Category: 1. BYLAWS – all Documents

If we add a lifetime membership, what do we need to add. also if a lifetime membership is created, would the member still need to pay for a chapter membership?

Yes. A lifetime membership can be added, but the bylaws must clearly state what the lifetime payment covers.

My recommendation is:

A BCHI Lifetime Membership should eliminate future BCHI state dues only. The member would still pay any chapter dues and any required BCHA national dues annually.

This protects the chapters because their dues support local expenses. BCHI should not promise to waive money that belongs to a chapter or must be forwarded to BCHA.

Language to add to Article IV — Membership

Section __. Lifetime Membership

A Lifetime Member is an individual who has paid the lifetime membership amount established by BCHI. A Lifetime Member shall have the same rights and privileges as an Individual Member, subject to these Bylaws and the bylaws of the member’s affiliated chapter.

Lifetime membership shall exempt the member from future BCHI state dues. It shall not exempt the member from chapter dues, assessments, or required national dues unless those obligations are separately waived or paid by the responsible organization.

Lifetime membership is personal, nontransferable, and terminates upon the death, resignation, or expulsion of the member.

Article IV, Section 6 — Dues

I would add this paragraph:

The amount charged for Lifetime Membership and the allocation of lifetime membership payments shall be established in the Rules of Operation. Chapter dues shall be established by each chapter. Lifetime Members remain responsible for chapter dues and required national dues unless otherwise provided by the chapter or paid by BCHI.

Other matters BCHI should decide

The bylaws do not need every administrative detail. Consistent with our existing Books structure, the following should go into the Rules of Operation or procedures:

The price of a lifetime membership.
Whether there is a minimum age.
Whether the membership covers one individual or a household.
How BCHA national dues will be paid each year.
Whether part of the lifetime payment will be placed in a restricted reserve.
How the member selects or changes chapters.
Whether a lifetime member must remain affiliated with a chapter.
What happens if the person belongs to more than one chapter.
Whether honorary lifetime memberships may be awarded without payment.
Important national-dues issue

Even when the member no longer pays BCHI state dues, BCHA may still charge BCHI annually for that person. BCHI must therefore choose one of these approaches:

The lifetime member pays national dues annually.
The member’s chapter collects and forwards the national dues.
BCHI pays the national dues from the lifetime-membership fund.

I recommend the second approach: the chapter continues collecting its own dues plus applicable national dues, while the BCHI state portion is waived.

A member’s annual bill might therefore look like this:

Dues category Lifetime member pays annually?
BCHI state dues No
Local chapter dues Yes
BCHA national dues Yes
Special chapter assessments Yes, if properly adopted

This creates a true BCHI lifetime membership, without unintentionally imposing a permanent financial obligation on the chapters or the state organization.

BCHI Volunteer Service Reporting
Recommended insertions and replacements for Governance Books 1–5
Prepared from: BCHI Volunteer Hours Reporting Guide (attached draft)
Prepared: July 30, 2026
Purpose: Eliminate conflicts and connect the governing requirement, policy, procedure, guide, workbook, and forms.
Recommended disposition
The attached guide is already substantially included in Book 5 as CH-10. It should remain there as the detailed user guide. The governance books need shorter controlling language and corrected cross-references; the 14-page guide should not be copied into every book.
Book Recommended action
Book 1 – Bylaws Make one narrow amendment to Article VII, Section 4 so volunteer service reporting is expressly included in annual chapter reporting.
Book 2 – Rules of Order No change. Volunteer reporting is administrative, not parliamentary procedure.
Book 3 – Policies Add Policy 803 establishing responsibility, required system, submission, verification, reimbursement, and compliance standards.
Book 4 – Procedures Replace Procedure 21 with a workflow that matches CH-10 and the official BCHI Excel workbook.
Book 5 – Forms & Appendices Retain CH-10; revise the volunteer-form catalog and replace the present short VOL-01 so it does not conflict with the required long-form workbook.

Book 1 – Bylaws
Replace Article VII, Section 4 – Reporting Requirements
Chapters shall submit annual reports to the State Board in the manner and by the deadlines established in the Policies and Procedures. Required reporting shall include membership, financial, activity, compliance, and volunteer service information. The Board may prescribe standardized forms and electronic reporting methods consistent with these Bylaws.
Drafting note: This keeps the Bylaws durable. Definitions, spreadsheet instructions, reportable-hour rules, and deadlines remain in lower-level books where they can be updated without a bylaws amendment.
Book 2 – Rules of Order
No insertion is recommended. Book 2 governs meetings, motions, voting, and parliamentary process. Volunteer service reporting belongs in Books 3–5.
Book 3 – Policies
Add POLICY 803 — VOLUNTEER SERVICE REPORTING
803.1 Purpose. BCHI shall maintain accurate and consistent records of volunteer service, trail accomplishments, stock use, transportation, equipment use, and donated resources to document public benefit, support agency partnerships, satisfy grant and reimbursement requirements, and report organizational impact to BCHA.
803.2 Coordinators. The Board shall designate a State Volunteer Hours Coordinator. Each chapter shall designate a Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinator or committee. A chapter may assign the duty to an existing officer, but responsibility for timely and accurate reporting must be clear.
803.3 Official reporting system. Chapters shall use the current BCHI Volunteer Reporting Excel Workbook and the instructions in CH-10. The official long-form Project Worksheet is required. A short sign-in sheet or separate summary form may supplement, but shall not replace, the Project Worksheet.
803.4 Reportable service. A reportable project is volunteer work by one or more persons that benefits the public or assists a governmental or land-management agency in maintaining or managing public lands. Reportable categories and exclusions shall be defined in CH-10 and the official workbook.
803.5 Accuracy and verification. Project leaders and Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinators shall maintain source records sufficient to verify reported hours, work miles, travel, vehicle or stock-hauling miles, equipment use, stock days, and donated cash or materials. The same mileage or contribution shall not be counted in more than one category.
803.6 Submission. Project information shall be submitted promptly after each project. Each chapter shall submit its completed annual workbook to the State Volunteer Hours Coordinator by January 31 unless the Board publishes a different deadline. The State Volunteer Hours Coordinator shall compile and submit the statewide report to BCHA by the applicable BCHA deadline.
803.7 Mileage reimbursement. Mileage reimbursement through the Foundation requires the official long-form Project Worksheet and any agency agreement or authorization required for that year, including an executed USFS volunteer agreement when applicable. Reporting mileage does not, by itself, create a right to reimbursement.
803.8 Annual accomplishment narrative. Each chapter shall separately provide a brief narrative of major accomplishments and unusual projects for the annual chapter report. The Board shall identify the receiving officer and deadline in the annual reporting schedule.
803.9 Records and compliance. Volunteer reporting records shall be retained for seven years, or longer when required by a grant, contract, agency agreement, insurer, legal hold, or applicable law. Material failure to submit required reporting may affect good-standing certification, grant eligibility, reimbursement, or other benefits after notice and a reasonable opportunity to correct the deficiency.
Authority: Bylaws Article VII, Section 4. Related documents: Procedure 21; CH-10; VOL-01, VOL-02, and VOL-03.
Book 4 – Procedures
Replace PROCEDURE 21 — CHAPTER REPORTING OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE
21.1 Purpose. To implement Policy 803 through one consistent project-to-chapter-to-state reporting process.
21.2 Assigned roles. The State Volunteer Hours Coordinator maintains the current workbook and rates, supports chapters, consolidates chapter workbooks, and submits the statewide report. The Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinator maintains chapter records and verifies the annual submission. The Project Leader collects timely and complete project-level information.
21.3 Project-level reporting
Before the project, identify the project leader, agency contact, official project name or number, and applicable agency authorization.
During or immediately after the project, record each participant and all applicable categories in the official VOL-01 Project Worksheet: work hours and category, trail miles, travel time, personal-vehicle miles, stock-hauling miles, equipment use, stock use and stock days, chapter expenditures, and personal or business donations.
Only the driver reports vehicle or stock-hauling mileage. Mileage shall be entered in only one mileage category.
The Project Leader submits the completed Project Worksheet and supporting records to the Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinator within seven days after project completion.
21.4 Monthly review
Review all project worksheets received during the month for completeness, duplication, and proper category coding.
Resolve missing information with the Project Leader before year-end.
Use VOL-02 only as an optional internal control and reconciliation record. Do not type totals directly into a protected workbook Summary tab.
Store the workbook and supporting records in the chapter’s official records location.
21.5 Annual chapter submission
Confirm that every reported total originates from a Project Worksheet.
Do not alter formulas in the Summary or Totals worksheets.
If more than twenty-two Project Worksheets are needed, start a second workbook, label the files Part 1 and Part 2, and notify the State Volunteer Hours Coordinator. Obtain approval before using more than two workbooks.
Complete VOL-03 as the chapter certification and transmittal sheet; attach the entire completed workbook.
Obtain the Chapter President’s and Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinator’s certifications and submit the package to the State Volunteer Hours Coordinator by January 31 unless a different deadline has been published.
Send the separate annual accomplishment narrative to the officer identified in the current annual reporting schedule.
21.6 State consolidation
Log receipt of each chapter submission and review for apparent omissions, formula errors, duplicates, and unreasonable entries.
Return questions to the chapter for correction; do not silently change a chapter’s source data.
Consolidate verified chapter results in the statewide workbook and submit the required summary to BCHA.
Provide the Board an annual statewide volunteer-service summary and a list of chapters not yet reporting.
21.7 Reimbursement control
Before mileage is reimbursed, the Foundation Treasurer or designee shall confirm that the claimant is identified on the official long-form Project Worksheet and has completed any agency agreement required for reimbursement. Entries that are ineligible for reimbursement may remain reportable for statewide service reporting.
21.8 Records
Retain Project Worksheets, workbooks, certifications, supporting sign-in or agency records, and reimbursement documentation for seven years, subject to any longer retention requirement.
Related documents: Policy 803; CH-10; VOL-01, VOL-02, VOL-03; applicable agency volunteer agreements.
Book 5 – Forms & Appendices
Keep CH-10, with the following editorial corrections
Correct OCR/spelling errors: “efforts,” “affect,” “efficiently,” “official,” “Excel,” “wheelbarrows,” and “BCHI.”
Replace the fixed email address and title “vice-chairman” with “the officer identified in the current annual reporting schedule,” unless BCHI intends that office and address to remain permanent.
Change “signed a 301(b) form from the USFS” to “executed the applicable USFS volunteer agreement or other agency authorization required for that year.” Confirm the exact federal form name before publishing.
State clearly that the official long-form Project Worksheet controls and that the protected Summary and Totals tabs are formula-driven.
Add a Form Control block: Authority – Policy 803; Procedure – 21; Revision Date; Version.
Replace the volunteer-form catalog
ID Title and use
VOL-01 BCHI Volunteer Project Worksheet (Official Long Form). The Project tab in the current BCHI Volunteer Reporting Excel Workbook. Required source record for each project and for Foundation mileage reimbursement.
VOL-02 Monthly Volunteer Hours Reconciliation. Optional internal control used to confirm that project worksheets were received and reviewed. It does not replace workbook entry and is not entered into the protected Summary tab.
VOL-03 Annual Chapter Volunteer Summary Certification and Transmittal. Required cover certification accompanying the complete annual BCHI Excel workbook. Totals must agree with the workbook’s formula-generated Summary and Totals tabs.
CH-10 BCHI Volunteer Hours Reporting Guide. Detailed definitions, inclusions/exclusions, worksheet instructions, workbook controls, and Excel tips.

VOL-03 minimum certification language
“We certify that the attached BCHI Volunteer Reporting Excel Workbook is complete to the best of our knowledge; that its totals are derived from Project Worksheets; that duplicate mileage and contributions have been reviewed; and that the workbook’s protected formulas have not knowingly been altered.”
Conforming cross-reference changes
Current reference Change
Procedure 21: “FORM VOL-01 — Volunteer Hours Report” Change to “VOL-01 — BCHI Volunteer Project Worksheet (Official Long Form).”
Procedure 21: Chapter Secretary compiles reports Change to Chapter Volunteer Hours Coordinator, unless the chapter formally assigns that duty to the Secretary.
Procedure 21: “Event Risk Assessment (SAF-02)” Change to RM-04 — Event Risk Assessment.
Procedure 21: “Stock hours” and “Total Stock Hours” Change to stock used and stock days, matching CH-10 and the workbook.
Procedure 21: estimated in-kind value entered by chapters State that formula rates and statewide valuation settings are maintained only by the State Volunteer Hours Coordinator.
Policy 802 annual schedule Add “Annual volunteer workbook and VOL-03 | Chapter VHC | January 31 unless otherwise published | State VHC.”
Book 5 current short VOL-01 log Replace it with the official workbook Project Worksheet or relabel it as a supplemental sign-in sheet with a different ID.

Adoption sequence
Delegates amend Book 1 Article VII, Section 4 if the bylaws change is desired.
The appropriate approving authority adopts Policy 803 in Book 3.
The Board approves the replacement Procedure 21 and the Book 5 form/catalog corrections.
The Secretary updates tables of contents, cross-references, revision dates, and form-control blocks.
The State Volunteer Hours Coordinator confirms the official workbook, current rates, BCHA deadline, and exact agency agreement required for reimbursement before publication.
Final drafting conclusion
The attached guide should remain in Book 5 as CH-10. The most important work is not adding another copy; it is correcting Procedure 21 and VOL-01 so the governance system consistently requires the same long-form workbook.