• provides some background;
• briefly describes the process of applying and becoming a regular member;
• goes through how to apply; and
• what you can expect.

The membership process is fairly simple - fill out the form, either paper or on-line, and submit the form to the membership committee.  Once the committee has the form your application is in the pre-acceptance step.  The committee will review the form and the information, and will speak with your sponsor, if one is listed, to determine why the sponsor believes you will be a good member and a safe shooter.  This step usually only takes a couple of days, and if there are no problems (and there usually are none), the application is entered into the applicant list.  If you have listed a sponsor in your on-line application, we will accept one of:

• a printed copy of the application, signed by the sponsor, and dropped off or mailed to the club, or
• an e-mail to CRGC from the sponsor affirming sponsorship,
• or we will communicate with the sponsor to verify that you have been sponsored.

You are not required to have a sponsor until your application is selected for processing, which is usually 18 to 48 months after your application has been submitted.  You MUST BE SPONSORED by a member, however, BEFORE an invitation to join will be sent.  There are two points for the requirement for a sponsor.  First is that the member has an opportunity to observe how you handle firearms and listen as you talk about firearm usage.  We only want safe shooters who will follow CRGC range rules, to protect other members and the community in which we are located.  Secondly, since CRGC is a member-supported social organization, we want to find out if the applicant will be an asset to the club - able to get along with other members, and willing to participate in making the club a better place for the membership.  CRGC is not just a collection of ranges for people to use as the mood strikes them.  CRGC is an association of like-minded people who share interests in hunting, fishing, and the shooting sports, and who are willing to contribute time and effort to create and maintain a place where people can practice the associated skills, and interact with others doing the same thing.

There are several ways to get a sponsor, and the two most common that either

1. The applicant already knows a member, or
2. The applicant participates in, or observes, activities at CRGC that are open to the public, and meets CRGC members who are potential sponsors.  CRGC also has an active junior trap program in March through mid-June each year (150 participants lastyear), and we have helped start and/or sponsor five high school scholastic trap teams, in Canby, Molalla, Oregon City, Silverton, and Wilsonville.  The juniors who participate in that program, and who bring their parents or guardians to observe or help, are usually a ready source of introductions between parents and members, and are a fertile ground for developing a sponsor relationship.  There are other programs at CRGC, like Boy Scouts and 4-H, which also bring parents and members together in joint activities, which can also lead to sponsorship.

Some applicants have just come to our scheduled work parties, and pitched in and worked with members on whatever tasks were being performed.  Other applicants have assisted at other club activities, for example helping with registered trap shoots or Rimfire Challenge matches.  Still others have, as part of a group who used CRGC facilities for training or social events, have met members who were assisting with those events.

At some point in the future, determined by the number of openings that become available and whether or not you have a sponsor, your application will be processed, and an offer of membership will be mailed to the address of record in CRGC's database.  Assuming that the applicant accepts the offer, after the orientation meeting and remaining paperwork is completed, the applicant becomes a new regular member of CRGC.  A new regular member has certain requirements to complete during the first year of membership, and if the new member completes the new member requirements, then the new member becomes a regular member in good standing at CRGC.  If the new member fails to complete the requirements, and fails to communicate with the membership committee or the club's vice president regarding the reason the requirements have not been met, and an acceptable plan to complete the requirements, the new member will be dropped from the CRGC membership list.

If, after you create your user ID and password, you exit the application process without having completed the application form by checking the box "I have read and agree to the above" and then clicked on the "Submit Application" button at the bottom of the Application Form page, your application will not be saved.  If you wish to return to complete the on-line application, you must log in using the user ID and password you created, and then click on the "Application Maintenance" link that will appear at the bottom of the left menu after logging in.  That will return you directly to the application data entry screen.  This is also the way you may maintain your application if changes occur.  If you do maintenance on your application, you should also fill in the "Reason for Change" field at the top of the form.

As you may have read elsewhere, CRGC's bylaws limit the number of regular members, so we can only accept new members when the number of regular members is less than the maximum allowed.  The membership committee meets as necessary, but always before the middle of February each year, at which time we are fairly certain of the number of open membership slots we will have.  The membership committee determines the number of applications that will be processed, and sends letters offering membership to those applicants.  Generally a second selection and mailing will take place after the last day of February.  If there are a greater than normal number of openings, a third selection may occur in early April.

If you wish to continue with the process, starting with creating your user ID, please select the "Continue" button.