Get to know the VGEC Membership System

by Eileen Brightwell-Hicks
Trinity Episcopal Church, Baytown, Texas

You only need three things to renew your membership online or to upload your photo:

• a computer with internet access
• a digital headshot of you
• your password

You will find using the VGEC automated membership system at membership.vergers.org is easier than writing a customary!

Of our 1,350 active members, we have 650 who have uploaded photos. Your photo should be a head shot of you (not a group shot) and it should be close enough to see facial details. You can be in your verger regalia or in street clothes. More than 65% of our head shots are NOT in verger robes. Your photo should be a maximum size of 5 MB (600 pixels wide x 600 pixels high, 40K in JPEG format is ideal). Any point-and-shoot digital camera or cell phone will take a correctly-sized picture. Think of a high school yearbook picture: but this time you get to pick the day and the picture you want!

To get started, go to membership.vergers.org in any internet browser. You can also find this on the vergers.org home page. Click on the blue bar close to the top of the page that says, "Renew Membership or Upload Photo."

That will open the login screen entitled shown to the right. Enter your email address and password.  If you have forgotten your password or never knew your VGEC password, click on the "I forgot" link for instant help.You can also contact [email protected] for help at any time.

Once you successfully login, you will see a welcome page with your name on it.  Read this page, especially the second paragraph.

Click on the blue underlined phrase that describes what you want to do next. There are also a series of tabs at the top that allow you to go to different panels of information.

Note in the third paragraph your ability to access your membership certificate and the VGEC Yearbook as well as a link to search the VGEC membership.  For this example we are going to click on the "upload your yearbook photo" in the second paragraph.

This will open the "my information" page.  Here you can review your personal information on file with the VGEC, correct or change any information as needed, and upload your head shot photo in the upper right-hand corner.

You will either see a link, "Upload my photo" or "Replace my photo" - just click on that phrase and a pop up window will appear with the previously discussed suggestions about proper head shots.

At the bottom will be a place for you to select your head shot and then upload it to the VGEC server. It happens quickly and you will see the photo appear on your membership information page. You will also receive an email from [email protected] confirming the upload.

Take a few minutes to get to know the VGEC Membership Management System. Everything that we have on file for your membership is available for you to access here. One of my favorites is the "Search Membership" tab that is especially interesting when I am traveling. Note also that you can specify your VGEC Annual Conference preferences as well.

Thank you for taking the time to help all of us get to know you!