Consider the following before you send a Notice of Intent to Retain to a member in arrears and Supreme:

• Determine why the member has not attended a meeting or event in a while and why he has not responded to dues notices. At one time he was apparently excited to become a Knight. What happened? Wouldn’t it be good to know if the council did something to alienate the member or did not do enough to keep his interest so you can correct it and prevent others from disappearing for the same reason? Speak with him in a Brotherly manner and you may discover he is dealing with extenuating circumstances, thereby warranting a more fraternal approach to his situation.
• Some undocumented realities may impede your forward progress.   After a Notice of Intent to Retain (NOITR) is submitted, Supreme may review the council’s 365 and tell the State Deputy (SD) if you have a retention chairman (RC) on record.  If you do not have one or the Financial Secretary (FS) is listed, the SD may direct you to resubmit the NOITR after the RC is appointed!  Also, the SD may not allow suspensions if the council’s latest audit (1295) does not declare any members in arrears (Schedule C)!
• Consider waiving a Brother’s dues if he is practically an Honorary Member or Honorary Life Member, in his ‘golden’ years, less than two years in the Order, or in arrears for the current calendar year only.
• Ask your Field Agent (FA) for help locating an insurance member.  If a member resides outside the jurisdiction of your FA, ask him to contact the FA servicing the zip code where the member now lives.  Have that FA see if extenuating circumstances prevent the member from paying dues or urge him to transfer.
• Actively assist an associate member no longer in the local area to transfer.  Follow these steps to locate a council near his current address:
  1. Access Supreme’s website at kofc.org.
  2. On the menu bar of the Home page, select Get Involved > Find a Council.
  3. In the Find By drop-down list, select the Country/Zip Code option.
  4. In the Country field, select the United States of America.
  5. In the Zip/Postal Code field, input the member’s Zip Code.
  6. Click the Find button.
  7. Make note of the councils near the member’s new address.
  8. Provide the member with the nearby councils’ information and encourage him to transfer his membership so he can remain active.
  9. Contact the nearby councils and make them aware of a transfer opportunity. Forward his new mailing address, phone number, and email address to the Financial Secretary and the assembly’s Comptroller if he is a member of the Fourth Degree.
• If an associate member’s contact information is questionable, ask the State Membership Engagement and Development Committee (engageanddevelop@vakofc.org) for help locating him.  Provide the member’s full name, last-known mailing address, AND their age.  You could also contact the member’s sponsor or the parents of a recent college graduate regarding his whereabouts.
• After an earnest attempt to “win him over,” if a Brother is adamant about no longer wanting to be a Knight, he must submit a letter/email to the council with his signature block stating his desire to withdraw from the Order.  It does not have to be lengthy:  I no longer want to be a Knight, so please withdraw my membership from the Order.  When the request is received, forward it to Supreme along with his membership number and the council number.
• Realize the council survived without full remittance up to now, so why not forgive what is outstanding and try to get the member to pay the current calendar year’s prorated dues.  See if anyone who already paid will cover a Brother in arrears.  Add a “50:50” raffle to an event and use the council’s portion to defray what is owed.  The Grand Knight may waive all arrearage if the member has a special hardship.