AIS MEMBERSHIP

Hello, friends!
	Recent discussion of current AIS membership policy has certainly been 
spirited!  With regard to several postings I am compelled to respond; this 
will not be short, but please bear with me...
	I had asked the list members is it true that the AIS membership 
policy provides no pro-ration options for prospective AIS members. "Say it 
ain't so!", I said.

	I would like to preface this with what Tom Tadfor Little, list owner, 
recently wrote:
> although the list is about irises rather than the AIS, messages about the 
> AIS are definitely NOT off-topic. Any message about any iris society is 
> appropriate here!

	When I had asked many Fredericksburg Area Iris Society (FAIS) 
members, they seemed to have few ideas about how to sell prospective members 
on joining up with the current NO PRO-RATION policy in place. (Apparently 
most of us were unaware of the idea of holding dues until Oct 1st, which 
follows.) To paraphrase some of the responses I got:
-> "What CAN we do? This is what AIS decided to do -- NOT US!"
-> "I would just tell everyone to WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR TO JOIN!!" 

	Consider the following scenario (which I shared off-line with AIS 
Membership Secretary, Marilyn Harlow) about when the prospective member is 
told that there is no pro-ration of dues, and responds:
	"In that case, I think I will just wait until this fall to join..."
I believe that one needs to "strike while the iron is hot!"  Not having any 
membership options available during our spring show (in May for FAIS) gives 
the person yet another reason to say NO to our offer. If you remember to 
contact the person in the fall - perhaps when snow is already falling - 
you're likely to find the person in "harvest mode"; iris growing may be the 
last thing on the person's mind.

	Bill Smoot, who I thank for the response, said: 
> If my memory serves me correctly Jim, I'm sorry but "IT IS SO!" 
> I  thought that Marilyn Harlow, the AIS Membership Chairman should
> have answered Jim's question! 

	As Marilyn said in her response , she DID contact me off-line about 
this matter, and has been quite helpful and concerned! We have written back 
and forth several times and she helped us make the membership for the new 
people a win-win situation, as she describes:
> In Jim's situation, with some 21 new members, he has elected to wait until 
> October  for the new members to join AIS. (This means their memberships 
> will start as of January 1, 1997.)

	This was the same advice provided by Mr.Smoot:
> A SUGGESTION:  HOLD those memberships until October and then mail them in.  
> THEN the new members get additional time! 

  	I agree with and thank both of you! I've already told several folks 
in FAIS about this "alternative."  I recommened that, for now, the dues for 
new members who join late in the year -like those who signed up at our annual 
iris sale - be submitted after Oct 1st. They will get a complimentary fall 
bulletin, new member info from the region and club newsletter(s) - and will 
not be faced with THE DECISION OF HAVING TO RENEW THEIR MEMBERSHIP so soon.

	I agree with the following comments posted here which indicate that a 
better way of doing membership business can and should be established!
Bill Smoot wrote:

<SNIP>  It is crazy for any organization to cry about problems with first
> time members not rejoining, and then to treat them like this! <SNIP> Who
> wants to join an organization and pay twenty bucks for just three months 
> membership? <SNIP> If this is not being shafted, then I don't know what 
> you'd call it. It is NOT right - or fair. <SNIP> Again, I just feel that we 
> should have a more "kinder & gentler" attitude with new members by being 
> forthright and honest. They join with the impression that they will be a  
> member for a year in the future - not backdated.  It also puts AIS in a 
> potential legal problem without the exceptions printed on the membership 
> application. Most people don't write letters of complaint - they just don't 
> renew their membership!!!!!!!!! 
<SNIP> It was my intention to bring attention to something that I feel is
> very wrong with our AIS Membership in hopes of correcting it.
	Several very well stated thoughts, Bill!

Tom Tadfor Little wrote:

<SNIP> I think there are probably a number of potential members who rightly 
> expect it to work like a magazine subscription: pay now, get the 
> publications for a year, then pay again for the another year's worth. This 
> spreads the cost out a little more and gives you more time to decide if 
> you like the society.
> One could also argue that the current system devalues the first year of
> membership for those who join late. They don't get to vote the symposium, 
> don't get a chance to attend the convention, don't get timely news of 
> shows, etc. I think we'd all agree that there's more to AIS than the 
> Bulletin; there's also opportunities for participation in various iris 
> activities.
> I think the current system is acceptable, but having memberships run a full 
> year from the date one joins would be an improvement, IMO.

	Great ideas, Tom! I realize that past AIS bulletins are wonderful 
references to have, but prospective members wouldn't necessarily understand. 
It seems akin to when Publishers Clearing House launches your subscription by 
sending you the current issue plus the past couple of issues; the subscription
is quickly being exhausted and you're not that interested in the "old issues" 
that have already been pulled from the newsstands"...  I also agree with your 
observations on the first year being devalued. "It's too late for you to 
participate THIS YEAR, and if you want to participate in these activities 
NEXT YEAR, you will need to rejoin first."

John Jones wrote:

> My idea was to ALWAYS extend the membership to the end of the subsequent 
> year. People who join in Jan get a SURPRISE extra year. Those who join in 
> October etc. get a couple  of extra months. What a great welcome letter 
> that makes!!! Everybody gets a bonus. You of course don't advertise that 
> process, you save it as a surprise. 

	A MOST GENEROUS approach to the problems, John!

	There are many ideas on how to improve the system. Ruth Walker, who 
started the FAIS suggests that, to keep it simple for the various types of
memberships (tri, youth, etc.), that we just make it 1/12 if a year's dues 
per remaining month of the year a person joins. For an individual, that would
be $1.50 per remaining month. I tend to agree, except for those who join very 
late in the year and might not renew, thus costing the AIS $$$. Marilyn 
indicates that this non-renewal has been a quite a problem in the past.)

	I would like to share with you a plan for quarterly dues pro-ration 
that I recommended to Marilyn for consideration by the Board when they meet 
this fall:

** AIS Dues with a QUARTERLY PRO-RATION option **
*************************************************
Month new member joins:		Cost:	
Jan, Feb or Mar  (QTR1)		$18.00
Apr, May or Jun (QTR2)		$13.50 (OR $31.50)
Jul, Aug or Sep  (QTR3)		$ 9.00 (OR $27.00)
Oct, Nov or Dec (QTR4)		$22.50 (OR $18.00)
************************************************** 

QTR1: "Great news!  By joining now you'll be a member until the end of the 
year & you'll be getting all AIS and Regional bulletins for the entire year! 
That will be $18.00, please."

QTR2: "A year's membership is $18.00, but since you are joining during the 
second quarter, your cost will be only $13.50 for the balance of this year. 
You will start on our yearly dues schedule when you are billed for next 
year's membership in Nov. If you would like to, you can pay through the end 
of next year, which would be $31.50 today. Which one do you prefer?"

QTR3: "A year's membership is $18, but since you are joining during the third 
quarter, your cost will be only $9.00 for the balance of this year. You will 
start on our yearly dues schedule when you are billed for next year's 
membership in Nov. If you would like to pay through the end of next year, 
that will be $27.00 today. Which one do you prefer?"

QTR4: "A full year's membership is $18. Since you are joining during the 
fourth quarter, your cost will be $22.50 for the balance of this year and all 
of next year. You will be paid up until the end of next year! 

	Another QTR4 alternative would be to simply charge $18.00 and let the 
new member get a couple of months free for joining - but just this one time...
The QTR4 alternative of paying only $4.50 is not recommended as it seems to 
be cost prohibitive. As Marilyn pointed out in a message to me:

<snip> Every year we lose 1000 to 1200 members. Of these members, about half 
> of them are one year members.  For whatever reason, they fail to renew.  I 
> could just see prorated paying members getting two bulletins plus a dues 
> notice in a six month period of time and then not renewing. 

	Semi-annual proration is another, (not nearly as good) alternative:  
Jan - Jun: "That will be $18.00 today, and you will not have to renew your 
membership for next year until Nov."
Jul - Dec: "That will be $9.00 today and you will be billed for next year's 
dues in Nov. Or, you can pre-pay for next year and make it $27.00." 

	The AIS should reconsider and offer pro-ration of membership dues as 
an option for our prospective members. It is my understanding that the AIS 
needs $$$. Each new membership will generate additional revenues that would 
never otherwise be realized. When a person decides to wait until fall/next 
year to join - and ultimately never does - the AIS fails to meet it's true 
potential. I believe that we must have more options available to entice the 
prospective AIS member to join. 

	What do the rest of the AIS/IRIS-L members think? Do you believe the 
reward of having more people in AIS is worth the related effort? Do you have 
ideas on how you would like to see the dues structured? Providing your input 
here about how to improve the system can only help to make it better!   

Jim Schroetter, FAIS
Fredericksburg, VA
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