Membership - Additional Information

 

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

The Board of Directors (the Board) of the South Bay Estate Planning Council (SBEPC) seeks to clarify and stabilize its’ membership requirements to avoid arbitrary means of selecting potential members, to attract quality members and speakers, and to protect the integrity of the SBEPC. Establishing a categorical approach to membership will increase the objectivity and efficiency of the Board in regulating membership in the present and future years. It will also further the SBEPC’s stated mission. To this end, although the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the SBEPC do not provide specifically for Entity Members, the Board has established classifications of persons and entities eligible to participate in SBEPC activities which, for convenience, are referred to as “Members.”  The classifications are as follows:

  1. General Member.

    1. Description
      1. A General Member will typically provide the clientele base that expert outside speakers and Resource Members want to access for potential business referral opportunities. A General Member is also the primary target audience that the General Meeting and Focus Group speakers speak to in terms of content.
      2. The SBEPC should seek to build a large, stable group of General Members to attract quality speakers and quality Resource Members. General Members are usually motivated to become members due to the educational content of the meetings directly relevant to their professions and to a lesser extent, continuing education credit, resource offerings, and networking opportunities.
      3. General Membership shall consist of two categories: Individual and Entity.
      4. The term “General Member” shall refer to both General Individual Members, as described in paragraph b below, and General Entity Members, which shall designate one or more Sponsoring Members as described in paragraph c below.
      5. A General Membership shall entitle each General Individual Member, and all of the Sponsoring Members of a General Entity Member, to attend General Breakfast Meetings and Focus Group Meetings without charge. Furthermore, if a General Member is unable to attend a General Breakfast Meeting, the General Member may substitute another individual who is affiliated with the member to attend the General Breakfast Meeting at no charge.
    2. General Individual Members are restricted to individuals (1) who are experienced in a profession primarily consisting of estate planning and/or administration, and/or which is considered part of a client’s team of professional estate-related advisors, and (2) who meet all of the following requirements:
      1. Are engaged in one or more of the following licensed and/or certified estate planning or administration-related professions:
        1. Attorney with at least 50% or more of his or her practice in the areas of estate planning and/or administration (may include litigation and/or mediation);
        2. Professional fiduciary or trust officer;
        3. Wealth advisor, investment advisor, or Certified Financial Planner;
        4. Certified Public Accountant or Enrolled Agent;
        5. Geriatric care manager; and
        6. Insurance professional.
      2. Have been in the full-time business of their professions for three (3) years immediately prior to application;
      3. Have attended at least three (3) but no more than six (6) meetings as a Guest within the five (5) year period prior to submitting an application;  
      4. Have received two (2) endorsements from any combination of: (a) an existing General Individual Member, (b) any Sponsoring Member of a General Entity Member, or (c) a Resource Member;
      5. Have submitted a completed an SBEPC Membership Application that has been reviewed and approved by the Board.
    3. General Entity Membership will be for entities such as corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and unincorporated associations.
      1. To qualify for General Entity Membership, an entity is required to have at least one individual who will serve as the entity’s Sponsoring Member.
      2. A Sponsoring Member shall be affiliated with the entity through a relationship such as owner, employee, of counsel, or similar relationship.
      3. A Sponsoring Member may act on behalf of the Entity in regard to any actions by the Entity, as well as any other actions which would have been required if the Entity were an Individual General Member. If there is more than one Sponsoring Member, the Sponsoring Members shall agree among themselves who will take such actions, and shall inform the Executive Director of the SBEPC in writing of the name of that person. That Sponsoring Member shall be referred to as the “Designated Sponsoring Member.”
      4. An Individual General Member can convert his or her membership to a General Entity Membership, thereby becoming the Sponsoring Member of the Entity, by notifying the Executive Director of the desire to make the change and providing such information as may be requested. No sponsors or additional approval shall be required.
      5. If a General Entity Member desires to designate one or more other persons who are currently Individual General Members, as Sponsoring Members, the Designated Sponsoring Member shall notify the Executive Director of the desire to make the designation and provide such information as may be requested. No sponsors or additional approval shall be required.
      6. If a General Entity Member desires to designate any person who is not currently an Individual General Member as a Sponsoring Member, such person shall be required to meet the requirements of paragraph b above and apply for membership in the manner therein specified.
      7. Similarly, a person who is not currently an Individual General Member but who desires to become a Sponsoring Member of a General Entity Member is required to meet the requirements of paragraph b above and apply for membership in the manner therein specified.
      8. A General Entity Member may delete a Sponsoring Member from the entity from time to time by informing the Executive Director in writing of the deletion. All deletions shall be made by the Designated Sponsoring Member. Any deleted Sponsoring Member may then become an Individual General Member by notifying the Executive Director in writing of the desire to make the change and providing such information as may be requested. No sponsors or additional approval shall be required.
  1. Resource Member.
    1. A Resource Member is an individual who does not qualify as a General Member, but who possesses knowledge and experience in his or her field that includes a substantial nexus with estate planning or administration.
    2. A Resource Membership shall entitle each Resource Member to attend General Breakfast Meetings and Focus Group Meetings without charge.
    3. A Resource Member will typically provide as-needed, periodic, or one-off services that a General Member may often seek or make business referrals to in the course of servicing the General Member’s client base, such as realtor, appraiser, care provider, estate liquidation/ auctioneer, geriatric psychiatrist, and the like. A Resource Member is typically motivated to become a member not so much for the educational content of the meeting but to access the General Member’s client base for marketing and referral purposes. A Resource Member would categorize its membership activity as marketing/networking rather than education.
    4. The ratio of Resource Members to General Members shall be capped at one-third (1/3) of the total membership of the SBEPC, measured at the time of application. A General Entity Member shall be considered one member for purposes of this cap. The reason for the cap is so that Resource Members are not predominant. Capping Resource Membership will also attract more General Members and quality speakers, and Resource Members will appreciate the cap due to less competition introduced by other Resource Members.
    5. A Resource Member must be an individual, as opposed to an entity, who meets all of the following requirements:  
      1. Possesses the requisite licensing or certification, knowledge and experience in the member’s field that includes a substantial nexus with estate planning or administration;
      2. Has attended at least three (3) but no more than six (6) meetings as a guest within the five (5) years prior to application;
      3. Has received two (2) endorsements from any combination of: (a) a General Individual Member, (b) a Sponsoring Member of a General Entity Member, or (c) a Resource Member;
      4. Has submitted a completed SBEPC Membership Application that has been reviewed and approved by the Board.
  2. Associate Member.  An individual who qualifies to be a General Individual Member in all other ways but for lack of the individual having had three (3) years of full-time experience in his or her profession immediately prior to the time of application. An Associate Membership shall entitle each Associate Member to attend General Breakfast Meetings and Focus Group Meetings without charge.

EMERITUS STATUS

A General Member or a Resource Member who becomes retired or semi-retired, and who seeks to stay connected to the SBEPC and attend meetings (if even occasionally), may apply for Emeritus Member status. In order to qualify, the applicant must have been a General Member or a Resource Member of the SBEPC for at least ten (10) years immediately preceding application for Emeritus Member status and must be approved by the Board. The purposes of creating an Emeritus Member status are to provide an economical manner for the Member to continue to be a part of the SBEPC while on a fixed or limited income, to allow the Member to utilize the wisdom and life experience for the benefit of the group, and to recognize and reward the Member for having a long history with and investment in the SBEPC. An Emeritus Membership shall entitle each Emeritus Member to attend General Breakfast Meetings and Focus Group Meetings without charge.

GUESTS

  1. Any individual may attend the General Breakfast Meeting as a Guest.
  2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may bar any guest at any time for any reason or no reason whatsoever, in its absolute discretion.
  3. Guest attendance is capped at no more than six (6) meetings within any five (5) year time period. If the Guest becomes a member during the course of a SBEPC year (July to June), his or her guest fees paid that SBEPC year will be credited toward his or her annual membership fee.
  4. Guests may not attend Focus Group Meetings unless specifically invited by the person who is moderating the Focus Group Meeting.

PRESIDENT AND BOARD MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

The requirements for Board Membership are as follows:

  1. The President of the SBEPC must be a General Member.
  2. No more than a total of three Resource Members and Emeritus Members may serve on the Board at any one time. The remaining members must be General Members.
  3. No more than one Sponsoring Member of a General Entity Member may serve on the Board at any one time.
  4. Associate Members are not eligible to serve on the Board.

DUES AND OTHER FEES

Annual Membership dues and other fees shall be established by the Board of Directors from time to time.

  1. The Annual Membership dues in effect as of April 2025 are as follows:
    1. General Individual Members:.................................................... $360
    2. General Entity Members:
      1. With up to two (2) Sponsoring Members:........................... $700
      2. For each additional Sponsoring Member over two (2): ..... $250
    3. Resource Members:................................................................... $360
    4. Associate Members:.................................................................. $350
    5. Emeritus Members:................................................................... $250
  2. As of April 2025, the only “other fees” is the per meeting Guest Fee of $60.

MEMBERSHIP LISTING ON WEBSITE AND ANY MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORIES

Listings on the SBEPC Website and any directories published by the SBEPC from time to time shall include the name, business name, contact information, and web link of each:

  1. Individual General Member
  2. Sponsoring Member of a General Entity Member
  3. Resource Member
  4. Associate Member
  5. Emeritus Member