to grow. The selection process is designed to identify those women desiring
to make a positive impact on the community.
The right timing for the prospective member is of the utmost importance. It is
imperative that the prospective member feels that she can complete the
requirements of her New Member year without any foreseeable interruptions. The
Sponsor and Prospective Member must not overlook this consideration.
This handbook should be used as a guide for the prospective member.
Foreword
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI)
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of
women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and
improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained
volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Through the power of our association, Junior Leagues strengthen communities by
embracing diverse perspectives, building partnerships and inspiring shared
solutions.
The AJLI, Inc. reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins who
demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.
There are 294 Junior Leagues in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Great
Britain with a collective membership of more than 171,000 women.
The Junior League of San Antonio, Inc. Membership
Active members in The Junior League of San Antonio, Inc. are women who are at
least 23 years old. Criteria for membership include leadership potential and a
willingness to serve the community on a volunteer basis.
The responsibilities of membership are considerable, but so are the rewards.
Members of the JLSA, Inc. are part of an international organization recognized for its
knowledge and achievements. JLSA, Inc. will offer training in a variety of areas that
will provide skills to work on League Community Projects and to enhance personal
growth and development.
Definitions
New Member
New Members are those who are engaged in training established by the JLSA, Inc.
to prepare them for effective community and League involvement and are not
eligible to vote or hold office. All New Members shall be required to complete a
training course within a specified time after their election to New Member
membership according to JLSA, INC. BYLAWS, ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP,
Section 1, (a).
Sponsor
Sponsors are those Active and Sustaining members in good standing (current in all
requirements and obligations) who are recommending prospective members for
membership, in accordance with JLSA, INC. BYLAWS, ARTICLE III –
MEMBERSHIP, Section 5 and – GENERAL LEAGUE POLICIES I. ADMISSIONS.
Membership Acceptance Agreement
The Membership Acceptance Agreement is a contract between the JLSA, Inc. and a
prospective member. GENERAL LEAGUE POLICIES I, ADMISSIONS, Section
C.2: “A prospective member accepting New Member membership shall sign a
Membership Acceptance Agreement, therein agreeing to complete all the
requirements of the new member year.”
The prospective member will sign this agreement during the Invitation Reception.
Once the Membership Acceptance Agreement is signed the member is considered
a New Member of JLSA.
Eligibility
Who is eligible to be sponsored?
RESIDENT PROSPECTIVE MEMBER
o A prospective member must have reached her 23rd birthday before March
31st, of the year she is to be invited into New Member membership by the
Admissions Committee.
o A prospective member shall have lived in Bexar County or contiguous
counties at the time of sponsorship.
NONRESIDENT PROSPECTIVE MEMBER
o A non-resident prospective member who wishes to participate in the Junior
League in the area in which she lives may be sponsored into JLSA, Inc. in
order to immediately be transferred to her area Junior League.
o A non-resident prospective member may not have lived outside JLSA, Inc.’s
admissions area more than five consecutive years at the time of her
sponsorship and must live within another Junior League’s admissions area at
that time.
o A non-resident prospective member shall not be sponsored if she has been
sponsored or is being sponsored for membership in the receiving League.
Obligations
Obligations of the New Member
o Attend the Prospective Member Invitation Reception with a member of the
Sponsoring Team.
o A prospective member accepting New Member membership shall sign a
Membership Acceptance Agreement, therein agreeing to complete all of the
requirements of the New Member year.
o Any prospective member who does not reply to her invitation shall be
considered as having declined.
o
No prospective member who has declined her invitation to join the League shall be
subsequently admitted without again being sponsored for membership in
compliance with the Admissions Procedures.
Options for Response
The invited prospective member may respond to the invitation to membership in the
following ways at the Prospective Member Invitation Reception:
Accept
Pay all dues, the New Member fee and assessments and take the New Member Course.
Accept and Resign
Pay all dues, the New Member fee and assessments and immediately submit her request to
resign. A request to resign should be made (in writing) to the Corresponding Secretary. If a
New Member chooses to resign, her dues, New Member fee and assessments are nonrefundable.
She may be reinstated as a New Member of the JLSA, Inc. at any time until she reaches the
maximum age for membership in this League. Upon reinstatement, she would pay her
dues, New Member fee and assessments and take the New Member course.
Decline
In order to ever become a League member, she would have to be sponsored again in
accordance with the admissions procedures.
Accept and Transfer
The Prospective member must pay all dues, New Member fee and assessments in order to
become a New Member in the Junior League. A request to transfer should be made (in
writing) to the Corresponding Secretary. If a New Member chooses to transfer, her dues,
New Member fee and assessments are non-refundable.
A New Member has the right to transfer at any time during her New Member year. A
request to transfer should be made (in writing) to the Corresponding Secretary. The
Corresponding Secretary will verify that the New Member is in good standing with all JLSA
obligations. The transfer paperwork will be sent to the Receiving League. The New
Member would then be responsible to the Bylaws and Policies of the Receiving League.
In accordance with JLSA bylaws, if a New Member transfers out before October 1st, she may
request a refund of ½ of the JLSA portion of her dues (currently $36.50) AJLI dues, New
Member fees and assessments are non-refundable. She will then be billed by the Receiving
League for ½ of their dues plus any fees and assessments in accordance with the Receiving
League’s bylaws.
If a New Member transfers out after October 1st, she will not be entitled to any refund of
JLSA dues. She will not be billed by the Receiving League for dues, but will be responsible
for any fees and assessments in accordance with the Receiving League’s bylaws.
Timetable
February 1, 2011 ............................................... Admission Application Due
February 2011…List of Eligible Prospective Members Presented to Board
March 24, 2011 ..........................Prospective Member Invitation Reception
May 2011 to August 2011 ............ In-League Orientation (Super Saturday)
May 2011 to May 2012 ................... .New Member Course and Placement
April 2012.............................................Eligible New Members presented to
Board for Active Membership
Spring 2012 ..............................................Placement Showcase – required
June 2012 ........................................................................... Active Members
New Member Requirements & Time Commitment
1. Attend Invitation Reception with sponsor on Thursday, March 25th, 2009 from 6:00 PM
to 9:00 PM at The Bright Shawl. At this event, you MUST meet your financial
obligations which are:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Annual Dues ......................................................................... $135.00
New Member Fee .................................................................... $30.00
JLSA, Inc. Building Fund ....................................................... $100.00
Fundraising Commitment ………………………………………$45.00
T-shirt ....................................................................................... $10.00
Name Badge (Optional)………………………………………….$6.00
2. Attend one In-League Orientation (Super Saturday) offered on two alternative dates
between May to August.
3. Attend five (5) Cluster Meetings with New Member Mentors (multiple meetings offered).
4. Attend a minimum of one JLSA, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting.
5. Attend a minimum of four JLSA, Inc. General Membership Meetings by the February
General Membership Meeting. A minimum of five JLSA, Inc. General Membership
Meetings must be attended by May 31st of your New Member year, as is required for all
Active members. One substitution of a JLSA, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting is
allowed; this substitution CANNOT count for requirement #4 also.
6. Complete 25 hours of community placement:
o New Member Community Placement (21 hours)
o New Member Group Project (4 hours)
7. $100 Quota donation to Goodwill
8. Attend four Community Awareness training events (multiple meetings offered).
9. Attend three (3) large Cluster Group meetings.
10. Attend the Placement Showcase.
11. Complete an Exit survey at the end of the New Member program.
The deadline for all New Member requirements to be completed is March 31st, 2012.
Resignations and Reinstatements
Resignations
In order to resign in good standing, a New Member must be current in all JLSA obligations
including dues, fundraiser shifts, fundraiser financial commitment, and all other requirements of
the New Member course. Resignation requests must be submitted in writing to the
Corresponding Secretary. Resignations received within 45 days of a fundraiser will not be
granted until fulfillment of the fundraising shift is completed. If a New Member chooses to
resign, her dues, New Member fee and assessments are NONREFUNDABLE.
Reinstatements
In accordance with GENERAL LEAGUE POLICIES III PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP,
Section F.1,
Members who have resigned in good standing may be reinstated by the Corresponding Secretary
upon paying a reinstatement fee of $25.00. Upon reinstatements, the member shall be billed for the
current fiscal year’s financial obligations (dues, assessments, and, as applicable, fundraising
commitments) based on membership classification and date of reinstatement.
Community Placement Information
New Member Community Placement
All New Members will volunteer for (20 community placement + 4 group project) 24 hours in an
approved New Member Community Placement and New Member Group Project as part of
their training year.
The purpose of New Member Community Placement is to provide a workforce of volunteers
who assist community agencies with a variety of projects as requested, on a short-term basis.
The time commitment for New Members is 20 community placement + 4 group project = 24
hours between the months of June and February. This placement is very flexible and locations
vary.
Membership Requirements
Active Membership
Following your successful completion of the New Member year, you will be voted
into Active membership.
As an Active member, you have the following
responsibilities:
o To complete a minimum of 45 placement hours each year. You will select
from the range of approved placement opportunities.
o Three (3) Membership Credits, one of which should be Ole Marketplace.
o Purchase or sell $45 worth of either Olé Marketplace tickets (in any
combination) to show support of our fundraisers. Each Active or New
Member has the option to purchase the tickets, sell the tickets to others or
make a deductible donation to JLSA for the community fundraiser monetary
equivalent.
o To donate $100.00 worth of merchandise to Goodwill.
o To meet financial obligations which includes paying annual dues (currently
$135.00) plus a Building Fund assessment (currently $30.00)
o
To attend five General Membership meetings.
o To complete Placement Registration.
o An Active member who has completed 4 years of Active service and one
year of New Member service (not including any years spent on leaves) will
be granted the status of Preferred Active, which includes reduced
requirements.
o An Active member who has completed 8 years of Active service and one
year of New Member service (not including any years spent on leaves) will
be granted the status of Elite Active, which includes reduced requirements.
Sustaining Membership
Sustaining members are those members who have fulfilled the Active membership
requirements, as defined by the JLSA and who continue to support the League and the
San Antonio community.

The Active member electing to be reclassified as a Sustaining member must
have reached age 40 on or before May 31.


An Active member of The Junior League of San Antonio, Inc. shall serve a
minimum of three (3) years as an Active member before she may become a
Sustaining member, even though she may have reached the age of 40.
An Active member, who has completed ten (10) years of membership, including
her new member year, may elect to be classified as a Sustaining member, even
though she may not have reached the age of 40.