What's your club membership size & fees?

[Christopher Morris 2]

Posted by Cuban8 on 08/10/2019 12:42:24:

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 30/09/2019 20:57:26:

One club I was in years ago moved the payment to the beginning of April. Trouble was, by then people were coming up with all sorts of excuses to delay payment due to other commitments.

The most effective way to put a stop to most of this is to offer a 'discount' (important to label as such rather than as a penalty or rejoining fee IMHO) after increasing your club subs by a suitable amount. We had a lot of this bother years ago, people leaving their subs until the fine weather or all sorts of other spurious reasons. We upped the subs by £15 and then offered a 'discount' of £15 for prompt payment i.e. by Jan 1st. Stopped the problem in its tracks. No objections, because the majority of members paid on time anyway. The half a dozen regulars who would always pay late and thus cause a disproportionate amount of extra admin dragging on well into early summer, soon mended their ways.

Edited By Cuban8 on 08/10/2019 12:43:35

Good idea on the discount Tom.
I see some clubs also offer a 6 month deal. So, if a club is £100.00 a year, they will do an April to September for £70.00. So not half price, but a good discount for the far weather flyers.

[Toni Reynaud]

Chichester and District Model Aero Club (CADMAC). About 127 members. £84 per year including BMFA costs. Joining fee £20. Hard runway on an Army base(airfield) for weekends/Bank holidays, grass farmer's patch 7 days per week (No I/C at weekends) and one slope.

[Cuban8]

Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 08/10/2019 14:27:10:

Posted by Cuban8 on 08/10/2019 12:42:24:

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 30/09/2019 20:57:26:

One club I was in years ago moved the payment to the beginning of April. Trouble was, by then people were coming up with all sorts of excuses to delay payment due to other commitments.

The most effective way to put a stop to most of this is to offer a 'discount' (important to label as such rather than as a penalty or rejoining fee IMHO) after increasing your club subs by a suitable amount. We had a lot of this bother years ago, people leaving their subs until the fine weather or all sorts of other spurious reasons. We upped the subs by £15 and then offered a 'discount' of £15 for prompt payment i.e. by Jan 1st. Stopped the problem in its tracks. No objections, because the majority of members paid on time anyway. The half a dozen regulars who would always pay late and thus cause a disproportionate amount of extra admin dragging on well into early summer, soon mended their ways.

Edited By Cuban8 on 08/10/2019 12:43:35

 

Good idea on the discount Tom.
I see some clubs also offer a 6 month deal. So, if a club is £100.00 a year, they will do an April to September for £70.00. So not half price, but a good discount for the far weather flyers.

6 month deal? I don't know about that, each to their own but both of the clubs that I belong to could never go down that route. After all, the club doesn't shut down completely for the winter. The field requires maintenance, grass cutting machinery needs servicing, fences to repair, hedges to cut, gates to fix and of course.......the land owner rents the fields on an annual basis - it all costs and it's a burden on the club that many just don't realise. We're talking about a piddling sum of money anyway, why would you bother and checking up on summer flyers 'just popping over for a quick fly on a nice bright winter's day' would be a pain.

 

Edited By Cuban8 on 08/10/2019 16:11:57

[Nigel R]

TCMFC... £40 p/a. BMFA required on top. Limited to 45 members mainly due to parking. 90% electrickery flyers. Single site - well kept grass strip in farmer's field, open most daylight hours every day. It's a nice club.

[SIMON CRAGG]

There are so many variables as each club has its own priorities and overheads.

Its a fine balance between having enough money in club funds to cover all the annual expenses, but not charging too much to put off members and newbies from joining. The hobby is in decline, and its hard enough to get / keep new members, without charging them the earth.

We debate the subject every year, and try and be as fair as possible to all members. We even have a "social members" class, who do not pay the full subs.

No "one size fits all" in this case.