Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] non-member fees (was Director at Large)

>>I believe one of the intents behind the non-member fee was to
>> encourage people to join our organization and further it membership roles.
>> This is a benefit to our strength as an organization. If a rider only does
>> one or two rides a year it really isnt a financial burden to pay this fee,
>> but if a rider should do say four or five rides a year the fee encourages
>> them to join and be a paticipating member, maybe even vote, be a ride manager
>> or DAL. I dont think it was imposed to be a punitive fee, but rather as an
>> encouragement to join and be a participating member so that they can have
>> awards. This benefits us all in the added strength of our sport.

Joe Long wrote:
>That's just it, there are many good, POSITIVE reasons to join AERC, we
>don't need to coerce people to join.  If we do, what does that say
>about our organization?

To me it says the organization understands human nature. :-)

I'm looking at this from a business/marketing POV. It's not coercion to
encourage people to have a financial stake in the organization that governs
a particular activity. Either pay an annual membership fee or pay a
temporary membership fee. (A non-member fee.)

I think it's pretty standard for a group to ask non-members participating in
member activities to ante up more money. It's that way in every group,
professional or recreational, that I belong to. It's no big deal.

And then there's the logical, analytical argument: if I'm planning on
attending even just two AERC rides next year, I might as well join, 'cause
then I'm paying the same amount as I would if I paid non-member fees and
subscribed to Endurance News. And I get to comment on the workings of AERC.
:-) If I didn't care about AERC or the contents of Endurance News, I'd
probably want to do 4 or 5 rides per year before joining.

The non-member fees are not out of line in terms of amount, are not out of
line by their very existance. Non-member fees encourage membership. And they
allow people who aren't yet convinced to join to enjoy a sanctioned ride a
few times per year. Membership would decline if non-member fees went away.
How much? Hard to tell. I'm one of those marginal members. I'd think long
and hard about my membership since there are usually only 2 AERC rides in
Ohio in any given year and I'm not in it for points or standings. $65/year
vs. $0? Hmmmm... that's gas money. Do I care that much about AERC or do I
want to be able to drive to an out-of-state ride?


>When you cut through all the rhetoric, there is really only one reason
>for the non-member fee:  to keep dues lower by putting some of the
>burden of paying for member benefits onto non-members.

And how is this unfair? Don't the non-members benefit simply by the
existance of AERC? Should AERC members have to shoulder the costs of
non-members who get to take part in rides?

Non-members aren't excluded and members whose annaul dues pay for an
organization aren't taken advantage of. Win-win. No reason to change.

Deanna


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