ORIGINAL: Campgems
ORIGINAL: Mr67Stang
My club recently implimented a new rule. It states that should a member let his/her membership laps (for any reason) and return at a later date they will be charged an additional $25 on top of the $50 annual membership for reinstatement. I feel this sends a message that "we don't want you back". We all know that some people, especialy those that have been doing this for a while, will take a hiettis from the hobby. Sometimes for a year or more. So when this guy comes back he has to pay an extra $25 because he took a break? I have no intention of letting my membership laps but this rule is effecting freinds of mine that I would like to fly with again.[:'(]
I'll bet that there is a good reason for this. Our club has yearly dues. If you join mid year, then you pay a sliding scale of dues for the remainder of the year. We had guys who went south for the winter and woud come back in May and want to pay the reduced rate for the rest of the year. A clubs operating budget is based on club dues. It's our only source of income. Part time membership isn't an option when it comes to paying the bills. We dont have a Reinstatement fee, but I would be the first to vote for it.
Rather than a reinstatement penalty, the club could consider the following.
1) The prorated membership fee for late joiners is only available to new members.
2) Offer a slightly reduced fee for members who renew early, perhaps more than 1 month before membership expires.
3) Raise the regular fee slightly to compensate for the people who do take advantage of item 2.
This way, members who renew late aren't penalized, they just miss out on the early bird savings.