Approved April 14, 2022
- Rates and Terms
Black Rose (BR) memberships are valid for one year from date of purchase, regardless of purchase date. BR offers two levels of membership: standard and VIP. Membership rates and benefits are defined on the membership page of br.org, located https://br.org/br/membership/. Black Rose does not offer corporate or company memberships. Individual membership in Black Rose is not transferable. Membership fees are non-refundable.
Memberships in BR are not active until approved by the Membership Director. The Membership Director will process all memberships in a reasonable amount of time, generally less than two weeks after receiving them. Note, “Pay Later” memberships are not processed until payment is received by the Membership Director. After 30 days without payment, membership application can be invalidated by the Membership Director.
To gain entry to members-only functions, or to receive members-only rates at open functions, members must show their official BR membership card. If lost, the card may be replaced by the Membership Director on request. A nominal fee may be required for subsequent lost cards.
- Revocation or Denial of Membership
In accordance with Section 2.13 of the BR Bylaws, the Board of Directors reserves the right to revoke the membership or decline the application of any person at any time, except for a Director, the Arbiter, or the Ombudsman, or a candidate for these positions in an election. Such a revocation or denial must be approved by 2/3 of the votes at a properly noticed meeting at which a quorum is present. Any person whose membership is revoked or denied must obtain approval from a majority of the Board before applying again. Revocation actions may be appealed in accordance with the Bylaws and with the appeals procedure in the Policy on Offenses (BR 606), but such an appeal should be sharply limited in its scope.
- Organizational Colors
Upon initial application for membership, each new member shall receive a voucher for one free BR pin, redeemable only in person. Lost pins may be replaced by purchasing replacements from the Membership staff; vouchers will not be replaced, but additional pins may be purchased without a voucher.
Only current members in good standing of the organization may purchase the colors of the organization. Eight-inch, embroidered patches may be available to members for an additional fee.
- Protecting Membership Information
Personal member information provided to BR must be valid in order for the corresponding memberships to be valid. At any time, if the Membership Director learns the information provided on a member’s application was fraudulent; the individual’s membership will be immediately revoked without refund, and the Black Rose Board of Directors will be notified. Examples of required valid information include:
- A prospective member’s legal name
- A prospective member’s valid residential mailing address or a Post Office Box where the prospective member is listed as an owner
- A unique email address is required for the member to participate in electronic elections for board members, arbiter, and ombudsman
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) including, but not limited to, those items listed above, shall never be sold, loaned, or otherwise provided to anyone except as follows:
- Member PII collected through a third-party account servicing provider (e.g., the membership system) shall be subject to their privacy policies.
- Member PII for voting members will be shared with a third-party election servicing provider (e.g., the online voting system).
- Member email addresses may be shared with a third-party email announcement provider with the express purpose of providing regular updates about Black Rose, its functions, and those functions the Black Rose Board of Directors has determined members may find appealing. Said emails will only be sent from Black Rose and members’ addresses will never be provided for any other purposes.
All of these disclosures are mentioned in the BR Privacy Policy, which can be found at https://br.org/br/privacy/ .
Black Rose staff members, including select members of the Membership and IT staffs, who have access to membership data shall be vetted and voted upon by the BR Board prior to receiving such access. This approval cannot be delegated. Individuals who handle confidential or personal information will be required to sign annual Confidentiality Agreements. The Membership Director will keep archived copies of CAs for three years after said staff member no longer has access to privileged data.
Membership information, in all forms, will be destroyed three years after their membership has expired. If such a member joins again, they will be enrolled as a new member since BR no longer retains their former information.
Requests for member data:
- PII and membership status (in any form) will be provided only to the member whose information is requested, or to the Black Rose Board of Directors with specific reason.
- Select membership information (specifically membership number, scene name, email address, and voting status) will be provided, annually, to the Elections Chair to facilitate ballots being sent to all eligible members.
- Members’ email addresses may be disclosed to members of the IT or Membership teams to facilitate initial registration in the email announcement system. Members may always subscribe or unsubscribe to specific email lists through the use of the email announcement system’s direct interface.
Membership cards will be mailed directly to the member, or can be picked up in person from a representative of the Membership staff at most Black Rose functions. Membership cards will not be given out to anyone but the owner of the card, unless prior written authorization has been granted.