INSTRUCTIONS AND POLICIES
Membership Application Instructions
Please complete all required fields of the application form. Ensure that all information provided is accurate and responsive to the question asked.
For any questions or assistance in the membership application process, please contact membership@explorers.org.
Qualifications and Categories for Membership
The basic categories of membership in the Club are Fellow, Member, Term Member, Student Member, and Friend of The Explorers Club. An applicant's membership category is determined by the Club's Membership Committee, not by the Sponsor or the Applicant.
Fellow
Fellows have made documented contributions to scientific knowledge through field expeditions. Such accomplishments are often evidenced by regular scientific publication, but may also be documented in books, popular media, or broadcast media.
Sponsorship Requirement: Two active Club members
Member
Members have evidenced a sustained interest and participation in some aspect of field exploration and have contributed in broad terms to the cause of exploration and the furthering of scientific knowledge (for example by participating in expeditions).
Sponsorship Requirement: Two active Club members
Term Member*
Term membership is open to full-time graduate students and teaching instructors that meet the same standards/qualifications that exist for regular Members. The maximum duration of Term Member status is five years (irrespective of age). The initiation fee and sponsorship requirement is waived for Term Members reclassifying to regular Member/Fellow status prior to expiration of the five-year term.
Sponsorship Requirement: Two active Club members
Student Member*
Student Members are full-time students, between the ages of 16 and 30, who are enrolled in accredited institutions and are interested in pursuing exploration or field science as a future career or avocation.
Sponsorship Requirement: One active Club member
Friend of The Explorers Club*
Friends of the Club are individuals who wish to associate with The Explorers Club and support its mission. These individuals are crucial to the Club’s outreach as they create an extended network of awareness and support.
Sponsorship Requirement: One active Club member
* Non-voting membership category
Membership categories are have a geographic qualifier: Resident, National, or International, determined by the criteria in the chart, below:
Resident - Resides within 50 miles of Club headquarters in New York City.
National - Resides outside the New York area, but within the United States.
International - Resides anywhere outside the United States.
All applicants are expected to be individuals of good repute and possess excellent moral and ethical standards.
Extensive travel without a scientific, cultural, or educational purpose in remote parts of the world does not in and of itself represent sufficient qualification to become a member of the Club.
Annual Dues & Fees
At the time of election, a candidate is assessed the relevant dues and fees. Once paid the candidate becomes an active member. If dues and fees are unpaid after 60 days the invitation to membership will be withdrawn. For dues rates and fees, see Addendum 1.
Applicants from UN defined Middle and Lower income countries will currently have reduced dues payment for any classification.
For information on annual membership dues and initiation fees, please see the Join Us page of our website.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In an increasingly heterogeneous and multicultural 21st Century society, the Explorers Club recognizes the benefits of expanding its membership to include qualified explorers from across a range of diversities, including race, culture, gender, age, sexual orientation, geography, and socio-economic level, as well as explorers with disabilities.
The ultimate objectives of our DEI initiative are to acknowledge the diversity among explorers and to profit from the wider range of insight and perspectives that a more diverse membership will provide. By enlisting and supporting explorers from different backgrounds and points of view, these DEI efforts will augment the Club's mission to promote exploration “by all means possible.”
