State National Guard associations recently received shares of almost $58,000 as a result of the Early Bird membership rebate program.

NGAUS rewards a 5 percent rebate to state associations on national dues received by March 30.

This year, the states sent nearly $1.2 million by the deadline. The figure is about $100,000 more than last year's at the same point. Dues rebates ranged from less than $10 to more than $4,000.

The NGAUS board of directors created the program several years ago to encourage states to forward their collected national dues early.

Holding all dues until the traditional June 30 membership deadline for conference seating and awards can bog down processing and accounting.

Early dues submission also helps to evenly distribute NGAUS revenue flow.

State Guard associations can also receive up to a 5 percent rebate on all collected dues by exceeding their previous year-end membership percentages.

States that maintain a 100 percent membership rate from one year to the next receive the full 5 percent rebate.

Last year, 15 states reached the 100 percent membership mark.

Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin have already reached 100 percent membership (box, page 70).

Overall, NGAUS membership now stands at 59 percent.

© 2007 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.