The Scoop: Becoming a JLW Member

By Emily Johnson and Prianka Sharma

Looking for ways to give back? Interested in volunteering in the DC area? How about opportunities to build lasting friendships or develop your professional skills for a good cause?

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is a network comprised of more than 2,300 women who are dedicated to improving the greater Washington, DC, community through voluntarism and leadership development. Curious about how to become involved? The process is simple if you know what to expect. Read on for step-by-step information about how to navigate the JLW application process.

The first step is ensuring you meet our minimum requirements for becoming a member, which include:

• You must be at least 21 years of age.
• You must reside in the greater DC area.
• You must have one active or sustaining JLW member who is in good standing as your sponsor. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet a sponsor or have one assigned to you during the process!

Once we are through the basics, step two is learning about JLW and its members by attending one of the optional Open House events. This is your opportunity to meet active members who could become a potential sponsor for you and get answers to any questions you may have about the League. It’s also a great opportunity to visit JLW’s beautiful headquarters in Georgetown and learn about our history and mission.  

Step three in becoming a JLW member is to create an account and submit an online application interest form. This form must be completed by December 1, 2018.

If you’ve submitted your application interest form and meet all the requirements listed above, you will be invited to attend a mandatory Recruitment Orientation Session, also step four in the process. Most of these events will be held in January and February of 2019. This is a critical step in the application process, as you will gain much deeper insights into the League and the requirements of membership.

Once you are invited and attend a Recruitment Orientation Session, you will move on to step five by receiving a non-transferrable link via email to the application. You’ll submit this final application along with a $35 processing fee. All applications and fees must be submitted by March 15, 2019.

JLW selects new members by blind lottery. JLW maintains a lottery system to ensure fairness throughout the process.

Each year, the League welcomes 250-300 new members to our ranks. Applicants will be notified of their status in early April 2019 and must pay new member dues by May 1, 2019. If you are not selected in the lottery this year, don’t worry – you can apply again the following year and the $35 fee will be waived.

The process laid out here might seem overwhelming; however, at each event, you will receive valuable information to help you navigate this process. You should also use your sponsor as a resource, or you can always send questions to join@jlw.org.

Here are five fast facts we hope you will take away from this post:

• The Open House is your first opportunity to become familiar with JLW. Take advantage of it.
• Submit your applicant interest form by December 1, 2018. No exceptions.
• Make sure JLW is on your approved sender list, so we don’t end up in your spam folder. Look for an email about mandatory Recruitment Orientation in January of 2019.
• Submit your application and $35 processing fee by March 15, 2019.
• Keep an eye on your email,  if you are selected, pay your dues by May 1, 2019.

We hope to see you among the many friendly faces at JLW for our remaining Open Houses!