Our meetings are held at 6:30pm on the first Wednesday of the month. They're held at various locations throughout Indianapolis, such as the Dolphin Pavilion at the Zoo, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the IRT, the IMA, and other interesting places.
Dues previously had been $50, but currently all membership fees are waived (free!).
Your dues go entirely to administrative costs such as newsletters, membership directories, facility rentals, printing, postage, and our website and database costs. We have no paid staff or office space, which is quite a feat for an organization of this size. None of the dues are used for social events; those events are financially at least self-supporting.
No, there is no minimum volunteer requirement. Our theory is that a minimum requirement would discourage people from joining, and certainly people who don't join won't volunteer through us at all. Of course we hope that all members will try at least a few volunteer events, and we especially hope you'll enjoy them so much that you'll keep coming back for more.
First, you must be a member. Assuming you've gotten that taken care of, there are three ways to sign up for events. You may sign up in person at the monthly meetings, you may sign up online from the website, or you may contact the Contact Person listed with each event. Online signup is done under the Online Signup menu that appears after you log into the website with your Ambassador userid. If you don't know your login information, contact the Director of Membership or the Webmaster. If the event is happening within a few days, contacting the CP is the only option.
First, try to contact the Contact Person to find out what happened - we're not perfect and we do have the occassional communications glitch. If you can't reach the CP, our policy is that you should attend the event anyway. It probably goes without saying, but please be sure to let the contact person know you did not receive any prior contact.
First, call the contact person. They may have a waiting list, or it could be that the event would still be adequately staffed without you. If a replacement is needed, then YOU must find a substitute. (The directory denotes with an asterisk people who are available for last-minute work.) Please be sure that either you or the sub lets the contact person know about the switch, so attendance can be handled correctly.
Due to liability issues, we cannot be responsible for non-IA volunteers. They may be able to sign up on their own by contacting the event's sponsoring organization and offering their services.
We have quarterly New & Renewing Member parties/meetings that are geared just for that. Attending committee meetings is also a great way, since they generally are small groups and there's time to talk. Attending the socials after the general meetings is also good, especially after the meeting at which you join. And of course attending lots of volunteer events is great, since you're often working as a team with fellow members.
Volunteer Services decides which volunteer events we'll do and assigns a Contact Person to each event. Membership conducts orientation sessions, plans New Member parties, and provides other membership services. Public Relations works to raise awareness of our organization through brochures, press releases, and our PR booth among others. Social plans all of our social events, including the Winter Gala and occasional trips. Education finds speakers and locations for meetings and plans other educational outings. By-laws meets as needed to discuss bylaws changes. Newsletter writes articles for the newsletter. For a more detailed description, see the Committees page in the About Us section.
NO. Although our membership is primarily made up of singles, we strive to maintain diversity and our focus lies on serving the community. However, if you share this interest, then you will automatically have something in common with other members you'll meet. For that reason, many of our members have made lifetime friends through this club, and if those friendships lead to something more (and many of them have), then consider that an added bonus!
There are so many reasons! To learn their way around the city, to meet new people, to give back to the community, to be a part of what's going on in town, to help Indy grow and prosper, to develop leadership skills, or even just to always have something to do on Saturday night - Ambassadors offers something for everyone!