Sponsorship Information

Sponsorship is a very important aspect of the clan. It carries the joint responsibility of sponsor (of the applicant) to the clan, and mentor (of the clan) to the applicant. Here, we try to outline some information on the roles and responsibilities involved in sponsorship, for the benefit both of applicants looking for sponsors, and for clan members in a position to sponsor someone.

• To sponsor an applicant, a Dragon member must:
  • Hold the rank of Knight or higher.
  • Not be sponsoring anyone else. Note, however, that your official sponsorship ends when your sponsoree has reached the rank of Knight. Note also that you MAY sponsor an applicant who has previously been a member if you are already sponsoring someone else. At any time, however, more more than 2 people should be sponsored by any 1 member, and only in the case where 1 sponsoree is a former member.

Sponsorship is really a 2-part process. While the applicant is going through the process of application, you act as their Sponsor, helping them to understand the applications process, and to get through it. After the applicant is accepted into the clan (assuming always, of course, that they are), you begin your duties as Mentor, helping them to settle into the clan. Your duties as Mentor officially end when your pupil (for lack of a better word) reaches the rank of Knight. Of course, it's generally assumed that you will continue to assist them informally for a good long time.

• Duties as a sponsor
  • Get to know the applicant before you agree to sponsor them. Don't just sponsor anyone who asks, talk with them, interview them, friend them, group with them... In some manner, really get to know them before you agree. The assumption is that if you sponsor someone, that means that you feel they would make an excellent addition to the clan.
  • Keep your applicant up-to-date with any changes that occur in the clan, and make sure they're aquainted with all the basic rules members must follow. It's your job to make sure they know what they're getting into, to keep them from rude surprises if they're accepted.
  • Honesty. Please. Don't lie to someone if you don't want to sponsor them, or if you later decide not to sponsor them. Tell them why.
  • Don't 'coach' your applicant through interviews. You're not trying to make them into something they're not, or to get them into the clan if they wouldn't on their own. Your job is to recommend the applicant, and advocate for him, not to tip the scales in their favor.
  • Once you decide and agree to sponsor someone, post a note to the clan and explain why you have decided to sponsor them.
• Duties as a mentor
  • Make sure the new member knows and understands the clan rules and policies. Failing to follow them will certainly make things hard for the new member, and will reflect badly on you as their sponsor. If you find the member breaking rules, explain it to them, and notify a leader. Breaking a MUD rule is also an offense and the leaders should be notified (as well as the Immortals, if need be).
  • Make sure they understand their rights within the clan, as well as their responsibilities. They have the right to vote in whole-clan decisions, and are expected to, regardless of rank.
  • Take the new member on a tour of the clan hall. Explain the purpose of each room, features, exits, portals, shops, etc. Also give them a quick overview of the guard maze, and show them how to get out if they accidentally stumble in.
  • Explain the status of our alliances, and the ways we relate to other clans.
  • Explain the notes system, such as that all intra-clan notes are on Personal, posted to 'Dragon'. Give them a general overview of when to write to the clan as a whole, when to write just to the leaders, etc.
  • Explain our policies for defense against raids.
  • Try to act as a buffer for the new member; help to resolve any arguments or fights they get into within or because of the clan.
  • Make sure the new member understands how the MUD PK system works, and how they'll be subject to it as a clan member.
  • Overall, help them to settle in as a member of the clan. It can be difficult, since the new member is thrown into a complete social system, with its own conventions, pecking order, rivalries, continual debates, sore spots, and all. Help them to feel comfortable as a member, and to find their place within the group. Keep them in line; make sure they act in a manner consistent with the clan, and that they don't cause trouble. Similarly, make sure other members don't give them too difficult of a time.