The IOs exist to make Society membership more meaningful. Each Society member should try to become a member of at least one IO and take part in its activities. The Society places no limit on the number of IOs to which a member may belong.  An NSS member may be an officer in multiple IOs.

A group of members who wish to form one of the IOs described below must first obtain a charter from the Society. The authority to charter IOs has been delegated to the IO Committee.

Chapter (Grotto).  A Chapter (Grotto, Student Grotto) is an IO made up of individuals who reside in the same general locality or who cave together and maintain community by means of electronic or other communications. Most chapters are known as grottos. The two words mean the same thing within the Society. Grottos generally hold regular meetings, take field trips, organize projects, train new members, publish newsletters, and provide social functions for their members. A student grotto can be organized at an educational institution to serve the needs of students, staff, and faculty at that institution. For sorting purposes only, grottos are placed in separate categories in the NSS Members Manual; by State of the Union, International, and Traveling.

Regional Association ( Region). Regions are IOs made up of grottos, sections, surveys, and individuals in a general geographical area. The purpose of a region is to maintain communication among IOs and isolated members whose speleological interests cover the same general area. Most regions organize at least one annual project, meeting, or get-together. Some regions also publish a newsletter. Each Region must have as members a minimum of two IOs (grotto, section, survey).

Speleological Surveys (Survey). Surveys are IOs made up of other IOs engaged in gathering speleological data in a general geographical area. The primary purpose of a survey is to maintain a centralized file for the cave area and to prevent duplication of work among members. Copies of maps and information compiled by the surveys should be sent to the NSS Cave Files Committee. [Address]

Special Section (Section). Sections are IOs made up of individuals with a specific common interest related to caves. Sections are generally nationwide in scope and serve to maintain communication among the members. Each Section must have as members a minimum of ten NSS members.

Affinity Group. Affinity Groups are organizations of at least ten NSS members which will foster the NSS goal of fellowship among those interested in caves, but, unlike Sections, with common interests of their members not directly related to speleology. Affinity Groups are not IOs and do not have the privileges and obligations of IOs. They may be listed in the NSS Members Manual and on the NSS web page. The purpose of an affinity group must be compatible with the purposes and policies of the NSS.  The IO Committee will contact the group annually to verify its current status.

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The applicable addresses are shown at the end of this section.

Suggestion for paper copies: Some IOs include the addresses in the file that is used to produce mailing labels for their newsletter. For the NSS Library you can include two addresses. One may be called NSS Library 1 and the other NSS Library 2.

If your newsletter contains information about a caving accident, you are encouraged to send a copy to the editor of  American Caving Accidents. See also Reporting Caving Accidents 

There is an arrangement with the Library at the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) whereby they receive grotto and regional newsletters that contain some material of permanent reference value and, in return, the grotto or region is entitled to receive free topographic quadrangle maps for use in their projects. As a rough guide it is reasonable to request as many maps as you publish issues. In any case, please request maps several at a time, rather than singly. Requests should make reference to this exchange agreement and must be signed by a grotto officer. All maps are to be considered grotto property, and should not end up in the permanent possession of an individual who was in charge of the project.

Because of a critical shortage of shelf space, the USGS may have to deny the exchange agreement with some newsletters that contain material such as cartoons, jokes, and puzzles, which are of little permanent value.

All exchange newsletters, requests for maps, and other correspondence should be sent to the address given below. 

Requests should always be reasonable. As an example, a group that regularly publishes a bi-monthly newsletter might request a half dozen maps a year.

Exchange Policy with Other IOs

Many IOs will agree to swap newsletters. Send them your newsletter and they will send you theirs. Before doing so, check with them to find out about their exchange policy. This applies globally.

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Reporting Cave Accidents

Members of the NSS can assist in the ongoing collection of information about accidents incurred in caving, whether or not Society members are involved. This information is regularly summarized statistically and many of the incidents are narrated in an NSS publication, American Caving Accidents, with critical analyses, in the hope that through knowledge and greater care the number of serious accidents can be reduced. The information should be sent to the editor of American Caving Accidents, (See Newsletter Distribution addresses). Save and submit accounts of incidents that appear in newspapers, magazines, and newsletters, as well as providing a general account. Eyewitness stories are useful.

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The Contemporary Cave Use Study (CCUS) is established as a permanent committee in the department of the Administrative Vice President. The committee shall have the following mission and responsibilities:

To gather information by using cave registers and other means to advance the knowledge and understanding of cave use in North America. The committee shall provide leadership, advice, and cave register devices to NSS committees, NSS internal organizations, NSS members, and researchers involving the distribution, maintenance, and retrieval of information. It shall make available data and its findings to the NSS, its members, and researchers in order to facilitate cave management, cave conservation, cave safety, and the management of the Society.

The project of placing cave registers in caves, and collecting, analyzing, and disseminating the resulting information has as its official name, the Contemporary Cave Use Study (CCUS).

The "register project," as it is often called, is currently an official NSS study committee reporting to the NSS Administrative Vice-President. The chairman is currently Garrett Czmor (pronounced See More).

If your Internal Organization would like to participate in the CCUS, contact the chair of the committee. Ask the chair for descriptive material about CCUS and what types of help the Committee can use and what commitment of time and energy are expected. Chances are that there are caves in your caving area that need registers. Take into consideration this quote.  "Not every cave in the U.S.A. should have a register, only unique ones where the register will have some practical use."

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Link to the NSS web site AV Library.

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Internal Organizations may also wish to establish their own internal program of recognition.

(Note: The NSS Members Manual identifies NSS awards received by members. Find their name and look at the codes following their  NSS number.)

The NSS Web Page Award is a quarterly award presented to no more than two NSS Internal Organization web sites.   Any Internal Organization web site linked to the NSS home page is eligible for consideration and only IO sites may be nominated. Pages can only win once in a calendar year. Pages not selected can be re-nominated the next quarter.

Please refer elsewhere on the NSS web page for the latest special funds.

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Tax-Exempt or Non-Profit Status

Internal Organizations of the NSS are not tax-exempt just because of their affiliation with the NSS.

If an IO is considering a major project which may require funding beyond what it reasonably expects to raise, it may petition the NSS to approve the project as an NSS Activity. (See Definitions and Policies for NSS Activities elsewhere in this manual.) All funds would flow through the NSS into the project. Tax-free donations would be made to the NSS which, in turn, would reimburse the project. All such funds must be accounted for and documented in a financial report that must be submitted to the NSS.

An Internal Organization may independently be classified as tax-exempt  by the IRS and still remain an Internal Organization within the NSS.

The application could reasonably point out that the IO has the same purposes under its constitution and by-laws as the NSS which was granted the tax-free status. The application should select the classification of "educational" or "scientific" depending upon the overall goals of the IO.

There is a non-refundable fee to file the application.

Before attempting to file, you may want to check with other IOs that have gone through the process.

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Congress of Grottos, Rules of Procedure

Brief Description of Congress of Grottos from the NSS Bylaws. There shall be a congress held at least once a year for the purpose of affording the membership an opportunity to present their views on all problems relative to the operation of the Society.

(1) The Congress shall provide for representation of both internal organizations and individual members and shall be conducted in such a manner prescribed by the Board of Governors until formal rules for governing are adopted by the Congress itself. (Such rules were adopted in 1969.)