NAMI Membership Manager Insider is sent on the third Monday of each month to membership staff, all NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates, executive directors, state presidents and the NAMI board. If you know anyone who should be receiving this communication, please email their name, email address, position and affiliate.

netForum Implementation Update

We are working diligently through the various cycles of the Data Conversion and Customization Development phases of the new system implementation project. NAMI has signed off on the first round of data conversion and is now working with Avectra to deliver the second round. We have shown great progress in this area and are on track for a successful final round of data conversion in April.
We have also signed off on the first cycle of customizations and Avectra has delivered more to us for testing. We continue to thoroughly test these customizations to ensure they are working properly. We will move into the final cycles of customization development during the month of March. There is still time to become a tester of the system and some of these customizations. If you are interested in being a tester, please send an email to indicating so and we will add you to the list.
NAMI has also been working on developing a training plan for the system that would include online training, training manuals and possible hands-on training sessions at this year's NAMI Annual Convention. If you would be interested in participating in a hands-on training session at the 2012 Annual NAMI Convention in Seattle, please send an email directly to .

Voting 2012 Preparation

As voting season draws near, please keep the following important dates in mind:
  • March 31, 2012: Nominations for NAMI Board of Directors, Bylaws, and Resolutions submission deadline
  • April 20, 2012: Membership submission and payment deadline
  • May 31, 2012: Voting packets received by NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates
  • June 22, 2012: Voting delegate credentialing and absentee voting deadline
  • June 29, 2012: Voting at NAMI Convention
Reminder: All memberships submitted via TouchBase batches, spreadsheets and other methods, and paid for prior to 11:59 pm EST on April 20, 2012 will be counted towards your NAMI Affiliate's vote weight.

Membership Processing Tips

Here are some guidelines for how you should submit your memberships to NAMI until the new system launches in May.
TouchBase Users
Continue with your current procedures:
  • Renewals should be submitted via TouchBase.
  • New members and re-joining members not found in TouchBase should be submitted on a new member spreadsheet.
  • Memberships should be paid for by mailing a check to NAMI or providing credit or debit card information.
  • Your memberships will be processed only after NAMI has received the payment.
Non-TouchBase Users
  1. Request a list of your members from . Please allow 3-5 business days to receive your list and instructions for making updates.
  2. Please be sure to follow the instructions to ensure your memberships are updated accurately.
  3. Email updated spreadsheets back to .
  4. Memberships should be paid for by mailing a check to NAMI or providing credit or debit card information.
  5. Your memberships will be processed only after NAMI has received the payment
  6. Once we have completed processing your spreadsheet, you will receive a new membership list reflecting the updates you made.

Bank Information Collection Still Ongoing

NAMI is still in the process of collecting all NAMI State Organization and NAMI Affiliate bank information in preparation for the new system. However, we still have not received responses from 86 percent of NAMI Affiliates and 15 percent of NAMI State Organizations
Those who have yet to provide their information can do so online or by downloading the Authorization Form for NAMI Membership Payments and sending it to the NAMI office. This information must be provided by someone who is a signer on the NAMI State Organization or NAMI Affiliate's bank account and would be in a position to provide any needed follow-up information.
Please provide this information as soon as possible in order to be setup in the new system to have applicable membership payments directly deposited each month into your NAMI Affiliate's or NAMI State Organization's bank account. There will be opportunities once the system is already in place to provide this information. However, you will receive quarterly paper checks until we do receive your bank information.
For questions and answers concerning the bank information request, please refer back to the October 2011 issue of the NAMI Membership Manager Insider newsletter.

Preparing for the netForum Implementation

Up-to-Date Contact Information Needed
As we have mentioned in previous issues, it is important to keep your NAMI Affiliate's contact information current with the NAMI office. This not only ensures that your members can get in touch with you by finding you on the NAMI.org website, but also that vital Voting 2012 information and communications are sent to the right individuals. Having your correct address on file ensures receipt of your NAMI Affiliate's voting packet.
NAMI Affiliates will be able to maintain their own information once the new system launches in May. Here is how to make sure your information is accurate until that time:
  1. Go to Find Your Local NAMI and locate your NAMI Affiliate's information.
  2. If any changes need to be made, please download the NAMI Affiliate Contact Update Form.
  3. Fill out the form with any necessary updates and email it to .
  4. You will receive a confirmation email after the changes have been made.
If you already know your voting contact for this year, please let us know who that person is by filling out the Voting Contact section of the form. Designating a contact now ensures your NAMI Affiliate is kept up-to-date with Voting 2012 communications.

Update on Standardized Dues

Many organizations have had questions about the mutually agreed upon split, and a discussion of that topic is contained in this fact sheet. The fact sheet can also be easily printed for distribution to others who you feel may need the information.
For NAMI State Organizations that have not yet communicated their membership dues split agreement for use in the new database, please contact Susan Gaffney at with that information, or if you have any questions.
Please note that if no dues split agreement is communicated, the netForum system will automatically set the split amount to the NAMI Board of Directors determined default of $10 to NAMI, $10 to the NAMI State Organization and $15 to the NAMI Affiliate.

Discuss What You've Read with the Information Services Team

We will be holding an hour-long conference call on the fourth Monday of each month to give readers the opportunity to discuss the content of that month's newsletter. The call information for February is as follows:
  • When: Monday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central, Noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific)
  • Where:
  • Dial 1 (888) 858-6021
  • Enter conference code 7035247600# when prompted
Notes from this call will be available in the next newsletter for anyone who is unable to participate. To view notes from previous calls, please visit the Document Resource Center.