There are many things that a new member must know about the Guild and about the Guild's standards and requirements. The Guild is a professional association, which is designed to help both the individual and the appraisal industry.
The Guild's purpose is as follows:

PURPOSE:
I. The Purpose of the Guild is to dedicate itself to the improvement and betterment of the appraisal profession. The Guild is interested in both the appraiser and the client and believes that the best interest of the profession will be found in competent, responsible appraisers who exercise their professional diligence in an atmosphere of training, education and dedication to ethical principle.

All members of the Guild are subject to the Guild's by-laws. The following are some excerpts from the by-laws that deal directly with membership in the Guild:

GUILD MEMBERSHIP:
I. Membership in the Guild is not automatic and may be withheld at the sole and absolute discretion of the Guild. Suitability for membership in the Guild is to be solely determined by FCC, the President of the Guild (FCC) and/or the Board of Directors.

II. Members will be obligated to pay certain fees to the Guild, which shall be set by the Guild and shall be published from time to time. Any member who shall fail to pay all fees as set by the Board, within sixty (60) days of the due date for the payment of said fees, shall be deemed to have terminated his/her membership in the Guild.
A. Members shall pay an annual membership fee, initial membership fees and other assessments to the Guild, to be set by the Board.
B. Members will also be required to pay fees for course work sponsored by the Guild.

III. Membership in the Guild can be accomplished in the following ways:
A. An applicant fills out a membership application, which is accepted by the Guild for membership.
B. The President may authorize and accept any party into the Guild whom he thinks is a good and worthy candidate.

IV. Membership in the Guild is for individuals only and will not be conferred on companies or organizations.

V. All members agree to abide by the current and revised code of ethics, the rules, regulations, fee structures, laws and bylaws of the Guild. Members agree to accept and abide by any and all changes in the rules, regulations, standards, fee structures or other laws or bylaws of the Guild that will occur from time to time. Denver shall be the venue for any disagreement between any members and/or the Guild and any members irrespective of the forum in which a dispute might be resolved.

VI. All members agree should their membership terminate in the Guild for any reason whatsoever to refrain from making verbal, printed, or written reference to the Guild, using any printed material that refers to the Guild, and/or doing anything by which any person or the public may infer continued membership and/ or affiliation with the Guild and will return all materials to the Guild forthwith.

VII. Each Guild Appraiser is obligated to further their knowledge and education relative to valuation and the appraisal profession.

VIII. Each Guild Appraiser is obligated to accept assignments by the Guild, which further the goals of the Guild or benefit the appraisal profession.

You are now an Associate Member in the Guild. The following represents a description of some of the designations and honorary titles offered by the Guild:

GUILD DESIGNATIONS:
I. Associate Member
The entry level for Guild membership is Associate Member. This person has previous experience in appraising and has been approved for advancement in the Guild. The Guild has verified the references in the Associate Member's application and has found these references to be satisfactory for Guild membership. The title of Associate Member is not a professional designation and does not entitle the holder to use Guild advertising materials or the guild name in printed solicitation for business. The Associate Member, in good standing, may tell people that they are members of the Guild and of the courses they have successfully completed but they shall make NO claims beyond that.
II. Accredited Appraiser
The title of Accredited Appraiser is a professional designation granted by the Guild. Any Guild Appraiser holding this level of certification has at least three (3) years of appraising experience and has completed and successfully passed all courses and other additional requirements required by the Guild for this level of certification. The title of Accredited Appraiser is a professional designation and entitles the holder to use Guild advertising materials or the Guild name in printed solicitation for business. Each Accredited Appraiser must be recertified on a regular basis by the Guild. The Guild Appraiser must show professional growth through continuing education and professional participation.
III. Senior Accredited Appraiser
The title of Senior Accredited Appraiser is a professional designation granted by the Guild. Any Guild Appraiser holding this level of certification has at least five (5) years of appraising experience and has completed and successfully passed all courses and other additional requirements required by the Guild for this level of certification. The title of Senior Accredited Appraiser is a professional designation and entitles the holder to use Guild advertising materials or the Guild name in printed solicitation for business. Each Senior Accredited Appraiser must be re-certified on a regular basis by the Guild. The Guild Appraiser must show professional growth through continuing education and professional participation.
IV. Accredited Master Appraiser
The title of Accredited Master Appraiser is a professional designation granted by the Guild that specifically recognizes the role that experience plays in the professionalism of an appraiser. Any Guild Appraiser holding this level of certification has at least fifteen (15) years of recognized appraising experience and has completed and successful passed all courses and other additional requirements required by the Guild for this level of certification. The title of Master Appraiser is a professional designation and entitles the holder to use Guild advertising materials or the Guild name in printed solicitation for business. Each Master Appraiser must be re-certified on a regular basis by the Guild. The Guild Appraiser must show professional growth through continuing education and professional participation.
V. Affiliate
Individuals and organizations that have a common interest with all of us involved in personal property appraising, but who are not appraisers nor wish to become one, and are not involved in the appraisal process may become affiliates. Affiliates are often times curators, attorneys, insurance personnel, educators, estate people, etc.

With your acceptance into the Guild, you are now entitled and required to take course work offered by the Guild. The Guild offers the following as the Guild's Certification Program:

THE GUILD'S CERTIFICATION PROGRAM:
I. Upon being accepted for membership in the Guild, the new member shall be designated to be an Associate Member of the Guild. In order to maintain this designation the Associate Member must do the following:

A. Pay all the fees and charges as levied by the Guild for membership.
B. Successfully complete the courses entitled Theory of Valuation, (Valuation 301), Appraisal Methodology (Valuation 302), The Guild's Code of Ethical Behavior, (Ethics 101) within one year of being accepted into the Guild as a member. Without special arrangements having been agreed to by Guild management, failure to successfully complete these two courses within the allotted time automatically terminates a person's membership in the Guild.
C. Successfully complete the Guild's courses on Appraisal Report Writing (Valuation 303) and USPAP, (Ethics 102) within twenty four month of membership. Without special arrangements having been agreed to by Guild management, failure to successfully complete these two courses within the allotted time automatically terminates a person's membership in the Guild.

II. With two years of satisfactory appraisal experience, and having successfully completed all the course work as required by the Guild, the Associate Appraiser may advance to the designation Accredited Appraiser by qualifying as follows:

A. Apply for an advancement in professional designation from the Guild.
B. Be a member in good standing of the Guild.
C. Pay all the fees and charges as levied by the Guild for membership and for professional advancement.
D. Satisfy all the course work to be completed by the Associate Member.
E. Have three appraisal reports successfully reviewed and accepted by the Guild.
F. Provide proof of experience as satisfactory to the Guild.

III. With five years of satisfactory appraisal experience, the Accredited Appraiser may advance to the designation Senior Accredited Appraiser by qualifying as follows:

A. Apply for an advancement in professional designation from the Guild.
B. Be a member in good standing of the Guild.
C. Pay all the fees and charges as levied by the Guild for membership and for professional advancement.
D. Satisfy all the course work to be completed by the Associate Member.
E. Have three appraisal reports successfully reviewed and accepted by the Guild.
F. Provide proof of experience as satisfactory to the Guild.

IV. With twenty years of satisfactory appraisal experience, the Senior Accredited Appraiser may advance to the designation Accredited Master Appraiser by qualifying as follows:

A. Apply for an advancement in professional designation from the Guild.
B. Be a member in good standing of the Guild.
C. Pay all the fees and charges as levied by the Guild for membership and for professional advancement.
D. Satisfy all the course work to be completed by the Associate Member.
E. Have three appraisal reports successfully reviewed and accepted by the Guild.
F. Provide proof of experience as satisfactory to the Guild.

V. Exception to course requirements; any person who writes and/or designs a course to be used by the Guild in it's educational program will be considered to have successfully completed the course he/she designed and/or wrote.

VI. Fees and charges levied by the Guild may be waived by Guild management, at the sole discretion of Guild management.

VII. Provide proof of experience satisfactory to the Guild. Guild acceptance of the member's documentation to establish an appraisal related background shall be at the sole discretion of the Guild's management.

VIII. All Guild members must abide by all the rules, regulations and bylaws as established by the Guild, all of which may change from time to time at the discretion of the Guild.