What Is a Dual or Non-Primary Member?
A Dual Member—also called a Non-Primary Member—is an Altrusan who chooses to belong to two Altrusa clubs at the same time.
One club is designated as the Primary Club
The other is the Non-Primary (Dual) Club
Dual membership allows members to expand service, stay connected after moving, or support both a traditional and a virtual club.
How Dues Work
Primary Club
A member’s Primary Club is where they pay:
International dues
District dues
Local club dues
This club also counts the member for:
Voting delegates at District and International Conferences
Official membership reporting
Awards or calculations tied to membership numbers
Non-Primary (Dual) Club
A Dual Member pays only the local dues of the additional club.
They do NOT pay:
International dues again
District dues again
Because those are already paid through their Primary Club.
Who Can Join as a Dual Member?
Any Altrusan who is:
A current member in good standing
Invited/approved through the second club’s membership process
Dual membership is optional and designed for members who want deeper engagement or multiple club connections.
Why Choose Dual Membership?
✔ Participate in more service projects
✔ Support a club in another city or district
✔ Stay active with your home club after moving
✔ Join both a traditional and a virtual club
✔ Expand friendships and leadership opportunities
Primary and Non-Primary Membership, huh?
- Providing individual members with expanded membership opportunities outside of their primary club and/ or district. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Altrusans were introduced to and became comfortable with technologies such as ZOOM. This allows more opportunities for members to actively engage with other clubs in a virtual environment.
- Providing opportunities for ground-level support to other clubs and assisting with revitalization in the areas of membership development, new club building, marketing, social media, etc. by leveraging the skills and expertise of members with known leadership experience at the Club and/or District level (i.e., more hands and feet!).
- Expanding the eligibility of membership in a non-primary Club(s), land-based (traditional) or virtual.
- Providing a more flexible composition of the 15 members required to charter a Club (i.e., primary and nonprimary).
- An Active member will have only 1 primary membership and may have multiple non-primary memberships.
- A first-time non-primary membership application must be completed and submitted by the non-primary club to International and the District within 45 days to ensure tracking in Group Tally.
- Link to application: Non-Primary-Club-Membership-Application-Form1.pdf (altrusa.org) • Non-primary memberships must be re-confirmed during the annual renewal period.
- Non-primary memberships are not counted in determining delegates for District Conference, or International Convention nor can non-primary members be a delegate from a non-primary Club to District Conference or International Convention.
- An active member, who has membership in a non-primary Club(s), is only entitled to 1 vote at International Convention or at District Conference of the primary membership.
- Non-primary members are responsible for paying Club dues and assessments in all clubs. • Non-primary memberships are not limited to the District of the member’s primary Club and can span to one or more Districts.
- A non-primary member may hold office in a non-primary Club(s) in which they are a member. • A non-primary member can only run for District office in the District where they hold a primary membership.
- A non-primary member retains all rights and duties of membership in the primary Club and District.
- Non-primary members are counted in determining club charter strength; a club in formation must have at least eight (8) primary members of the 15 required to charter a new club.