Re: Cult: Dual Membership in club rules

In a message dated 9/14/2007 10:35:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,  
irisgrower@cableone.net writes:

I'm  thinking of suggesting $24, just so bookkeeping is easier. That's $2  a
month, so if people join other times than Jan. it makes it simpler.
Or  maybe $12 might be best for this area.  Have to see what the  general
feeling is on that?



Linda, what you want to do is position yourself so you can recruit  locally, 
and also encourage folks to move up to AIS membership,  without pushing the 
limit on what they will spend on total membership. I  think the dues you are 
considering are way out of line.
 
You do want to charge a little something at the local level to support your  
newsletter, and also to establish who is a member in good standing for voting  
purposes. Otherwise, you are just opening the mailing list up  free of charge 
to any and all interested people and that is not reasonable.  Neither is 
having an open door and amorphous memberhip list when voting time  comes. You 
will, of course, always want to welcome the public to your meetings,  but they 
should be encouraged to join if they plan  on participating. 
 
Your club's rhizome sales should generate adequate income for most of your  
other expenses, but you should charge about five dollars per head dues  per 
membership year or any portion thereof. Run your membership year April to  March 
or something that reflects the reality that you will probably do most of  your 
recruiting in the bloom season. Give a couple, or partners, or a  parent and 
child a break on the dues, if you like, but everyone should pay  something.
 
If you are planning to affiliate with AIS--which means your club becomes a  
member of AIS and participates in its mission and can use its name--  which I 
think you certainly should do, you will have to make sure  all your Officers 
are AIS members. Ideally most of your other members will be,  too, or it may 
cost your club something to affiliate. So, when you are talking  about what the 
market will bear, you need to bear in mind AIS dues, too.  Some clubs actually 
require everyone to be an AIS member, which solves a lot of  problems, but 
makes recruitment a bit harder. 
 
Some local AIS members may think that they should not have to pay any local  
club dues. This is not true. Paying AIS dues entitles you to membership in  
the national organization, and also membership in the AIS Region in which your  
mailing address is located, but not any local group. AIS can't promise  anyone 
that there is going to be a local group, or if there is, that  the local 
group will be one the new member will enjoy, and it does not do so.  AIS members 
must always be made welcome as guests at the meetings  of AIS affiliates, as 
must the general public.  
 
I think your best course is to keep things simple and  affordable to begin 
with, and work steadily for gradual growth. 
 
Cordially,
 
Anner Whitehead 
Richmond VA USA
 
 
 



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