Q: What are the requirements for becoming a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America?
A. Anyone age 18 or older who is interested in the medium of colored pencil is welcome to join. There is no qualification process.
Q: Do you have a senior citizen or student rate?
A. As a nonprofit organization, CPSA dues barely cover its annual expenses due to continually rising printing, mailing, and administrative costs. Our goal is to keep annual dues as affordable as possible yet have a simple rate structure to avoid extra work for the volunteer governing board. For those reasons, we are unable to offer any reduced rates.
Q: How long does it take to process my dues?
A. Joining online at www.cpsa.org is the quickest and easiest way to become a member. You should receive an email shortly after submitting our online membership form. Once CPSA has received your payment, your membership will be processed and and email confirming your membership will be sent. Please allow about a week for that to happen (it may be longer during peak renewal times in September and October).
If you pay by check and provide an email address, you will receive an email after your membership is processed which may take two or three weeks depending on mail delivery. New members who join before October 31st of the current membership year will receive our magazine, To The Point, in November and the following May.
Q: If I’m a member of a CPSA district chapter, why must I also join CPSA?
A. CPSA is the legal entity under which district chapters are authorized to operate—without CPSA, chapters would not exist. The dues paid to CPSA are used to support these district chapters and provide benefits such as our two annual juried exhibitions, annual convention, and lightfastness testing for the entire membership. Chapter dues, on the other hand, are collected by the chapters and used strictly for chapter activities.
Q: What can I do if I miss a CPSA mailing due to a move?
A. CPSA uses bulk mail rates to minimize postage costs. It is very important to notify us whenever you move because the USPS does not forward undeliverable bulk mail. If you miss a mailing, you may request a free PDF by emailing the membership director. Some printed back issues of TTP are available for purchase by members (access from “Exclusive for Members”).
Q: What should I do if I live at a different address part of the year?
A. CPSA sends printed items by bulk mail which is not forwarded by the USPS. It is, therefore, up to each individual member to arrange for handling of mail during an absence. CPSA mailings typically occur in May and November. If you plan to be away from home during that time, you might wish to submit a change of address to the membership director when you leave and again when you return home.
Note: Address changes must be received at least two weeks before the first of May or November when To The Point goes into the mail.
Q: What is a Charter member?
A. Charter members are CPSA members who joined when CPSA was founded in 1990 and have maintained continuous membership since then.
Q: May I opt out of being listed in the membership directory?
A. The directory lists every member of record as of December 31 and is an excellent resource for networking with other colored pencil artists who belong to CPSA. Although you cannot entirely opt out of being listed, you may choose to have a partial listing.
- FULL LISTING—includes your name, address, city, state, country, phone/cell number, and email address.
- PARTIAL LISTING—includes only your name, city, state, and country. If you do not wish to receive discounts, special offers, and art-related product information from other CPSA members, mark “partial listing” on the membership form or email the membership director.
Q: Who gets the membership directory and does CPSA give my name and address to marketers?
A. CPSA respects your privacy. The membership directory is available only to current individual and corporate members. We never sell your personal information to any third party, nor do we share it with any person, company, or organization that is not a current, dues-paying member of CPSA.
Individual members may use the directory to inform other CPSA members about colored pencil-related products, workshops, classes, calls for entry and other similar events. The generous companies who support CPSA by becoming corporate members are allowed to use the directory to send a limited number of promotions, surveys and special offers each year.
All members, individual or corporate, are prohibited from reproducing or distributing the directory and from using member data to promote or advertise any products, businesses or services of any kind that are not directly related to colored pencil.
Misuse of the directory for these types of commercial purposes
will result in a suspension of membership.