**Membership Drive**

Greetings!

One more year has come and gone. A successful Annual Training conference
in Sacramento, CA. New changes in our organization, a new President with
a new National Council dedicated to work. Next year challenges already
start to find their course. The planning of the 12^th^ Annual Training
Conference in Lafayette, LA is already in progress. Of course it's the
end of the year too and by December 31, 2004 membership dues will
expire. This means that dues for the 2005 calendar year are due by
January 1, 2005. It is important that we pay our annual dues to our
organization. These dues help us to subsidize the cost of our
conferences and other important activities carried out by NOPHNRCSE. By
paying your dues you will be able to participate in the decision making
process of the organization. By being a member in good standing you can
participate in the election and be eligible to hold any position in the
National Council. It is very important to be an active member if we want
our organization to be a success. Our success depends on each one of us.

There are 2 ways you can submit your annual dues payment:

1.  Submitting a check payable to [NOPHNRCSE]{.underline} for the amount
    of the membership you chose along with a completed membership form
    to: Astrid Martinez

> 4016 Norseman Ave.
>
> Grand Island, NE 68803

2.  By payroll deduction. Fill out the form AD-1054 "Request for Payroll
    Deduction", which you can get from your HR personnel and it is also
    available along with the membership form at the NOPHNRCSE website.
    **If you decide to go with this option, please remember that I still
    need a completed membership form and a copy of the AD 1054.** Please
    mail a copy at the address above. The original copy of the AD 1054
    will go to your HR personnel.

If you are already in payroll deduction, please fill the membership form
and mail it to me. In this case, you don't need to fill the AD 1054;
this is a continuous deduction and will not stop unless you request it.

I also want to clarify that if you have not used payroll deduction
before you must be aware of the following. If you start the payroll
deduction in January of 2005 these will be applied toward the 2006 dues.
These means you will have to pay the 2005 dues by mailing a check to my
attention.

Please fill and return the form with the payment by December 31, 2004.

Thanks and will see you next year in Louisiana.

Astrid Martinez

Chair Membership Committee

Attachments (2)

**Membership Benefits**

Why become a NOPHNRCSE Member?

-   Offer employees opportunity to built relationship with leaders in
    the agency.

-   Offer employees the ability to develop mentorship's.

-   Develops a sense of unity and pride in who we are.

-   Gives Hispanic Leadership a sense of purpose-Help others help
    themselves.

-   The conference provides us with the opportunity to develop skills in
    public speaking.

-   The conference provides us with the opportunity to learn and develop
    good skills as moderators and presenters.

-   Opportunity to develop skills to effectively work as a team member.

-   Learn and develop supervisory skills by leading and coordinating the
    work of different committees or by leading a committee.

-   Develop skills to negotiate when trying to recruit speakers for the
    annual conference. Negotiate work required, cost and payment
    process.

-   Develop a network of technical peers and friends across the nation.

-   Learn more about the Hispanic culture by interacting with different
    cultural background such as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban, and
    more. The Hispanic culture is very diverse.

-   Learn the country by attending the annual conference that is held in
    different states.

-   Meet the leaders in the agency, this provides us with an avenue to
    introduce ourselves and let them know our career goals.

-   Showcase our members for the benefit of the leaders looking for good
    qualify employees.

-   The leadership can get to know the Hispanics and our abilities for
    future job opportunities.

-   The members can help the agency in the recruitment effort of qualify
    Hispanics.

-   The organization can help the leadership meeting the Hispanic
    leaders in different communities.

-   The organization can help the leadership identify and remove
    possible barriers in the Hispanic communities to ensure the equal
    delivery of programs.

-   Gives us the opportunity to network.

-   Annual Training Conference gives us the opportunity for training.

-   Thru the organization you can express your viewpoints.

-   Help to educate NRCS on the Hispanic culture.

-   Learn about other positions within NRCS.

-   Add to your career profile.

**Lifetime Membership benefits:**

-   Life membership dues are not subject to increase.

-   Life memberships can decrease administrative expenditures.

-   Life memberships increase revenues.

-   A life membership provides peace-of-mind in that dues are current
    and saves money for the member.

-   A life membership provides opportunity to promote the organization,
    increase stature, and for grassroots educational and outreach
    programs.

-   A life membership provides a springboard for a separate entity
    within the organization to manage and administer these financial
    gains.

-   A life membership offers a great degree of prestige and identifies
    you as an individual apart from the regular membership.

-   A Life membership could generate income if it "raffle-off"
    occasionally as part of our regular membership drive or during
    "scholarship night".

> **Membership Form**

Please fill, sign and mail to:

**Astrid Martinez, Membership Committee**

**4016 Norseman Ave., Grand Island, NE 68803**

Choose Type of Membership

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| □ Lifetime Membership \$500.00    | □ Institutional \$250             |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | Any organization which subscribes |
|                                   | to the purpose of the             |
|                                   | Organization is eligible for      |
|                                   | membership after approved by vote |
|                                   | of the voting membership.         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| □ 1-Year Membership \$30.00       | □ Associate \$15.00- Any person   |
| (Charter)                         | who has rendered notable service  |
|                                   | to the objectives of the          |
| Same as Regular Membership, but   | Organization may be granted       |
| only available for founding       | associate membership upon a vote  |
| members of NOPHNRCSE.             | by ballot of three-fourths of the |
|                                   | members present and voting at the |
| □Payroll Deduction □ Check        | annual meeting of the             |
| enclosed                          | Organization.                     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| □ 1-Year Membership \$30.00       | □ Student \$10.00 -Student        |
| (Regular)                         | currently enrolled in an          |
|                                   | institution of higher learning    |
| Any person eligible for regular   |                                   |
| membership under the constitution |                                   |
| shall be deemed a member upon     |                                   |
| payment of current and annual     |                                   |
| dues.                             |                                   |
|                                   |                                   |
| □Payroll Deduction □Check         |                                   |
| Enclosed                          |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Personal Information **\* Required fields**

□ Mr. □Mrs. □Ms. □Miss \*First Name\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\*M.I.\_\_\_\_ \*Last Name:­\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* Region: □East □Midwest □Caribbean □Northern Plains □South Central
□Southeast □ West

\* Title: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\*Agency: □ NRCS Other:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* Home
address\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* City\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\*State\_\_\_\_\_ \* Zip\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* Phone: ( ) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\* Fax: ( )
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

\* Home
E-mail:\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \*
Office
E-mail\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Office
Address\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

City\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ State\_\_\_\_\_
Zip\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Phone: ( ) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Fax: ( )
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

□ **YES**, I would like to be listed in the Network Directory!

Total Enclosed \$ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
***Signature***\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Make Check payable to NOPHNRCSE

NOPHNRCSE Membership Dues are effective for one calendar year (Jan -
Dec)

USDA-NRCS prohibits the use of government franked envelopes and
government postage to be used in submitting membership dues and
application forms.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

Date Received\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Check#\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Payroll\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_