SFRM Frequently Asked Questions

American Mensa FAQ

How can I contact the National Office of American Mensa?
Some changes you may want to make, described below, can only be made if you contact the National Office, as shown on page 2 of the Intelligencer:


I tried to log on to us.mensa.org, but it says my email address is not recognized. What can I do?
When the National Office reorganized its database in November, 2016, it broke a great many things, including the ability of some members to log on using their email address. You will need to contact them. See above.


I am no longer a Mensa member. How can I stop receiving email and mail from Mensa?

You do not have to take any further action. You will stop receiving most Mensa email and mail within a month or two. No one at SFRM can unsubscribe you from the National Office membership list.

If you have joined the list, the SFRM E-lists Manager () should unsubscribe you. If your membership ends in the middle of a membership year (April through March), it is possible that we will not notice it until the next membership year starts. Contact the SFRM E-lists Manager after a couple of months if you want them to unsubscribe you before they notice that you are no longer a member.

General SFRM FAQ

I’m new to SFRM – is there a handbook for new members? A history of SFRM?
Welcome to SFRM!  Learn more about SFRM from our Member Handbook.

Who do I contact for … ?
See our list of officers

What should I do if I move?
Anytime you move, please notify the National Office at . See the American Mensa website for additional contact information. We always get your address from them.

Where is the roster online?
Mensa members can login to the American Mensa site and access the member directory under the ‘connect’ tab.

How can I…

  • stop the electronic distribution and receive a printed copy of the Intelligencer in the US mail instead?

No one at SFRM can change them for you, but you can change them yourself by logging on to us.mensa.org and clicking My Mensa > My Membership Profile > My Account Links.

  • To change your Intelligencer distribution preference, click My Communication Preferences. If you are changing your local distribution preference from print to electronic, you MUST also check “Allow Local Groups to contact me via email” by editing the Privacy Releases section if it is not already checked.
  • To change your street or email address, click My Profile.
  • If you don’t want to change your information online, you must contact the National Office as described above.
 

Member Communication FAQ

Where is the Members Only Section?
Any information that we wish to offer to our members only, such as a copy of our local bylaws, is available through Member Communication.  All members of SFRM are encouraged to subscribe.

How can the local group contact me?
If you have provided your e-mail address to the National Office, then we have it, but we do not broadcast to that list of addresses for any routine purposes. There is often information you might want brought to your attention, such as when a scheduled event that you would drive clear across the Bay Area to attend has been rescheduled or relocated. Information that is too late for publication in the Intelligencer can still reach you through Member Communication. All members of SFRM are encouraged to subscribe to the Service.

Is there an online discussion and notification service?
All online discussions and notification services occur through our Member Communication.

Minors at Events FAQs

I’d like to bring my child to an event. Do I need to sign a release form?
Parents/Guardians: for each minor you bring to an event, please complete and bring the Parental Permission Release Minors form.

Intelligencer FAQs

What if my Intelligencer is late?
Report late issues (received after the 7th of the month of issue) to the U.S. Postal Service, using the postal claim form available at your post office, USPS Form 4314-c; send a photocopy to the Business Manager for follow-up. If you do not receive a copy by the 5th of the month, or if your copy is incomplete or damaged, call or e-mail the Business Manager for a replacement.   If you e-mail or leave a message on an answering machine, be sure to include your complete address.

How can I access the Intelligencer online?
Current American Mensa members can download the Intelligencer (as a PDF file) from the American Mensa website (http://us.mensa.org). If you don’t have a password, instructions on how to get one are provided when you go there and click the “Sign in” button. Once on the site, hover over “READ” on the menu line just below the words “American MENSA” and click “Group newsletters” in the drop-down menu that appears. The newsletters are listed by name or group in a drop-down box. All the issues of the Intelligencer back to 2003 are available for download. Your browser may allow you to read it directly in the browser without saving it as a file on your system.

SFRM members may request e-mail delivery of the Intelligencer at the same time. Contact the National Office to opt out of receiving the paper Intelligencer by mail.  Update your settings on us.mensa.org in your communication settings.

The monthly email announcing posting of the Intelligencer includes a link that will take you directly to the PDF file. Request to be added to the email here.

Something is wrong with my distribution. What can I do?

If any of the following is happening, we urge you to contact the National Office (see how, above). No one at SFRM can fix those problems for you, but if you email National we would appreciate your emailing a copy of your email to and/or .

How can I receive both an email announcing availability of the Intelligencer online and a printed copy in the mail?

  • Mensa members located elsewhere in the US or the world or visiting the Bay Area for several months or more may sign-up to receive the monthly announcement that the Intelligencer has been posted online.

My printed Intelligencer is late or damaged. What can I do?

For missing or late delivery of a printed Intelligencer, follow these instructions, which also appear on page 2 of the Intelligencer:

  • Report late issues (received after the 7th of the month of issue): call (800) ASKUSPS to find the phone number of your local Consumer Affairs person; notify that person. Also notify the Business Manager for follow-up. If you do not receive a copy by the 5th of the month, or if your copy is incomplete or damaged, call the Business Manager for a replacement. If you leave a message on an answering machine, be sure to include your complete address.

You can get any issue of the Intelligencer online (see above). If you want a printed copy mailed to you this one time, contact the SFRM Business Manager at .

Is there a more complete description of how the Intelligencer is distributed and how I can control it?

An entire article describing how you used to receive your Intelligencer appears starting on page 12 in the April, 2014 Intelligencer, which is at http://www.us.mensa.org/newsissue?id=8269. National replaced its computer system and database in November, 2016, and changed the distribution rules. We may release a revised article after the new system is debugged and stable.


I don’t like using the links to the online Intelligencer, but I don’t want a printed copy mailed to me either. What can I do?

You can join the list as described above. Each time a new issue is uploaded to us.mensa.org, the Circulation Manager will post a message to that list which will include a link to the new issue PDF on us.mensa.org and an attachment of the PDF.


Does my Intelligencer distribution preference affect my Bulletin distribution?

No. Delivery of the Intelligencer (the SFRM newsletter) is independent of delivery of the Bulletin (the American Mensa newsletter). You can select Bulletin delivery options at http://us.mensa.org, or by contacting the National Office as described above.


I don’t want to receive the Intelligencer either by mail or email. (If I want to read it, I’ll read it online at http://us.mensa.org.) What can I do to stop it?

We have asked the National Office to add a “Neither” option, in addition to the existing “Print” and “Electronic” options, for local distributions. We still hope they will eventually do that, but in the meantime, please do this: Make sure your preference is set to “Electronic”. At least that will stop the mailed issues. We do not do the extra work necessary to maintain a list of “Neither” people and remove them from the monthly email list that we get from National, so we ask that you simply ignore the email announcement that we will send you once a month.


I have read all the answers above but I still have a problem. What can I do?

If you have any other questions, concerns, or comments about this process, please send email to .

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