Re: AUGD: Thread about charging dues and donations
Re: AUGD: Thread about charging dues and donations
- Subject: Re: AUGD: Thread about charging dues and donations
- From: Terry White <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:47:19 -0500
Brian,
If you/your group can get everything donated and have no need for a
treasury, that's great! More power to you.
However, that's just not the case everywhere and as groups get bigger
it's even less likely that you can do everything via donations. My
group is around 500 members with an average of 125-175 in attendance
each month. There are very few venues (read none that I know of in my
area), that would accommodate the size of our group for FREE
(donation) every month. Let's say that we were able to rotate between
locations willing to let us meet there at no cost, there would still
need to be a projector, screen and internet (for most of our
meetings). Finding a free venue that is large enough with the
facilities we need and at no charge every month is a tall order.
Groups spend the treasury money on lots of things (whether you deem
them of value or not):
Meeting Locations
Web Hosting (sure it can be done for free in many cases, but you get
what you pay for)
Supplies
Computers (if you don't have members willing to loan theirs every month)
Advertising
Mailings
Newsletter printing/mailing (yes, there are groups that still have and
prefer a printed newsletter - crazy, I know)
Insurance - some meeting locations REQUIRE IT!
Speaker Travel Expenses - sometimes it's required if you want the big
names or certain people to come to your remote location.
Can many of these things be done for Free/donation? Sure, but it's not
going to be the case for every group of every size in every location.
Everything I've named above will either be of value to some groups or
of no value at all to others. If you want to run a group that is free
to all and you can either do all of the above or things you want to do
at no cost and therefore no need for dues, that's great. Just don't
expect it to be the case for everyone.
http://macgroup.org
On Feb 23, 2009, at 11:41 AM, Brian Coleman wrote:
This has certainly been an interesting thread, and I'm starting to
see why there is such a decline in user groups and why they don't
get new members
First, reading the archives, plenty of places can be the location
donated. "donation" is what started the thread. How can you ask for
donations and have dues. Usually it's on or the other. Yes,
occasionally you might have to move a meeting location. However,
with other groups I've been in, that also happens. Changing the
date can be a big deal. Location isn't. In fact, we've found that
sometimes an occasional change of venue can be fun.
As far as insurance, I've never seen any group asked for that.
Could be an issue in certain states, but I've been on boards of many
organizations and involved with countless civic activities, and
never has the issue of liability come up. We're no different that
a group of friends that might meet for lunch. If you damage
something, the person that damages it would pay. Personally, I have
an umbrella against my own liability. When I checked with Apple in
forming our group, nobody mentioned insurance. If it were
important, Apple would have mentioned it.
For computer, already covered. Somebody in your group simply has to
step up to the plate and offer a computer. It seems like most
groups the "leadership" is titular, where in the "real world"
leaders need to offer something to be on the board. The classic
TTT: Time, treasure, or talent. If you aren't giving something of
yourself, you shouldn't be a leader. Same with a projector. There
has to be someone in your group that can get one. It's extremely
wasteful to "buy" a computer or projector for a group that meets
once a month. This is a User Group, not Citibank. People need to be
frugal. To me, a club computer and projector is the "corporate jet"
of the user group world
CDs are also silly. Disk of the month? I'm utterlly shocked anyone
is doing that. Just put links in yoru newsletter and have them
download them
Buy for raffeles....again, why? You were asking for donations. We
get more than we can handle. And if you need to give something away
to get attendance, huh? If you are paying to join a group, why
would you then need a "prize" to go to meetings. We give things
away at our meeting because vendors send us stuff for free.
Sometimes we have to agree to review it, but that's fine, because
then we get content for a newsletter. If you are having to buy
stuff, you're missing out.
Refreshments? No. We don't do that. There's a pop machine down
the hall from where we meet and a starbucks across the street. This
is a User Group meeting, not a cocktail party.
I've received some great responses off list.
Networking with other user groups, I find a very different 5ole.
People are there because they've been there a long time.
Interestingly enough I find myself the youngest in the room and I'm
42! In our group, we are much younger and just not set in our
ways. The answer I get to most questions I ask are, "We've been
doing it this way for 20 years". Hello? Is the world the same as
it was 20 years ago.???
What I am seeing is many groups are "stuck" in old ways. Being a
newer group we aren't stuck in the old cliquish ways. Everything in
the User Group world is secretive. How you get recognized, the
unelected advisory board, rules about what you can and can't do.
New groups aren't let into the party, and you know what...we don't
care. We aren't listed with Apple despite many times of
trying...and you know what...we don't care. We get 40-50 people at
meetings and get referrals from the local computer shops and AT&T
store. I can't even find out the benefits of being recognized with
Apple, much less what they offer us. We're promoting *their*
product, yet they won't help us.
You all are running your groups the same way for the past 20 years
and I'm sorry, that just doesn't fly. Apple doesn't do business the
same way it did in the 20th century and neither should you Your
membership will figuratively and literally die out. Are you focused
on the past or looking towards the future?
I'm rambling I know and I apologize for hijacking Gary's thread, but
it really irked me to ask for donations AND charge dues. This
financial mismangement is what is causing this worldwide financial
crisis and User Groups shouldn't be exempt from fiscal responsibility.
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Augd mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Augd mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden