HomeMembership - Join MiGO

Joining MiGO

At the bottom of this page is the link to Join MiGO. Before clicking the button, please read through the process to help you make the correct selections.

We encourage everyone who visits this site and isn't already a member to join the Michigan Geocaching Organization. There are three ways to join, as a Trial member, as a Lake Huron member or as a Lake Superior Member.

The Trial Member level is temporary, thirty day membership, free to you and is not renewable. It is intended to be used for perspective members to see what MiGO offers before committing to a full membership. MiGO encourages you to join or renew at the Lake Huron or Lake Superior level and help support the organization.

The Lake Huron member level is $10 and is renewed annually. This only covers the cost of your membership on our web service and a little more. Refer to the Member Levels menu item for more information.

The Lake Superior member level is $30 and is also renewed annually. It gives you access to the most content on the website and qualifies you for special benefits and discounts. Refer to the Member Levels menu item for more information.

Steps to Join MiGO:

Joining MiGO is a little more involved than just pushing a button. The steps are outlined here. Read through these steps, then click the button at the bottom of the page to take the plunge.

Step 1: Member Level:

Select your Membership level from the pull down. Your choices are:
Trial Member (free/30 days),
Lake Huron Member ($10/year),
Lake Superior Member ($30/year). Your expiration date will display based on your choice. Keep in mind that the cost to MiGO of your membership is nearly $10/year whether you pay it or not.

Step 2: Terms of Use and Privacy:

Read the Terms and select I Agree to proceed with membership. We ask that all new members agree to receive emails from the organization. It is the only way to stay informed about organization happenings, such as elections, events, etc. In the future, if you choose to opt out of receiving these emails, that can be done through your user profile.

Step 3: General Information:

Enter all required fields (indicated by a red dot) including your name, physical address, telephone, and email address. Enter as much of the optional fields that you want. Your privacy is important. Information that is visible to other members is limited to Name, City and State by default. No other contact or biographical information is shared. Once you are a member, you decide in your profile how much of this information is visible to other members, but it is imperative that it be available to the organization. MiGO will not allow members without valid contact information. Members who sign up with bogus information will be asked to update their information. Refusal to do so can be grounds for removal.

The example shown is for an out of state member. When a state that is not in the Eastern Time Zone is selected, the timezone will change. Note that the counties in Michigan's UP are in Central Time but the site does not recognize that.

The example also shows someone with a cell phone and no home phone.

Step 4: Geocaching Name:

Please enter your geocaching name exactly as it is registered on Geocaching.com.

Step 5: Interests:

Check boxes for any particular interest you have. It is OK not to check any of the boxes. You can add or remove them later from your profile.

Step 6: MiGO Region:

Click on Add Region to select the region you live in. Regions are Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower, Southwest Lower, Southeast Lower and 5th Chapter (for people who live out of state). MiGO allows one region per member.

To determine which region you live in, click this button to display the region map by county.

MiGO Regions Map

Select the region you live in from the drop down, the Save. 5th Chapter is selected for this example as the sample member is from Wisconsin.

The fee shown in this example is the Supporting Membership fee. There are no additional region based fees.

If you pick the wrong region, it can be corrected from your profile.

Step 7: Username and Password:

Choose your Username and Password. By default, unless it is already used, your username will be your first initial and last name.

Using your Geocacher name as your username is a good idea as you don't have to remember two different usernames between Geocaching.com and MiGO.

You will have access to change your username and password from your Profile once the membership is complete. Only you will ever see your password. If you forget your password, your a MiGO Admin can reset it for you. The system will send you an email with the temporary password. You will be able to log in and reset it.

Step 8: Review:

Review you contact information and membership. If you are satisfied, proceed to the next step, depending on your membership level.

If you have signed up as a free Member, you are Done. You will be logged in when you click the Done button. Please consider becoming a supporting member when you renew.

If you have signed up as a Supporting Member, click the Finish and Proceed to Payment button.

Step 9: Make Payment (Supporting Member):

Read and understand the popup message then click the OK button.

Leave the Sign Up box checked and the Total Selected for Payment at $10 (this example).

Take note of the Ref #, especially if you choose to pay by check.

Coupon codes are rare but if you have one, enter and "Apply" it.

Select a Payment Method from the drop down.

Step 9a: Making payment using PayPal

Selecting PayPal will bring up the yellow PayPal button. Click that to be redirected to and log in to your PayPal account to complete your transaction.

Once the PayPal transaction is complete, you will show up as a Supporting Member.

Step 9b: Making Payment by check:

Selecting Check will bring up a box with instructions and an address for sending a check.

Either include the Ref # on the memo line or print an invoice and include it with your check. Keep a copy for your own records.

While your check is in the mail, your Supporting Membership is preliminary. Once your check is received and applied to your balance, you will be recognized as a Supporting Member.

Click Here to Join MiGO

More Information:

MiGO is funded completely through donations and activities such as the Silent Auction at the Winter Social. MiGO is a 501(c)(7) non-profit organization. As such, we are required by law to offer free membership. Our web service charges us $10 per year, per member to host our site, whether you choose to pay or not. We can't force you to pay your way, but we certainly appreciate the growing numbers of our members that do. By paying your way, you are able to participate in MiGO member only activities and not put a strain on our budget. MiGO can only provide creative and fun activities and challenges when we stay within our budget.

If you would like to help support MiGO beyond your membership level, visit the Donations Page. In order for us to bring you truly great activities such as the Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour, we need funding well beyond our operating budget. We thank you for your help.