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September 13, 2022
Dear Optimist Club Officers:
Thank you for your participation as a Sponsor Club as part of the International Club Development Pilot Program. This program has enabled people in countries beyond the borders of North America and the Caribbean nations to experience the “hope and the positive vision” that membership in Optimist International has to offer.
In 2017, we launched this International Club Development Pilot Project to “jump-start” the process of spreading Optimism throughout the globe, and during the past five years, we have made some wonderful new friends and learned some critical lessons.
At the Optimist International Annual Convention in July, the International Board of Directors did vote to end the International Club Development Pilot Project and transition clubs built under the pilot project into our regular club structure per the Optimist International Bylaws. Under this pilot project, the club you sponsored was brought into Optimist International under a deeply discounted membership dues rate; the OI Bylaws have two recognized categories for regular members based on the country the club resides within:
“Countries shall be defined as developed or developing in accordance with the designation of
the United Nations. Clubs in developed countries shall pay dues as published by Optimist
International prior to next fiscal year. Clubs in developing countries shall pay a reduced
amount of dues as published by Optimist International prior to next fiscal year.”
[Developed countries have an HDI score of .80 or above; developing countries have an
HDI score of .79 or below]
Recognizing the challenge such a change may have on these clubs, the Board of Directors created a three-year, graduated dues model to bring these clubs into alignment with the current dues structure of Optimist International; this model will increase their annual dues at a rate of $10 USD per member, per year for the next two years (October 2022 – September 2023; October 2023 – 2024) and then increase them to the published developing nation dues amount for the October 2024 -September 2025 Optimist year.
Additionally, these clubs will also be moved to the automated dues billing process, which permits clubs to choose annual, semi-annual, or quarterly dues billing/payment options. Due to this change, these clubs will no longer have an annual “affiliation fee”, which most sponsor clubs have generously paid during this pilot program time.
If your club would like to continue the financial support of your international club, you can either support a project or assist with their membership dues, if you choose. Even in light of the conclusion of the Pilot Program, we do hope that you will continue your relationship with your international club, regardless of your financial commitment. These changes could strengthen the relationship between your Club and your International Club as we continue efforts toward cultural enrichment between Optimists around the globe.
In Optimism,
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