NSS All Chapters Meetings: September 22, 2026
NSS Executive Committee Meeting Summary
September 23, 2026
Summary of actions and reports relevant to NSS members and chapters
NSS Executive Committee Minutes September 23 2026
Summary for Sacramento L5 Society
The meeting minutes occupy three pages. The remaining 17 pages contain proposed rule changes and the Treasurer’s financial reports. The Executive Committee recommended four proposals to the NSS Board; these minutes do not record Board adoption.
Proposals sent to the Board
Proposal | Effect and SacL5 connection |
Petition reset | Require handwritten signatures on paper petitions, which could still be emailed as scans or photos. Online petitions and electronic signatures would be disallowed. Relevant if SacL5 members support a Board candidate. |
Online registration | Move petition candidate registration to an online form. This can coexist with paper signatures on petitions. |
Membership requirement | Require more than three years of continuous NSS membership to run by petition. Candidates selected by the Nominations Committee would be unaffected. |
Emerging Leaders Council | Create a mentored route into national NSS work, targeting eight members without Board voting rights. This could interest active SacL5 members seeking national projects. |
A separate proposal about the Board of Strategic Advisors was held back after discussion. Possible topics for the October 24 Board meeting included NSS reform, financial reports and the budget, endowment withdrawals, and chronic budget shortfalls.
What affects SacL5 directly
The attached Campaign Rules permit campaign material in chapter-controlled publications, websites, and social accounts through normal distribution channels. Use of a chapter member address list for an NSS campaign requires chapter approval. Check the final adopted rules before using SacL5’s site or mailing list for an election campaign; an Executive Committee recommendation does not itself amend the rules.
Financial context
For January through August 2026, NSS reported about $758,500 of income and $1.206 million of expenses, an operating deficit of about $447,700. Investment and other income led to a reported net gain of about $491,500, including about $678,000 in unrealized gains. Membership income was about $71,200 below budget. The positive net result therefore does not remove the recurring operating gap.
Other developments
NSS contracted Ashly Hilton as its new Membership Manager. Updates to the nss.org portals, including a Young Professionals portal, are in progress. The COO also reported work on the OSSD workshop and Space Settlement Roadmap. The minutes specify that only the Membership Manager item was discussed aloud; the other COO items were supplied as written notes.
Practical takeaway
The minutes direct no immediate action by SacL5. Watch which proposals the Board adopts, especially the election rules, and consider whether the Emerging Leaders Council becomes a useful route for an active chapter member.
NSS All Chapters Meeting Summary
September 22, 2026
Notes and Sacramento L5 Society follow ups
The meeting covered public communications, chapter finances, membership, outreach materials, and participation at ISDC. This summary is based on informal meeting notes; policy details and deadlines should be confirmed with the organizers.
Images and recordings
Rod Pyle urged chapters to check rights for public facing photos, graphics, tables, and quotations. The group discussed image credits, event notices, releases, and additional care with images of minors.
SacL5 follow up: Review website image sources and credits. Ask NSS for written guidance before treating the discussion as a firm rule for meeting photos.
Chapter payments
Joe Redfield described invoicing and payments to chapters rather than individuals. He said chapters need a valid EIN and current IRS filings. Expenses require appropriate approval, with closer review for unbudgeted costs.
SacL5 follow up: Confirm SacL5’s EIN and filing status, then ask how to invoice NSS for any approved expense.
Membership recognition
The group discussed identifying a recruiting chapter when someone joins NSS and proposed recognition payments when chapter members renew. The renewal arrangement is still being set up.
SacL5 follow up: Check how SacL5 appears in the NSS joining and renewal process.
Outreach brochures
Aggie Kobrin asked chapters to estimate demand for updated NSS brochures for event booths.
SacL5 follow up: Estimate how many SacL5 could use and send the number to the organizers.
ISDC chapter program
Arlene is gathering chapters for short presentations about their activities, approximately 10–15 minutes each. She also requested one minute chapter videos for ISDC. October 1 was mentioned as a contact deadline.
SacL5 follow up: Contact Arlene about a SacL5 presentation and send the activity video if ready. Confirm the deadline with her.
Next Chapters Assembly
October 12, according to the meeting notes.
The most immediate SacL5 item is the ISDC request. The chapter’s activity snapshots could support a short presentation or one minute video.
NSS Executive Committee Meeting Summary
September 9, 2026
Summary of actions and reports relevant to NSS members and chapters
Chapter Rules Amendment Recommended
The Executive Committee voted without objection to recommend that the NSS Board of Directors approve revisions to the NSS Chapter Rules.
The stated purpose is not to create new policy, but to clarify existing requirements so that chapters and NSS headquarters can consistently administer chapter membership, contact lists, annual reports, membership incentives and chapter stipends.
Under the proposed clarification, each chapter’s annual report would include:
- A current list of chapter members in CSV or Excel format.
- A separate identification of non-member email contacts owned by the chapter.
- At minimum, first name, last name and email address for each person.
- A clear indication of who is a chapter member and who is only a chapter contact.
- Links to chapter social-media accounts, websites and video channels.
For U.S. chapters, the annual report would continue to include financial information and copies of applicable state filings.
Chapter Stipends
The clarified rules describe how annual NSS chapter stipends would be calculated. The stipend is intended to encourage chapter members to become NSS members and to encourage chapters to serve people who belong to both organizations.
The number of qualifying members would be determined as of March 31 each year.
- If NSS collects chapter dues, membership would be determined from the chapter’s InsideNSS group.
- If NSS does not collect chapter dues, membership would be determined from the membership list submitted with the chapter’s annual report.
- The Executive Committee would determine the stipend amount per qualifying member.
NSS has already restored rebates for new NSS members recruited by chapters and made catch-up payments. Work continues on a method for chapters without bank accounts to receive those rebates.
Other Executive Committee Actions
A proposal to restore the previous campaign-rule restriction prohibiting online petitions and electronic signatures failed.
The committee discussed, but did not vote on, a proposed bylaw change that would require at least three years of NSS membership before a person could run for the Board of Directors by petition.
Discussion also continued on proposed rules and corporate-policy changes involving the Emerging Leaders Council and the Board of Strategic Advisors.
A planned discussion of changes to the Nominations Committee and Board nomination and onboarding processes was postponed.
The Executive Committee approved adding Hoyt Davidson and Melissa Georges to the Awards Committee.
Operations and Organizational Reports
Chief Operating Officer Dale Skran reported continuing work on several organizational matters, including:
- Coordination with Explore Mars leadership on opportunities for closer cooperation.
- Completion of a review of Lunacy, with a shorter version submitted for Ad Astra.
- Work on contracts associated with replacing Burt Dicht.
- Resolution and approval of outstanding invoices.
- Completion of a Space Environmental Sustainability position paper expected to be ready for a vote.
President Isaac Arthur reported that a Heinlein-related vote would be held soon.
Executive Vice President Hoyt Davidson noted recent public remarks by the President of the United States explicitly supporting the concept of space settlement.
Board Chair Bruce Pittman reported that the O’Neill Award would be presented to Al Globus.
Bottom Line for Chapters
The most significant item for NSS chapters is the proposed clarification of the Chapter Rules. If approved by the Board, chapters would need to maintain a clearly defined membership list and distinguish those members from their broader email and contact lists.
That information would also provide the basis for determining which chapter members qualify a chapter for NSS membership stipends.
The Executive Committee emphasized that these revisions are intended to make existing policies administratively workable rather than establish new chapter obligations.
Next Executive Committee meeting: September 23, 2026.
Source: NSS Executive Committee minutes and attached proposed Chapter Rules amendment. The uploaded PDF is dated September 9, 2026; its first-page heading retains an August 26 date.
