Page 9 - Sojourner Newsletter-Summer 2024 Final1

Volume 101, Issue 3 9

2. Please be aware that you must REGISTER for an account on MMS. There is a little “gotcha” in that
process. It asks you for your Membership number. If you have an MIP, doubtless you are looking at your
membership card and using that number. NOPE! That is your MIP number. For MIP members, there are
THREE distinct numbers in use in MMS for you. That is one, another is a unique number that associates
you with the chapter (and if you have multiple chapter memberships, each one will be different and
associates you with the respective chapter. Lastly, there is that “National Sojourners” membership number
– which is unique amongst all our members – THAT is the one we need you to use when registering for an
MMS account. Ask your secretary for that number.

Lastly, Secretaries: When you want to pull a copy of your “Alpha Report” as you probably know you can
pull it in PDF format – which will be an alphabetical listing showing your living members first, then your
deceased MIP members, and then any delinquent members if you have any. That may or may not be the format
for the Alpha that you want. The other format is a .csv (comma separated variable) which is, in essence, an
Excel Spreadsheet – at least it LOOKS like a spreadsheet when you open it up. HOWEVER, it’s important for
you to know that there are some things you can’t do in a .csv version that you can easily do in an .xls/.xlsx
(Excel workbook) version. So, typically what I do is download the .csv and immediately “save as” an Excel
workbood and delete the .csv version. Then I work with the actual spreadsheet. Trust me, you’ll save a lot of
headaches move it into .xls/.xlsx format.

– Bill Hickey National Webmaster (webmaster@nationalsojourners.org)