ACTIVITY MEANS MEMBERS - updated November 2005

USCF is pleased to announce the return of the "Activity Means Members" program after many years. We hope to encourage more USCF-rated tournaments and more chess clubs to exist in as many locations as possible, thus promoting membership. The key to growth is to have rated tournaments in more places, not just more events in areas that already have substantial activity.

If you run an affiliated club or other organization, we hope you will increase your schedule of rated play. Especially valuable is activity in an area presently lacking it - for example, if your affiliate now uses only one location, you might consider also holding an event an hour or two drive away. Such a tournament may enroll new members who would not now travel to your current site, but once they enjoy rated play and are part of USCF, some may begin to play at your original site as well.

If you are not now part of a USCF affiliate, why not start one? To learn more, call 931-787-1234, ext 123 (Joan DuBois) or ext. 128 (Alan Kantor), or e-mail Joan from our Contact Us page: Contact Us.

To help affiliates promote USCF membership, we offer the following new programs:

TD/Affiliate Area. Go to the "members only" area of our website and sign up for our TD/Affiliate area, to obtain both a $2 affiliate commission and $2 online discount on most USCF memberships!

Dues specials:

1 year adult membership with Chess Life for $38 (online $36)! For new adult members and those who have been expired since 2004 or earlier. One year for $38 or even better, two years $67 or three years $95. All $2 off if purchased online, and affiliates can obtain another $2 off through our TD/Affiliate area! Now also available by mail or phone.

Early renewal offer! If you renew your adult membership with Chess Life at least 3 months before expiration, you save $3 on a one year, $6 on a two year, and $9 on a three year renewal. Early renewal online saves another $2- one year $44, two years $82, three years $119! January must renew by Oct 31, February by Nov 30, March by Dec 31, etc.

6 months for $27. The cost of this membership has been reduced, and it is now available to all! It must be paid through an affiliate, and has a $2 affiliate commission.

No surcharge for Canada. As part of our effort to increase USCF membership in Canada, we no longer require the $6 postage surcharge. We have also started a new TLA section for Canadian events, and the CFC magazine, Chess Canada Echecs, has instituted a similar section for U.S. tournaments in their "coming events" listings (for details contact info@chess.ca or 613-733-2844).

The $6 surcharge for Mexico is no longer required, either!

Free TLA! Run an additional tournament this Winter! Each affiliate is entitled to one free TLA (Tournament Life Announcement), of up to six lines and up to two issues of Chess Life, for any tournament held between December 2005 - February 2006, if a tournament with that name was not held in 2005, or had no TLA in 2005, and the TLA is submitted by email by the appropriate deadline. The six free lines cannot be applied to longer TLAs.

Special categories of free TLAs!
Each affiliate is entitled to up to one six line TLA free each month for any or all of the following events:
Chess Club special. A tournament playing entirely on weekday nights.
RBO. One day events for under 1200 or under 1000. The tournament name must include "Rated Beginners Open" or "RBO."
Collegiate. A tournament limited to college students.
Student. A tournament for college students or below, or for age 25/below (25-year olds must be eligible).
Junior. A tournament for age 20/below (20-year olds must be eligible).
Non-scholastic with scholastic. A tournament for all ages held concurrently (same location) as a scholastic tournament that last year drew at least 50 players. We hope to encourage organizers of major scholastics to hold open events on the side.
Blitz. A Game/5 tournament. Dateless TLAs saying "USCF-rated Blitz every Friday," etc. are acceptable. These TLAs must be submitted by email. The six free lines cannot be applied to longer TLAs.

Special rates for club ads.
Special rates for unchanged club ads in the TLA section, up to 5 lines: $180 per year, $100 for six months. You can announce meeting dates and times, type of activities, contact info, etc.

New discussion groups being formed!

We have formed three new discussion groups to help less experienced organizers and affiliates: 1) Tournament Organization, 2) Chess Club Organization, and 3) Tournament Direction. These are a free service, available at http://www.uschess.org/forums. If you are interested in being part of any group, please feel free to register and join the discussions. These groups are not committees, and there is no obligation to be an active participant, you can ask questions or comment if you wish or simply benefit from reading the discussion of others.

Your ideas are welcome!

Please contact myself or Joan using the email option from our Contact Us page: Contact Us and if you have ideas on what other features the "Activity Means Members" program should include to help affiliates, please be sure to include them.

It has been over 40 years since USCF's first "Activity Means Members" campaign, promoted by Ed Dickerson of Missouri, appeared in the pages of Chess Life throughout 1962. Similar efforts of the 1960s included "Operation M" (members), "Operation MM" (more members), and "12 x 12" (12,000 members by the 12th month of 1968, a goal that was achieved). USCF membership more than quadrupled between July 1960 and July 1970, increasing every year and growing from 4,579 to 22,623.