The Society is new and in its formative stages. The Founding Fellows will help to develop and shape the future direction of the Society. The following sets out what we are considering for annual Society membership and University fees, and what we commit to.
Our commitments to Founding Fellows
Free for life for the first fifty Founding Fellows.
The first fifty Fellows of the Society never pay for Fellowship. The place lasts for as long as you remain a member. No card details are taken at application.
An annual fee after the founding places.
Based on the ambition we have for the Society, and the aim to establish the Society Fund, we are presently considering charging Fellows an annual membership fee. This will be comparable with similar organisations. The membership fee will be published before anyone is asked to pay, and every Fellow will be told directly. No one is charged automatically.
A first year covered by your University.
When your University establishes a chapter, you will receive your first year's membership of the Society complimentary from the University. If you are already a paid member before a local chapter is formed, you will receive your next year's membership free, courtesy of the University.
Founding Fellow status is permanent.
A Founding Fellow keeps the designation for as long as they remain a member.
How the Society is funded
Universities fund their chapters. Fellows fund their Fellowship.
A University that establishes a chapter pays a one-off set-up fee and an annual fee, set out in the participation agreement we issue on enquiry. The set-up fee includes membership of the Society, onboarding to the management platform and a complimentary first year of Fellowship for every historical Honorary Doctor the University has already awarded. The annual fee includes membership of the Society, access to the management platform and a complimentary first year of Fellowship for every Honorary Doctor the University awards in that year.
Beyond the founding fifty and any year a University covers, Fellows pay an annual fee in their own name.
For full transparency, we track and record every membership and the exact terms offered at the point of application.
Giving back
With distinction, comes purpose.
As the Society grows, its surplus will go into the Society Fund. Chapters will be able to apply to the Fund for University or student initiatives and causes in their local community, and we will seek match funding for every award.
The figure will be established once the Society has generated revenue and reserves. The intent is fixed, and the Fellows who join now will shape what it becomes.