AUSKF 2020 Membership Registration Procedure [by Keiko Umemura]

2/29/2020

Dear Federation Representatives:

It’s time to renew federation membership. The 2020 membership period is 4/1/2020 through 3/31/2021. Since we have implemented the online registration portal in 2017, we have also implemented online registrations for high rank promotion tests and kendo summer camp, and we will keep developing online system for the registration method of other events. If your federation hasn't signed up the online registration system, we strongly recommend you to go online and get the benefits immediately. The online system significantly reduces the amount of administrative work for all parties involved, allows individual kenshi to keep their profile current, reduce errors in handling individual’s information, and strengthens data security by eliminating multiple manual file exchanges. Last year one more federation signed up for online, and so far, ten federations have been using the online registration method.

For the membership registration this year, we are still allowing two registration methods. You can either let individual members register and pay online or use the spreadsheet-based method.

For the federations that have started the online registration last year or previous years, you do not need to take any action. The products you created for 2019 membership will still apply unless you set an expiration date or changed their active flag. When those products are purchased the membership record created for the individual will be for the current membership year (2020 in this case).

If your federation chooses to start the online registration from this year, here is the instruction you need to follow.

  1. Set up your bank account to accept payment from Stripe. There is a form in the admin that allows you to do this, however, the Stripe API is causing problems and won't allow the completion of this process. Due to this issue either Travis Stronach (travis.stronach@auskf.org) or Steve Hoff (steve.hoff@auskf.org) will have to get the necessary information from you to complete the process through Stripes website. The information should be communicated to either Travis or Steve via telephone at a mutually convenient time. They will need the following for the bank account holder: Name (first, middle, and last), birthdate, SSN, phone number, email, address (street, city, state, and zip), bank name, account number, routing number, and federal employer identification number (FEIN). Along with that information you must provide a photo copy of a passport or a picture of your driver's license (both front and back).

  2. Provide your federation's waiver text in the admin. Go to the detail page of your federation to do this.

  3. Set up products in the admin for membership (different products for different ages and membership types). Note, there is help sections in the admin for this and other features. The product price must be for both the AUSKF portion of the payment and your federation's payment. Just to be safe, do not set the products as "active" until it is reviewed by either Travis or Steve.

  4. Utilize the dojo merge feature and user merge feature. There are still some duplicate records that were imported from the old database. Cleaning up these duplicates before your members create a login would be a good idea.

  5. Review and edit the generic waiver and release form as some states require more explicit language or other forms for legal purposes.

For online registration questions, please email and contact AUSKF admin (appadmin@auskf.org).

In case your federation still chooses to do the old way, you must follow the strict guideline for spreadsheet formatting. The detailed instructions are provided AUSKF 2020 Spreadsheet-Based Membership Registration. In the past, files of vastly different qualities have been submitted, causing multiple problems (time-consuming cleaning efforts and inaccuracies). Please kindly follow the instruction to minimize such problems.

Registration Process

Below is a summary of information about the registration process.

  1. Online Registration Start Date (3/15/2020): The 2020 membership runs from 4/1/2020 through 3/31/2021, and we will roll out the online registrations for individual members on March 15, 2020. This means that the federation representatives need to talk with Travis Stronach (phone 608-217-7270) to set up their bank account and fee schedules BEFORE the roll-out. Please note that the 2019 registration will be closed as of 3/14/2020. If an individual wants to register for the remaining week of the last year's membership, please consult with Keiko Umemura.

  2. Membership fees:

    • Adult (18 years and over) $60

    • Children (17 years and under) $30

    • Full time students $30

    • One time Initiation Fee $10

Age will be that as of the timing of registration.

3. 2020 Membership Renewal Due Date: March 31, 2020: Per AUSKF Policies and Procedures, annual membership is due March 31st each year. The annual AUSKF insurance count is based on these numbers.

4. Payment Address (for collective checks): If your federation decides to register collectively via spreadsheet, refer to the AUSKF 2020 Spreadsheet-Based Membership Registration for how to submit your file, send your payment to the address below, and email xlsadmin@auskf.org for notification.

Keiko Umemura

330 West 85th St., Apt. 4B, New York, NY 10024

email: keiko.umemura@auskf.org

5. One Check Policy (collective registrations only): Please make checks payable to All United States Kendo Federation (or AUSKF). Please make sure that your federation collects all fees from individual dojos and submits one federation check. AUSKF will not accept checks from individuals or dojos

6. Late Registration for 2020: If a person wishes to be registered after the deadline of 3/31/2020, you can use new Supplemental Registration Form (instructions are on this link at AUSKF 2020 Spreadsheet-Based Membership Registration). Alternatively, you can let the individuals register online. We strongly encourage members to register as soon as possible before the deadline. Members will not be eligible for promotion and other regional events unless they are paid and registered.

Lastly, Travis Stronach and Steve Hoff, who have been developing the online app and acting as customer service representatives, can use some helping hands. In further adding new features and maintaining the existing system, they would like to add more people with following skills and working experiences in the following areas:

    • MVC.NET and C#

    • AngularJS and Angular 4

    • .NET Web Api

    • Experience with .NET Core is desired.

    • MS Sql Server

    • Entity Framework

    • A good understanding of SOLID principles and common software patterns.

    • Talent in UI design/HTML/CSS is a plus

We would appreciate it if you could ask your members about this volunteering opportunities for the benefit of the general membership of the AUSKF.