In 2025, LWV is switching to a new member portal for all Leagues across the country.
Overview of the Membership Changes
When the system launches (during the month of February 2025), you will receive an email to log in to the portal, but you will not be asked to renew again until a year after your most recent renewal. You will be given the option to sign up to auto-renew annually, and your membership will last a year after your last renewal. Once you have access to the portal, you will be able to update your own information, including contact information.
The new League membership platform, ChapterSpot, will launch in February. This new platform provides a centralized portal where any person can join the League or renew their membership, regardless of which League they are joining. This will improve the member experience by making the joining process consistent across Leagues. On a member level, we hope these changes will make managing your membership easier. On a League level, this new model is expected to increase membership around the country and increase our ability to empower voters and defend democracy.
What Should You Do Now?
Members should watch for an initial email to “claim” membership on the new ChapterSpot portal. This email will be sent to all current members in the last part of January or first week of February. You will be able to access the new portal beginning in February. The email will ask you to log into the portal for the first time. You are not being asked to renew or pay dues, only to log in and complete your member information. You will also see questions asking for demographic information, such as birth year, gender, race and ethnicity. This information will only be used in aggregate. You can learn more about why this data is being collected and how it will be used by visiting the FAQ webpage.
It is important that you log into the portal to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information, as well as to help the League more broadly understand who we are as an organization. If you haven’t received an invitation to log in before Feb. 10, please check your spam folder or reach out to info@lwvpdx.org or membership@lwvpdx.org.
What You Will See on the New Portal
The following is an explanation of what to expect when you log in to the new member portal. Instead of requiring you to create another username and password to remember, the portal uses your email address as your username and an “email verification” process instead of a password. You will enter your email on a page similar to the following:
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A code will be sent to your email address. When you receive the code, simply return to the login page and enter the code:
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You will then see a screen similar to the following:
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Click on My Profile to see and verify your contact details.
Current members note: you have already renewed for 2024-25. You are not being asked to renew at this time. Your next renewal date is one year from when you paid your dues for 2024-25. More details on renewals and donations will be shared in future communications. The new membership system is part of the League Transformation Journey. Read more about how this piece fits into our larger transformation goals here.
Keep Donations Separate from Dues
When you want to donate to LWVPDX, you will need to write a separate check or make a separate donation. Donations added onto your member dues will be divided among national, state, and local leagues.
Remember: Keep your dues and your donations separate.
Types of Membership
The new system has only two types of membership: individual and LIFE. There will no longer be a household or student membership designation. All members will be individual members. The pay-what-you-can model is intended to extend to everyone the same consideration of financial need previously only offered to students.
Members can still be grouped into households for data purposes and members can still join on behalf of other members. A member joining from the same household as an existing member can choose to pay half of the recommended amount under the pay-what-you-can model. All members are equal in rights, responsibilities, and standing, regardless of the amount they have paid in dues.
There will still be a LIFE member category as specified in LWV By-Laws: Any person who has been a member for 50 or more years is exempt from dues payment.
Renewing Your Membership
When it comes time to renew, you will receive an email reminder. Dues will no longer be a fixed rate but will be pay-what-you-can. The recommended dues amount for all members across the country will be $75, but members can pay any amount (min. $20), including the current dues rate.
Under the current system, LWVPDX pays a fixed rate per member to LWV of Oregon and to LWVUS. Under the new system, a percentage of dues will go to the state and national League. This means that when you renew, if you would like to make an additional contribution directly to LWVPDX as some members choose to do when they renew, this will need to be separate from choosing a higher dues amount. A higher dues amount benefits the League as a whole and allows us to offer the option of lower dues to increase our member base but does not exclusively support the local League.
There will still be the option to renew by check for members who don’t use the internet, but members who are able to access the portal and renew that way are encouraged to do so.
On a member level, we hope these changes will make managing your membership easier. On a League level, this is expected to increase membership around the country and increase our ability to empower voters and defend democracy. We will keep you informed as we have new and relevant information.
Learn more about the Transformation from LWVUS
