frequently asked questions

Workshops and Classes: Contact the coordinator on the event calendar.
Membership: Membership payments are not individually acknowledged. If you have a question about your membership status, contact the membership coordinator (see the Join page).

We collect only the information we need to register you for classes, workshops, and lectures and to publish in the membership directory. Members can see the statement at the top of the online membership directory and Membership FAQ #8 for specifics about keeping their information private. We never share or sell your information.

See our How to Instagram document for a brief article on how Friends of Calligraphy uses Instagram, and how you can use it.

FOC’s online payments, those made online on the FOC website and the membership payments made in MembershipWorks, are processed through PayPal. You may use a credit card or PayPal to make payments. In some situations you will see the option to select Apple Pay or Venmo. All refunds are processed through PayPal, whether the payment was initiated in MembershipWorks or paid using a Pay Now button on FOC’s website.

Yes. If you have a Venmo account, and have activated Venmo in PayPal, PayPal will allow you to make Venmo payments. See PayPal help.
If you are in the United States, have a Venmo account, but are unable to pay with Venmo, contact the FOC treasurer to request an invoice, describing the payment category.

Membership in Friends of Calligraphy is open to all—beginner, amateur, and professional alike. There are six categories of Membership:

• Regular $40
• Household $45 (2 people, 1 address, one set of mailings)
• Student $25 (full time, with verification)
• Supporting $65
• Sustaining $125
• Patron $500 (and up)

Amounts over $40 (over $45 for Household memberships) are US tax deductible to the full extent allowed by the law.

Membership dues are for a membership year that runs from July 1 to June 30. New members are welcome to join at any time during a membership year, but all memberships are retroactive to the beginning of a given membership year. (As an example, a person who joins FOC in May will be entitled to all the publications for the current membership year but must renew on July 1.)

Membership includes

• The quarterly journal (Alphabet) and the Bulletin
• The member rate on classes and workshops
• Admission to member-only activities

To join Friends of Calligraphy:

1. Click on the MEMBERSHIP/JOIN/SIGN-IN tab in the top menu bar on any page of our website.
2. In the drop down menu, click on BECOME A MEMBER.
3. This will take you to the Membership Signup Form.
4. Enter your contact information, and enter a password for your new account.
5. Select your desired Membership level.
6. Choose your renewal process: Automatic, One-time only or Offline.
7. If you choose Automatic or One-time only, click on CONTINUE TO PAYMENT and follow the instructions to pay with credit card or a PayPal account.
8. If you choose Offline - mail a check, make your check out to “Friends of Calligraphy” and mail it to: Membership, Friends of Calligraphy, P.O. Box 7252, Berkeley, CA 94707. You may choose to request an invoice to mail with your check, if you wish. If you are outside the US and cannot pay with a credit card or PayPal, please email Membership@friendsofcalligraphy.com to find out other options for paying.
9. Click on Sign Up!
10. This will take you to your membership page, where you can personalize your information.

To renew your membership, please:

1. Click on MEMBERSHIP/JOIN/SIGN-IN at the right side of the menu bar at the top of the FOC page.
2. Click on MEMBER SIGN-IN in the dropdown menu.
3. Sign in to your account.
4. Check your contact information to make sure it is correct and current. Revise as necessary.
5. Click on the blue box named Renew, Upgrade, or Update Billing, located below your contact information.
6. Follow the screen instructions to renew.

If you run into trouble with your renewal or have questions, contact: Membership@friendsofcalligraphy.org.

To edit your directory profile, or otherwise manage your account with us, please:

1. Click on MEMBERSHIP/JOIN/SIGN-IN at the right side of the menu bar at the top of the FOC page.
2. Click on MEMBER SIGN-IN in the dropdown menu.
3. If you are already signed in, you will be taken to your account (Membership Management Form).
4. If you are signed out, sign in to your account with your email and password.
5. Click on the PROFILE tab to edit your Privacy preferences or update your profile with your photo and/or social media links.
6. Under the VOLUNTEER tab, check appropriate boxes to update your volunteer preferences.
7. Under the REFERRAL tab, you may enter your calligraphy skills and job preferences.
8. Click Save at the bottom of each tab when you make entries or changes.

Your membership will remain active between July 1 and June 30 (of the membership year for which you joined or renewed).

To reset your password:

1. Click on MEMBERSHIP/JOIN/SIGN-IN in the top menu bar on any page of our website.
2. Click on MEMBER SIGN-IN in the dropdown menu.
3. Sign in to your account.
4. On your About page, under password, click on Change and enter new password.
5. Click on the SAVE AND CONTINUE button at the end of the page.

If you forgot your Password, you will need to reset it:

1. Click on MEMBERSHIP/JOIN/SIGN-IN in the top menu bar on any page of our website.
2. Click MEMBER SIGN-IN.
3. Enter your email address.
4. Click the blue Request Password button.
5. Check your email for the password message and follow the instructions in that email. If you do not see the message, check your spam folder.
6. Members can edit their password once they log in with the emailed password.

1. Under the Profile tab, scroll down to PRIVACY and check your privacy preferences.
2. Note that there are separate privacy preferences for the online directory and the printed directory.
3. Make sure to click on Save & Continue after you make changes.

• The same types of contact information that have traditionally appeared in our printed directory (address, phones, web) can also appear in the online directory. Email addresses will not appear in the online directory, except in business cards.
• Only current members can see the information in the online Membership Directory.
• To send an email to another member, go to the online Membership Directory and search for the member. On the member’s page, click on Send a Message. If the member has chosen not to allow messaging, Send a Message will not appear.

In order to add a second member to your membership, you must be a member at the Household, Supporting, Sustaining, or Patron level. Members at the Regular level are able to upgrade to one of these levels at any time, and then add a Household Member.
For information on how to upgrade a membership, see #12.

Note:

• A Household Member who is not the primary member is also referred to as a “Comember”.
• A Household Member must reside at the same address as the primary member.
• The household only receives one set of mailings.

To add a Household Member, start on the About page:

1. Click on the blue Comember tab.
2. Add the person with whom you’re sharing the membership by clicking +Add Contact.
3. Add their contact information.
4. Click the Save & Continue button.

Membership can only be downgraded at the time of renewal.
At the time of renewal, choose the new membership level you want to downgrade to, and pay the amount for that new level.

Membership can be upgraded at renewal time or at any time during the membership year.
To upgrade your membership at time of renewal, choose the new membership level you want to upgrade to, and pay the amount for that new level.
To upgrade your membership during the membership year, start on the About page:

1. At the bottom of the About page, click on the blue Renew, Upgrade or Update Billing tab.
2. Click on the level you want to upgrade to.
3. Click on the blue button, Continue to Payment and add your payment information.
4. When completed, click Save & Continue.

If you move into or out of the US during the membership year, please contact the membership secretary at Membership@friendsofcalligraphy.org to make appropriate changes to your membership.

To make a donation at the time of renewal:

1. Sign in to your account.
2. This will take you to your About Page.
3. Scroll down and click on RENEW, UPGRADE, OR MANAGE BILLING.
4. Select the membership level you want to renew at.
5. Select the amount you want to donate: $10; $35; $75.
6. Follow the instructions to continue to complete your payment.
   There will be a single charge to your credit card or PayPal account for the total.

To make a donation at the time of renewal if you are sending a check.

• Write the check to include a donation in any amount over the membership level you selected.

To make a donation at any time:

1. Click on the Donate tab at the bottom of the Home page on our website.
2. Specify the amount, and select your payment method to proceed.

Register for class by clicking on the class Pay Now button on the classes page. Alternatively, mail FOC a check and the registration form in the class brochure.

Within a few days after your payment the FOC class registrar will notify you that FOC has received your payment and tell you your status in the class or on the wait list. The registrar will next send a welcome message approximately three weeks before the class starts. The registrar will email immediately if there is a change in the class schedule or location or if you are on the wait list and a spot opens up.

If you have not received a notification, please check with us. Occasionally it happens that the registrar mistypes an email address and the notification does not arrive. Or, it may be caught in your spam filter, or sent to an email address you don’t follow closely because that is what is in your PayPal account.

No. Registrations are processed in strict order of receipt. We use the online (credit card and PayPal) date and time stamp to determine the order. If you mailed a check, we use the postmark date and time. We post the information that there is a wait list as promptly as we can. The Registrar will notify you about your place in class as soon as possible.

No. There is a difference in fees but not in how class assignments are made. Class assignment is made in strict order of payment receipt, whether online by credit card or PayPal, or check by mail.

If you are a member of FOC at the time you register, you are considered a member. If you submit two payments, one for registration and one for membership, you are considered a member. The determination of eligibility for the member fee is made at the time of registration. If you join to take a class at the member rate and later withdraw, your class fee is refundable in accordance with the refund procedure on the classes page but your membership payment is not. See the FOC join page for membership procedures.

Please use the Special Instructions field when you make your payment to tell us if you are signing up for someone else (include their name and email), if you use an email address other than the one on your PayPal account, or if you use a different name than the one in PayPal.

Our basic maximum number of participants is 16.

In general, FOC classes are meant for beginners. Calligraphers with some experience who wish to continue improving their skills are welcome.

If you need to withdraw, a full refund will be issued 14 days before the class begins. Otherwise the tuition fee is forfeited unless a wait-listed student can take your place.

Send an email to the FOC class registrar.

Yes, payment of tuition is necessary to hold your place on a wait list.

The classes page lists the basic supplies you will need. Any special requirements for individual classes are in the individual class descriptions and the annual brochure.

No. If more registrations are received than the available spots in the workshop, some people who register on the first day will be offered a position on the waiting list.

No. All online (PayPal/credit card) payments made between 8:00 AM and Midnight, Pacific Time, on the first day of registration and all mailed payments with a first-day postmark are considered equally (however, in workshops where nonmembers are allowed, members have priority over nonmembers). This has been determined to be the fairest way of considering workshop applications. In particular, it accounts for receipt of checks by mail, and also recognizes that not everyone can get to a computer, or get through to our website, at 8:00 AM.

No. In the case of online-only registration, all payments made between 8:00 AM and Midnight, Pacific Time, on the first day of registration are considered equally. The only other ordering factor is, in workshops where nonmembers are allowed, members have priority over nonmembers.

If more registrations are received than the number of available places, a blind lottery is held. First, the workshop coordinator waits a week to make sure that postmarked first-day registrations have a chance to make it through the mail. All first-day postmark registrations are combined with the online first-day registrations and each registration is assigned a number (in a workshop allowing nonmembers, they are placed on a waiting list unless there are spots available after all members who registered on the first day are enrolled). A blind lottery is then held to select the workshop participants from among the first day registrations. In some cases, the coordinator puts numbered slips in a container and typically has someone else (a spouse/partner, a friend, etc.) pull out the numbers. Another way of holding the lottery is to use a computer program that randomizes the assigned numbers. The computer printout of the randomized order is used. In either case, the random order is what determines who is enrolled in the workshop as well as the order of placement on the waiting list. The random order of numbers is then matched up to participant names.

Note: In the case of online-only registration, there is no need to wait a week; once the list of registrants is confirmed for purposes of membership, a lottery (if needed) can be held and participants can be notified more quickly.

The registration information is on flyers in a brief form. We have tried to be as clear as possible despite the need to be brief. A typical flyer statement is:

Enrollment is limited to [maximum number] FOC members. If more than [maximum number] enrollments are postmarked or made online by credit card on [initial day and date of registration], [maximum number] participants will be selected in a blind lottery from those enrollments

Some workshops are open to both members and nonmembers. Where the flyer indicates that nonmembers may take the workshop, it states that members will be given priority. This means that all members registering on any given day are considered before nonmembers. If there is a lottery, members are enrolled before admitting nonmembers to the workshop.

If you join FOC at the same time as you register, you are considered a member. In other words, if you submit two checks, one for registration and one for membership in your envelope, you are considered a member, or, if you join online at the same time as you register online for a workshop, you are considered a member. Please note that, if you join for the purpose of taking a workshop but do not get in to the workshop, you are still a member. Your workshop fee is refundable in accordance with the terms of the workshop flyer but your membership payment is not.

A week or so after the day registration opens, allowing time for a lottery if needed, the workshop coordinator emails all those who have made it into the workshop to let them know they are enrolled. A separate email is sent to all who registered but did not get in, letting them know they are assigned a spot on the waiting list. Anyone who does not want to be on a waiting list may request a refund. Refunds are made to people on the waiting list at any time upon request, and refunds are made to anyone who did not request a refund but did make it into the workshop during or immediately after the workshop takes place.

If it is a week and a half after the initial day of registration and you have not heard from the coordinator, you should contact the coordinator to find out your status. The coordinator’s email and phone number are given on the workshop flyer. The downloadable PDF flyer remains on the FOC website (Classes page) until the workshop takes place. In particular, if you see our “workshop is full” message on the Classes page, but you have not received a notification, you should check. We try our best, but it does occasionally happen that an email address is mistyped and the notification to that person does not arrive; or, it may be caught in your spam filter or have mysteriously disappeared in cyberspace.

Our basic maximum number of participants is 20. However, sometimes an instructor feels that a class cannot be taught to that many students—it may be that more individual attention is required. Or the facility/equipment for a class may dictate a lower number (for example, we held a class involving the use of etching presses, and the class size was necessarily limited). For online classes, sometimes the maximum has been above 20 where the instructor felt the subject matter could be taught to more students without adversely impacting the class. Maximum enrollment is stated on the flyer.

FOC offers most of its workshops to all levels of experience, meaning that even people with minimal or no calligraphy experience can benefit. However, in some cases, a workshop is only appropriate for calligraphers with experience, because it teaches a more advanced skill with a hand.
In general, the following descriptions apply:

• ALL LEVELS: Anyone, even someone with no prior calligraphy experience
• INTERMEDIATE: Knowledge of one or more calligraphy hands (sometimes knowledge of the hand being taught) and competence with the type of nib (e.g., broad-edge, pointed, brush)
• ADVANCED: Knowledge of several lettering styles, skill with lettering tools and proficiency in writing

Some specific examples of classes requiring intermediate or advanced skill levels are:

• A workshop on variations of copperplate, where students must already have experience writing basic copperplate and be comfortable writing with a pointed pen in order to learn variations.
• A workshop on roman capitals or italic involving pen manipulation and pressure-release, where students should already be comfortable using a broad-edge nib and have some experience with the hand being taught.
• A layout and design class, where knowledge of at least one calligraphic hand is required.
• A class in pointed pen oval flourishing, where students are expected to know how to write a pointed pen script in order to flourish the letters.

If a particular type of experience is required for a workshop, as in the examples above, the flyer will indicate the type of experience needed.

Issues of Alphabet for the current membership year are reserved for new members. FOC sends the current year Alphabets to everyone who joins during the membership year, no matter when in the year they join, as long as we have copies. If we have copies left, they will be available at the beginning of the next membership year, in July.