Affiliate Memberships

Know the rules

It is NOT just another $5

The Basics of Affiliate Membership

• Affiliate Membership – allows employees of NAHB members’ companies to become members of NAHB at a reduced rate. – • No local or state association is required to establish this

category of membership. This is an optional category. – • A person may ONLY become an NAHB Affiliate member

through the local association of their employer. In addition, the employer must have at least one Associate or Builder member of record in active NAHB membership status.

– • If the local HBA has not adopted or recognized the Affiliate Member Category, then an individual is NOT eligible for Affiliate Membership at the state and national levels.

• Dues Investment: $5/year. Local and state associations can add their own affiliate member dues to that amount.

No “At-Large” Affiliate program• How does someone become an Affiliate Member? If the local/state

association has adopted this category and updated their bylaws accordingly, then just as with builders and associate members, the application process begins at the local level. Both the Web Membership System (WMS) and the paper forms accommodate Affiliate memberships.

– • Affiliate members must join the same local association as their employer. – • The company address of the affiliate member must match the address of their

employer; however an affiliate member can also indicate a personal address, just like builders and associates.

– • Affiliate members have their own anniversary date; however if the primary member (their employer) cancels or is cancelled due to nonpayment of dues the affiliate members would also be cancelled with no proration or refund of dues. If the primary member reinstates, the affiliate members would also be reinstated with their original anniversary dates.

• Spike Credits: • Spikes receive a ½ credit for recruiting an Affiliate Member and a ½ credit

for their renewal.

History and Benefits• When was this category created? The NAHB Board of Directors adopted

a bylaw amendment on September 27, 1998 establishing the NAHB Affiliate Member Category. The category was created to achieve the following:

– • Increase the industry’s impact through a larger and more informed membership base;

– • Provide official recognition to the employees who are already making valuable contributions to the industry at the local, state, and national levels; and

– • Provide a cost-effective and affordable membership category to increase involvement and participation at all levels of the NAHB federation.

• How would a local association benefit by creating an affiliate membership category? This category would help local associations by creating a larger and more informed membership that will be critical as local associations address the multitude of issues facing the industry. It is also an important tool to recognize those who are already involved but are not technically members, as well as increase participation at all levels.

Local and State rules• Can a state or local HBA elect NOT to participate in the

program? Yes, the program is strictly voluntary on the part of local and state associations.

• Do local associations with an Affiliate Member category have to collect and remit affiliate member dues to state associations that also have an affiliate member category? Yes. The same process for reporting builder and associate member dues would be followed for state affiliate member dues. The local HBA does not have to collect state and national dues if it has not adopted the program, since potential affiliate members cannot join if their local HBA has not adopted the program.

• Does a state association have to recognize affiliate members if they have local associations with the category? No. In those cases where the state declines to recognize affiliate members (the program is optional for state associations as well), the local association would only collect local and national affiliate member dues.

Important Rule about employees

• Do employees have to join the same local association of their employer in order to become an affiliate member? Yes. Employees are only eligible for Affiliate Membership through the same local association of their employer, who must hold a Builder or Associate membership.

• Does the number of Affiliate Members within an HBA impact the number of Directors and Alternates it may elect to the NAHB Board? No. The number of directors and alternates a local association may appoint to the board of directors depends on the number of builder members.

Affiliate roles in NAHB• NAHB Board Representation: Affiliate Members may not serve on

the NAHB Executive Committee or Board of Directors, exclusive of the ONE Affiliate member to be elected to the NAHB Board to satisfy strict FEC PAC solicitation guidelines.

• Are Affiliate Members eligible to serve on an NAHB Committee, Council or Task Force? An Affiliate Member is eligible to serve on an NAHB committee, council or task force. However, he or she would not be eligible to serve as the chair or vice chair unless they became a full member.

• How is an Affiliate Member’s eligibility to serve on an NAHB Committee determined? Don’t the NAHB bylaws set requirements as to the number of builder and associate members on committees? An Affiliate Member’s eligibility to serve is linked to the type of membership held by the NAHB primary member. For example, an Affiliate Member employed by a builder member is eligible to fill a “builder” slot on a committee, council or task force.

Affiliate roles in Locals

• Can Affiliate Members hold leadership roles at the local or state level? No, the President of a local HBA must be a Builder member, as stated in NAHB’s bylaws. However, the local HBA may determine if Affiliate Members can chair local committees.

• Are Affiliate Members counted in membership competitions? Through the calendar year of 2007 all competitions include Affiliate members. There is also an Affiliate-specific competition for those local and state HBAs who have adopted Affiliate membership. Beginning in 2008, additional and separate competitions will be established for HBAs recognizing the category and for Spikes recruiting Affiliate members.