Membership Dues Increase
By Jim Fetig
At its scheduled meeting on Tuesday February 11, PATC’s Council voted to increase club annual membership dues and streamline membership categories. The work supporting this project began three years ago as part of leadership discussions on addressing the inflation-driven club budget deficits.
The approved dues increase is $10 per year in each annual dues category across the board. It is effective starting May 1st and will apply as annual memberships are renewed. Council is sensitive to the ongoing economic struggle for many folks, specifically for those who are now facing uncertainty in their jobs and careers. We know that every dollar you spend is important, and we want to thank you for choosing to support our organization and mission.
Jayne Mayne, then supervisor of membership, and those helping her, put a great deal of thought and analysis into their work. This is the first dues increase in nine years (2016). The senior category, created in 2008, has never been raised.
The budget deficit is being addressed on four fronts. The annual budget development process will be more rigorous and frugal, rental fees for popular cabins have gone up, our efforts to fundraise will be more sophisticated, and a reasonable membership dues increase is also part of the effort.
These four areas address the cost of providing opportunities to volunteer which are suffering the effects of inflation. Insurance, tools, repairs, materials, and staff support are more expensive than they were prior to the COVID pandemic.
As then supervisor of membership, Jayne Mayne also led the effort to streamline membership categories. Youth, Group and two Business categories have been eliminated. The eliminated categories had low participation rates in comparison to the administrative effort required to maintain them. Youth had ten members, Group 17 and Business one. The members of the eliminated categories will be accommodated within those remaining.
