Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Hi, can anyone say if model flying clubs get a kick back or discount for club members joining the BMFA via the club.?? I only ask as one club local to me insists on members joining through their club & another local club strongly encourages you to join via the club. Now i have no problem this at all with a club making some extra cash to help the club along. In fact i like the idea, but would like to know, as i cant see a club going to all the extra trouble for nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I'm a club sec and as far as I am aware there are no club discounts. For a club to be affiliated all the members have to be members, as this is all online you can keep tabs of members BMFA status via the portal but maybe some secs feel it's easier to manage if they do the renewals. I am happy either way, a lot of members prefer to do the club ,bmfa, CAA all in one go, others like to join the BMFA direct. For the latter we then link them via portal so they show up on the BMFA club members list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Thanks for the reply's. Quite possibly me being a skeptic & none trusting on all things with money. I am also pleasantly surprised of clubs doing all the extra work for nothing. I now say the clubs should get a discount for bulk purchasing of membership. If i buy a 1 shirt for £10, fine. But i would expect a discount if purchased 10-20-30-40 shirts, but i suspect the BMFA would just increase membership price to pay for this. Thanks for the clarification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Flyer Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Hi we require members to join BMFA like most clubs. We don’t ask that they pay the club for that . As said there is no financial advantage at all. We find it less cumbersome if members pay BMFA directly. However we ask that members affiliate to our club when they join BMFA . Members can affiliate to as many clubs as they wish via the BMFA membership portal. The affiliation means that club administrators can see and check the member details on the BMFA portal. If they do dot affiliate to us we cannot see their details What is very useful (and important for us) is that members do their CAA registration via the BMFA Portal . This means that we can be sure the member has been given their operator iD . Otherwise we need to ask individual members for proof of that which is a complete pain in a large club. The BMFA portal is a very useful tool and we all regard the BMFA as a really good service 😊. I find your comments regarding “bulk “ discounts quite unfair and out of place and quite distasteful .. it’s rather important to realise that they are not a profit making commercial organisation. Do you realise that most people contributing much time and effort to the BMFA do it for nothing? I recently attended a members fly in at Buckminster where we paid a very small attendance fee and had personal tuition from a number of senior examiners and instructors who all do what they do for the love of the hobby! Edited By Tim Flyer on 28/09/2020 09:06:23 Edited By Tim Flyer on 28/09/2020 09:13:42 Edited By Tim Flyer on 28/09/2020 09:15:11 Edited By Tim Flyer on 28/09/2020 09:15:52 Edited By Tim Flyer on 28/09/2020 09:17:16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 28/09/2020 08:01:15: Hi, can anyone say if model flying clubs get a kick back or discount for club members joining the BMFA via the club.?? I only ask as one club local to me insists on members joining through their club & another local club strongly encourages you to join via the club. Now i have no problem this at all with a club making some extra cash to help the club along. In fact i like the idea, but would like to know, as i cant see a club going to all the extra trouble for nothing. As membership secretary for my club for over twenty two years, I really fail to see the advantage of some clubs forcing members to join BMFA through them. Especially so now with the membership portal making sec's work so much easier (showing lead club and all other BMFA clubs joined) and records etc computerised rather than paper based, when many clubs had more members in years past as well. Fiddling about with 'kickbacks' and discounts, given the small amounts involved, is not usually worthwhile. Edited By Cuban8 on 28/09/2020 10:01:06 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Cuban8 on 28/09/2020 09:42:30: As membership secretary for my club for over twenty two years, I really fail to see the advantage of some clubs forcing members to join BMFA through them. Especially so now with the membership portal making sec's work so much easier, and records etc computerised rather than paper based, when many clubs had more members in years past as well. Agreed - besides, what happens if you are a member in 2 or more clubs? You can only join through one of them. All rather ridiculous. OP, you may find this this page on the BMFA site instructive - it explains what affiliation is and what a club needs to do to affiliate. Basically a minimum of 5 members need to process their BMFA membership through the club. Affiliation is important to ensure the club committee are covered by liability insurance, but there are multiple other benefits too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 It is curious that nobody has mentioned the main reason why the BMFA want people to register through clubs. It is an association and is run for its members. Therefore the members need to be able to be proactive. in order for them to be so they have to be able to vote on matters and the only way that can be done is through affiliated clubs due to the rules of the association. The other reason is because historically it has made the admin job at the BMFA easier (and cheaper). kevinb Old chestnut department. Edited By kevin b on 28/09/2020 10:08:05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 The BMFA do, do other things, absolutely true. They fought our corner during the Drone saga, for one thing, they've been on the ball with advice re the Covid rules for clubs. They've helped our club every time when asked, never failed us. A number of our members have been the N.F.C, to enjoy some of the other stuff, all came back highly Impressed after a good day out. Long live the Other stuff, and the people who make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Will be interesting to see how clubs get renewal & BMFA money at the end of the year. I joined my local club this year "bad year to join as a newbie" & they said send a cheque or postal order. I said can i do a bank transfer as i hadn't had a cheque book for over 20 years. this included when i had my own business. In the end i phoned my bank & spoke to a nice young girl who said no problem & added that this was a 1st, as she had worked at the bank for 3 years & had never been asked for a cheque book.. So with covid about, lets hope everyone has a cheque book.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 If your club's bank won't allow transfers then it's probably time they changed banks! We actively encourage our members to pay subscriptions by bank transfer - and any money I spend out on the club's behalf as a committee member is credited the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Wood 4 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I've had a Nat West cheque book for the last 50 years they are really handy for things like subs etc, I can't see all the older generation doing internet banking, my wife does ours so I'm grateful 😀 Regards Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Gorham_ Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 My club offers payment of subs by direct debit and has done for the last 3 or 4 years. All very convenient for the members and I'm assuming easier for the Treasurer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Ray Wood 4 on 28/09/2020 11:37:04: I've had a Nat West cheque book for the last 50 years they are really handy for things like subs etc, I can't see all the older generation doing internet banking, my wife does ours so I'm grateful 😀 Regards Ray Im getting older "64" & will live to 100 out of spite to get my pension money back. lol. I was in my 40s when i last wrote a check. & I bet within 25 years it will be all electronic of some kind & wont be such a thing as a high st bank, which will please the government as it will all be traceable. No more cash. That will get the building trade worried. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tee Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I don't know of any financial advantage to clubs and having been a committee member for over ten years I think I should have heard of one. What I was told many years ago but never confirmed was that the BMFA got some money for very club registered with them from the sports council? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Doc Marten on 28/09/2020 10:24:09: Posted by Cuban8 on 28/09/2020 09:42:30: As membership secretary for my club for over twenty two years, I really fail to see the advantage of some clubs forcing members to join BMFA through them...... Another advantage is to ease the workload on the BMFA and it's volunteer staff making the need to employ paid staff minimal to keep the cost of membership down. More work for the club secretaries but a reasonable way of helping out the national representative. Edited By Doc Marten on 28/09/2020 10:24:55 Two issues here I think. Firstly, where a club insists that BMFA is paid through them and no one else and secondly, where a BMFA member prefers to join BMFA themselves i.e a country member as was. Not a lot of sense methinks unless one is a lone flyer with no club contact or part of a loose group of flyers doing their own thing. The few club members of my club who did like to pay BMFA direct, threw the towel in a year or two ago and now join via me. No justification to insist on payment through a specific club now with the portal and even before that, it was unnecessary and rather officious IMHO. Those few who are living without web access (how?) can be catered for with a little organisation. Over the years I've modified my MO several times as regards BMFA and club subs, and now with the membership portal, on-line membership documents and the increasing preference for bank transfers for subs, it's never been as straightforward as it is now despite the registration malarkey. With no AGM this year and no cash payments on the night either, it gets better still! Edited By Cuban8 on 28/09/2020 14:13:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by John Tee on 28/09/2020 12:23:54: I don't know of any financial advantage to clubs and having been a committee member for over ten years I think I should have heard of one. What I was told many years ago but never confirmed was that the BMFA got some money for very club registered with them from the sports council? John Must admit, that sounds very feasible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Symons - BMFA Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by John Tee on 28/09/2020 12:23:54: What I was told many years ago but never confirmed was that the BMFA got some money for very club registered with them from the sports council? John Not something that I am aware of, I suspect a case of chinese whispers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Andy Symons - BMFA on 28/09/2020 16:40:09: Posted by John Tee on 28/09/2020 12:23:54: What I was told many years ago but never confirmed was that the BMFA got some money for very club registered with them from the sports council? John Not something that I am aware of, I suspect a case of chinese whispers. It wouldn't surprise me as the club i belong to was really stricked on the covid side of thing "rightly so" As they was eligible for some sort of grant with covid & didn't want to upset the apple cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 The papers that you can download from the last BMFA AGM webpage include detailed income & expenditure for the last 5 years. I can't see any income from the Sport's Council. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 28/09/2020 17:49:06: As they was eligible for some sort of grant with covid & didn't want to upset the apple cart. Grants are available Christopher, for Struggling Legitimate Businesses to pay rent to their Landlord during lockdown The Local Councils award these grants Flying Clubs are not Legitimate Businesses, but some clubs think they might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 28/09/2020 17:49:06: As they was eligible for some sort of grant with covid & didn't want to upset the apple cart. Grants are available Christopher, for Struggling Legitimate Businesses to pay rent to their Landlord during lockdown The Local Councils award these grants Flying Clubs are not Legitimate Businesses, but some clubs think they might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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