Life Membership

The I.B.M. has revamped the Life Membership program. We hope you are ready to join this elite group. 

The original Life Membership started in 1997. Currently, the I.B.M. has 129 Life Members. There is no change to their status – except they get to enjoy all the new benefits and perks, as well! 

The new pricing structure is as follows:

  • For any member age sixty and above, the cost is $1,200 to be a Life Member.
  • For any person achieving Order of Merlin status, Life Membership is only $1,450.
  • Any adult member aged eighteen or older can become a Life Member for $1,900.

This is the first time that age and status in the I.B.M. will be rewarded in the Life Membership program. 

Over 18

To be honest, we realize many people look at this as just a way to pay their dues up front for life without worrying about dues increases. It is smart to pays your dues for life if you can afford it, because if you are in your twenties, thirties, or forties, $1,900 is what you’d pay in just twenty-seven years at the current dues rate. Instead, that one-time payment has you covered for your entire life. 

Order of Merlin

Our Order of Merlin members receive a perk for achieving that milestone. The $1,450 price drop for Life Membership is almost twenty-five percent less than the full price of $1,900 for the same great program! Many of our members become Merlin as young as thirty-five years old. This is a great deal for them.

60 Years Plus

For anyone age sixty years or older, the price drop to $1,200, and allows the organization to say thank you to our older members, while allowing members to show their appreciation and give back to the I.B.M. 

At each of the three tiers, the Life Membership is a worthwhile and mutually beneficial program, that helps support the organization as well as make it financially easier on the members, and give them some prestige for their support of the I.B.M. It is truly a win-win for everyone.

The Linking Ring

All Life Members automatically receive digital access to The Linking Ring, including the Online Digital Edition, a downloadable PDF, and the Linking Ring Mobile App. All Life Members can also receive the printed journal delivered to their homes if they request it from the office. Obviously, there is a large expense in printing and mailing the magazine. (Those who reside outside of the United States will still need to pay the postal surcharge that they always pay to get The Linking Ring.) If Life Members enjoy the physical copies of the magazine, they can get them just by asking. 

Life Membership Committee

One of the other changes that the Board of Trustees approved was the formation of a permanent Life Membership Committee. Once someone becomes a Life Member, he or she has advocates on the Board who are pushing the program to advance, adding to the benefits each year, listening to Life Member concerns, issues and ideas, and working with the Headquarters Office and Executive Editor. Executive Committee member Tom Vorjohan has been asked to chair this committee. He is being joined by our International Treasurer, Chuck Arkin, Past International President Joe M. Turner, and Executive Committee members Mike Woodward and Jeff Broderick. This is a powerhouse committee that has plans to make Life Membership a big part of the organization. 

Life Membership Perks

To get the 2021 revitalization of Life Membership started, we are excited to announce several perks and benefits that have already been put in place:

  1. All Life Members will receive free registration to the upcoming virtual I.B.M. Convention to be held July 8-10, 2021, a $99 value.
  2. All new Life Members can have their pictures and brief biographies published in The Linking Ring.
  3. A list of all current and new Life Members will be published each year in The Linking Ring.
  4. A list of all Life Members will be published in each I.B.M. Convention program.
  5. All Life Members will receive preferred seating at I.B.M. Conventions.
  6. All Life Members will receive a twenty-percent discount on select I.B.M. regalia items.

This committee is actively working on nearly a dozen other potential perks that will be added to the Life Member program in the future, including Life Member Only events such as special meet and greets, lectures, and unique opportunities that will make Life Members feel distinguished and appreciated. This program will be much more than just “paying dues for life.” Our Life Members will be the VIPs of the I.B.M. 

What are you waiting for? Contact Sindie at the Headquarters Office at 1-636-724-2400 to arrange for your Life Membership to start. If you have any questions, Chairman Mike Dunagan would love to talk with you via email, text, or phone call (mdunagan123@gmail.com or 404-834-8180 or EST). We want to have 500 Life Members within a year, and we hope many of you will take advantage of this great opportunity.