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Please check with the
IO
Committee before you select a name for your organization.
You may apply to become a Grotto, Region, Section, or Survey.
There is no fee to become an
IO.
To begin the process an organization must submit the following
documents to the IO Committee:
1. A Constitution and Bylaws showing the date of adoption and
signed by an officer of the new organization.
See how to write a constitution and
bylaws.
The IO Committee will review the Constitution and Bylaws to offer suggestions and to
ensure that it complies with acceptable NSS policy. This means that the
original documents may have to be altered before being accepted by the IO
Committee.
2. An application in duplicate bearing the signatures of the charter
members indicating which are members of the NSS. In the case of regions and
surveys this will include the names of charter member organizations.
View the Application Form .
Get the Application
Form in (PDF).
3. A brief history of the organization.
4. Other information that may be requested by the IO Committee.
Occasionally a group may apply for chapter status in an area
where a chapter already exists. The Society does not encourage the formation of
additional chapters in an area where one already exists, so these applications
will be handled according to the following guidelines:
Unless it is obvious that the new group has been in contact with the
existing grotto(s), they will be referred to the existing grotto(s), and the
existing grotto(s) will be informed of the inquiry from the new group. The
new group will be informed of our reluctance to charter another grotto in
the same area, and the existing grotto(s) will be asked to contact the new
group and invite them to participate in their activities. If, after a
reasonable time, the IO Committee feels that the grotto
chartering is justified, the chartering process may proceed.
After your IO is approved, you will be
assigned a Serial Number and password. Then you must
follow these requirements.
All officers (Executive Board) of the organization must be NSS members in good
standing.
A Grotto must maintain at least five NSS members who have
designated the grotto as their Primary Affiliation with the NSS.
A Section must have at least ten NSS members as members of the
Section.
A Region must have at least two other
IOs as members in the
Region.
A Survey must have at least one other
IO as a member of the
Survey.
An Annual Report must be submitted
to the IO Committee.
The records for the IO must be kept up
to date on the IO webpage by using the logon at www.nssio.org.
An IO must furnish two copies of each issue of any publication
to the NSS Library and to the NSS Cave Files Committee.
An IO may receive (at no cost) a copy of each issue of the NSS
News and the Journal of Caves and Karst Studies.
How to Start and Maintain a Grotto (PDF) has many helpful
suggestions.
For starting a new grotto or reinstatement of an inactive one,
contact
Keith D. Wheeland
IO Committee Chair
2191 Mt. View Ave
State College, PA 16801-7214
IO Home
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National
Speleological Society