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What are the dollars and cents issues of
eliminating the family membership? I've always thought that AERC has
been subsidizing those of us on family memberships for several years, and that
that needs to stop. However, consider the following. Dues at present
are $65 for singles, and $75 for families. A part of membership is
receiving EN, which has an annual subscription rate of $40. As a family
membership, we only receive one EN. As a family, we receive only one
yearbook. I've worked around the fringes of the publishing business long
enough to know that a publication the size and quality of the yearbook costs in
the neighborhood of $5 to $6 just to print, never mind that the majority of them
are mailed out. Figure another $7 or more that is not duplicated in our
family membership. Consider also the other mass mailings we get from AERC
as members--ballots, dues reminders, etc. I'm sure our family membership
easily saves another $3 or more in not having to duplicate those. I'm
trying to be conservative here, but it appears that AERC is not really
subsidizing us much at all. With the cost of EN, yearbook, and mailings
totalling $50 or more of that $65 we pay for single dues, at most our family
memberships should cost us maybe $5 more per year than what we are paying.
If that. I'd be happy to pay a small dues increase for a family membership
that reflects our actual costs. I would not be happy to pay for
duplication of EN, yearbook, etc. by paying for two memberships. (Never
mind that if the bylaws change passes, my husband becomes a second-class human
being who cannot vote anyway.) In our family, at least, the net change for
AERC here would be that in the past, we have faithfully supported the
organization as a family even in years that we did not ride. In the
future, should the bylaws changes pass, the only reason to join would be to
preserve career mileage on the years that we ride further than
LD's.
This organization needs to learn to be MORE
attractive to potential members, rather than dashing off to become less
attractive not only to new people, but to those members it already
has.
Heidi
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