Affiliate Memberships

Chess Clubs
1

I looked around the Affiliate/TD Support Area to see if I could pay our affiliation fee on-line. I couldn’t find it (and couldn’t find any info here in the first 2 pages of my search), so I’m assuming that hasn’t yet been implemented. If it is available, I would appreciate a link or suggestion on where to find it.

Thanks

2

Tom,

Try this: From the main page click on Join/Renew at the top. Next, select club (affiliate) from the bar with: Membership, new, renew, club (affiliate). Then follow the directions.

Tim

3

Thanks. I didn’t think to try the general USCF area. Unfortunately for me, while this will work for almost everybody else, I was trying to renew the state affiliate and that is the one club type not included. It makes sense not to allow attempts for a new state affiliate, but it would probably be safe to allow a renewal.

4

Currently, all affiliate renewals have to be processed manually at the USCF office.

Because of that, it may be easier and faster to call the office and renew the affiliate on the phone.

The next time I revise the online membership area, I will probably make it possible for an affiliate to renew itself online, since the affiliate already has the ability to update most of its membership information online. (The one
thing we don’t permit affiliates to do is change their affiliate name.)

However, the renewal option will be available only for THAT affiliate, not for other affiliates. (Each affiliate should have its own TD/A login anyway.)

5

An affiliate can now renew its own affiliate membership using the TD/Affiliate Support Area. (That’s the only affiliate it can renew, though, and it must be done from from the affiliate’s login, not a TD’s login.)

Of course, you’ll need to do this BEFORE the affiliate membership lapses.

The new webstore will also support new affiliate applications and affiliate renewals, but with two restrictions:

  1. New affiliates will not be activated until the affiliate information has been reviewed by the USCF office.

  2. Affiliate renewals will be processed immediately but any changes to the affiliate information will have to be reviewed by the USCF office. (Affiliates can change that information from within the TD/Affiliate Support Area.)

All of the above restrictions are to keep someone from trying to hijack an affiliate.

6

How long will it typically take before the affiliate membership is ‘activated’. We will be signing up a new club very soon and want to know how soon after registering we can get started running tournaments?

/Jens
Morgantown, WV

7

The webstore sends an e-mail to the office staff as soon as the charge card is processed.

For a new affiliate I would expect that e-mail to be reviewed by the end of the next business day.

For a renewal of an affiliate the expiration date is changed immediately, but the office staff still has to review any information changes. That review might take a bit longer, if it is thought necessary to contact the affiliate to confirm any changes.

Both of these manual steps are there to protect affiliates from someone trying to take over your affiliate by renewing it and changing the address or to create confusion by having an affiliate with a name similar or identical to your affiliate name. (Yes, we have had both of these attempted.)