The first Altrusa Club was organized in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 11, 1917. The year following, membership on a classified basis was adopted by the clubs then organized. The National Association of Altrusa Clubs was the first national organization of business and professional women, either classified or unclassified. Altrusa Clubs are classified and selective membership clubs composed of women who hold executive positions in diversified businesses and professions, or who own and operate their own businesses, or are practicing a profession. The proportion of a club's membership which may come from any one field is limited to ten percent of its total membership, and only one representative of each particular occupation classification can hold membership at any given time in a local club.
Membership is by invitation.
Altrusa is nonpartisan in politics and non-sectarian in religion. The records of the Altrusa International of Sandusky, Ohio, document the history of the social organization form 1935 to 1981. Predominately consisting of minutes, club programs, correspondence, news clippings, photographs, and printed material, the growth of the organization and its impact on the community can be successfully documented. The organization minutes date from 1935 to 1979 and are therefore quite complete. These minutes document the time and place of meetings, issues discussed and voted on, elections held, civic projects undertaken, and charitable enterprises.