[Ansteorra] Fee Increase and other Business...

[Doug Copley]

I don't want to equate us to a bar but, it is a perfect analogy. I think
that we should always state it as a "Temporary Membership Fee" and when
people ask about it we can tell them that it is for insurance
requirements. I believe that most people will understand it and not have
a problem with the fee.

YIS,
Vincenti da Murano
Barony of Namron

Lisa Sawyer wrote:
> To be honest, I really don't have an issue with the $5 surcharge for
> non-members. I think ~we~ need to change the way we view it and market it.
> Instead of being a penalty for not being a member, think of it as a
> temporary membership fee. If you just want to try us out, then you only have
> to buy a  $5 temporary membership. If you attend more than 8 events in a
> year, then it is in your best financial interest to pay for an annual
> membership. If you live in a dry county, you have to pay a membership fee to
> drink in a bar. I've paid plenty of membership fees at bars I'll never go to
> again. The SCA isn't that much different. If you want to play, you need to
> be a member to be covered by the insurance and you have to purchase a
> temporary membership that is good for the event.
> 
> The NMS isn't a punishment. The odds of someone getting injured at an event
> are pretty good...be it from falling into a hole or getting their bell rung
> while fighting. That is why we have chirurgeons. The odds of someone suing
> the Society over their injury increases if they don't have a vested interest
> in the Society. If I fall in a hole and break my leg because the Steward
> didn't put a big sign with caution tape around it, I'm not not going to sue
> because I have been playing for too many years and love this organization.
> Now, you get someone who is at their first event and falls in the hole and
> breaks their leg, then they are more likely to sue because they don't have a
> vested interest in the group. So, the new folks are the high risk group when
> it comes to liability, not those of us who have been playing forever. By
> requiring them to pay a temporary membership fee, they are covering the
> extra cost that they are incurring on the Society as a whole. Someone who
> knows more about the psychology of lawsuits and insurance can probably
> expand on this.
> 
> When you look at the cost of going to the movies these days, you are looking
> at about $20 a person for three hours of entertainment and snacks. For $20 a
> person at an SCA event, you can typically get a weekend of entertainment and
> a really good meal. That is including the NMS. There is a family cap and
> last time I checked, the NMS doesn't apply to children. So for the average
> family the additional cost would be $5-10. If they start attending enough
> events that it is financial issue, then they can pay for the annual
> membership. Seriously, $20-25 a person for a weekend is a bargain! I think
> the current rates for TRF are about that for a day just for tickets to get
> in.
> 
> I pay for my membership to support the Society. There have been times when
> I've forgotten my proof of membership. Yeah, I try to talk my way out of it,
> but in the end I have no problem paying the extra fee because I know that it
> is going to support the Society. It is a small price pay for an organization
> that I enjoy being a part of. I haven't counted it up to figure out if it is
> cheaper for me to pay the NMS for each event or to pay for my
> membership...but it doesn't really matter to me. It is probably pretty close
> to break even, but for me the point is that I'm supporting the organization.
> It is a heck of a lot cheaper than my professional organization memberships
> ($150 a year is the cheapest one). I don't know how it compares to similar
> recreational organizations but it doesn't seem outrageous to me.
> 
> So, in summary, lets try to change the way we look at it - it is a temporary
> membership not penalty. If you want a long term membership, then you can buy
> one of those. It is also a way for individuals who may have a hard time
> coming up with $40ish(after they raise it) to pay for an annual membership
> to still contribute to the organization as a whole. When I was inactive, I
> would attend maybe one event a year(?) so I didnt really want or need an
> annual membership but I could still support the Society with a temporary
> membership.
> 
> And, for the record, I did CC the BoD comments email address on this.
> 
> Just my two cents,
> Lady Ysabeau of Prague
> (who probably should have waited to have a second cup of coffee before
> writing this)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 8:22 AM, Tega Albert <montega2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> While I certainly understand the need for prices to go up, I can't say I am
>> in agreement with the non member fee being 5 dollars a person. As
>> Hospitaler, trying to get new members is already a challenge. In
>> Northkeep's
>> officers meeting last night I proposed a membership drive to begin pushing
>> up the number of members for our group and respectively Ansteorra as a
>> whole. This would be accomplished the same way any other fund raiser would.
>> IE: "pass the hat" and other creative ways. Each time we get enough for a
>> family membership we will draw names to see who gets it. We recently had a
>> donated family membership. I put out word asking for all who were in need
>> of
>> a membership (single or family) to enter the drawing. We were able to
>> provide a family of four a membership. It was a great feeling! In today's
>> economy, we need to help each other out. You never know who is struggling
>> out there. This will help our kingdom as a whole. I challenge other
>> Hospitalers and groups to begin a membership drive as well.
>>
>>  Since I am already here, I might as well mention a few other things...
>> Some
>> know, some don't. The last fighter practice of each month, our barony
>> (Northkeep) has a gathering called Grub N Garb. We put on our garb, we all
>> bring a covered dish to share. We have a venue that is such that it allows
>> us to hold fighter practice on one side of the building and GNG on the
>> other. To those that practice outside you can still do this. I started GNG
>> in Northkeep 4 or 5 years ago and even outside it was success. On those
>> nights, we have had over 60 people in attendance. This is an excellent
>> opportunity to bring in new people. I urge other groups to start something
>> like this. We will be adding to our GNG by having different things each
>> quarter. Period cooking contests, trade days where you can get in on good
>> deals and trading, also A&S competitions. (as a shameless plug, our GNG is
>> next Wed)
>>
>>  I hope I didn't take up too much of your time, but I really wanted to get
>> these ideas "out there". The bottom line is that in order to grow our
>> groups
>> and our Kingdom (ultimately helping our financial success) we have to put a
>> little effort into it. Especially with prices going up. If anyone has
>> questions, feel free to contact me. Especially other Hospitalers. By
>> putting
>> our ideas and thoughts together we will help each other and our great
>> kingdom!
>>
>>
>>
>> Montega Blackdragon
>> Hospitaler of Northkeep
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