They may have retired or moved with a business or gone to college. If you tell a state or chapter near the distant member that the member might be interested in knowing of their meetings, you might help the distant member make new friends and become more active in the SAR than he would otherwise. If he transfers you will lose an inactive member, but the distant society will gain an active member, so overall the SAR will benefit. We will retain more members if all our friends can find good programs in which they can participate and good companions with whom they can work. Help your chapter get started with this.
Mailing lists miss the mark when they contain old addresses or people who have died.
Help keep the national, state, and chapter lists current with the Change of Address Form and help your historian and chaplain gather the information they need to complete a departed compatriots file and to include in the annual memorial service with the Death Notice and Obituary Form You may wonder if some long-inactive members have died. Newsletters Here are some ideas and articles for your newsletter. Here is a description of the timeline for dues. The membership handbook has some suggestions for retaining members , including a letter to encourage members who are behind schedule to send in their dues. The Change of Officers Form provides a convenient way for chapters to update national and state contact lists when you elect new officers.