New membership fees from December 2011

[Roger]

From 1st December 2011 new membership fees come into place - all those rejoining via post or online will pay these prices

• Full Membership is reduced to £25 + a one-off joining fee of £10
• Associate Membership is reduced to £10 - no joining fee
• Junior Membership is £3 - no joining fee

Q & A About the new membership fee

Q: I'm already a full member, how much do I pay when I renew in December?

A: £35, this year. In subsequent years, providing you don't let your membership lapse, it's £25

Q: Why do I pay the joining fee, I'm already a member?

A: Everybody in the Club pays the joining fee once - it covers the cost of the new membership patch and welcome pack which everyone will receive.

Q: When do I get this pack/Patch?

A: The patch isn't designed, yet. See the competition in the 'Quin. It will go out with your Feb/March magazine.

Q: Do associates not have to pay a joining fee?

A: No, that is taken care of in the Full Member's joining fee

Q: What happens when I rejoin next year?

A: Provided you do so within 30 days of expiry, you just pay the £25 to renew.

Q: What if I go over those 30 days?

A: Then it becomes a new membership. You pay the £10 joining fee as well as the membership subscription; you receive a new welcome pack, and a new membership number.

Q: I'm a former/lapsed member. If I rejoin this January, will I keep my old membership number?

A: Yes, but if you rejoin after the end of January, you'll lose your old number.

[Mark Cole]

Hi Roger I just wondered if my wife as an Associate member with her own Harley would also get a patch when we join. Thanks mate.

[Foxster]

Ummm...I don't want a patch or a welcome pack. Seems a bit off having to pay an extra tenner this year for stuff I don't want and didn't ask for. I'm already paying 1/2 my subs for a magazine I don't want either cos I'm happy to read it online.

Not looking very good value for money at the moment when money is tight. Though having said that, its still £10 cheaper than last year .

[Kernow]

Can someone answer why I should have to pay a joining fee when I've been a member for about 10 years already and always paid up by the middle of january?

[BaZa®]

Originally Posted by Foxster

Ummm...I don't want a patch or a welcome pack. Seems a bit off having to pay an extra tenner this year for stuff I don't want and didn't ask for. I'm already paying 1/2 my subs for a magazine I don't want either cos I'm happy to read it online.

Not looking very good value for money at the moment when money is tight.

It's the same as what you paid last year £35 not an extra tenner, then future years it will be £10 cheaper. The £10 joining fee is explained in Roger's post:

Q: Why do I pay the joining fee, I'm already a member?

A: Everybody in the Club pays the joining fee once - it covers the cost of the new membership patch and welcome pack which everyone will receive.

As far as the quin is concerned it was a added benefit having it online as it was requested by many people whom all said they would like it but would not expect any reduction in fees if they chose not to have it delivered.

So in theory we are getting more this year for the same amount and future years it will be cheaper, not bad I reckon at less than 10 pence a day.

I will get all that back in 2012 by discounted rally entries and discounted parts etc to HDRCGB members.

Sorry but I'm rejoining.

[cooky68]

i agree wi baza and roger seems like a good deal to me

[FinnDave]

I joined last July and my membership needs renewing end of Dec.2012, how does this affect me?

[Urrell]

Originally Posted by Kernow

Can someone answer why I should have to pay a joining fee when I've been a member for about 10 years already and always paid up by the middle of january?

The answer is in post 1 Ian.
I think this is a win win situation for everyone especially the Club.

[kevscrivener]

Originally Posted by BaZa®

It's the same as what you paid last year £35 not an extra tenner, then future years it will be £10 cheaper. The £10 joining fee is explained in Roger's post:



As far as the quin is concerned it was a added benefit having it online as it was requested by many people whom all said they would like it but would not expect any reduction in fees if they chose not to have it delivered.

So in theory we are getting more this year for the same amount and future years it will be cheaper, not bad I reckon at less than 10 pence a day.

I will get all that back in 2012 by discounted rally entries and discounted parts etc to HDRCGB members.

Sorry but I'm rejoining.

There had to be a downside.

Actually Baza it's a quid less than last year.

The joining fee system is used by quite a few other clubs, including the VMCC. The idea is to encourage members to keep rejoining on an annual basis rather than dipping in and out. It's been proposed in committee before in more than one occasion but for various reasons was never adopted.

I do my VMCC membership by Direct Debit, have done for over 20 years. I never have to worry about missing a payment, it's all done for me. Again it's been suggested for this club in the past but never adopted.

I would presume that in the not-too-distant future we will be able to benefit from a rolling membership subscription, i.e. if you join in say, May of one year you renew the following May. For years this has been rejected by various people on the Committee on the somewhat spurious grounds that it would make voting at the AGM impossible. This is complete bollocks because all that is needed is for the eligible members to produce their cards at the door and sign in, as you would at any other AGM.

Rolling membership would do away with the age-old problem we've had in this club of only having a somewhat narrow band of dates on which one can join. This often means that prospective new members who enquire at shows etc. tend to put the form in their pocket and forget about it, thus losing us valuable revenue.

I'm pleased to see a more enlightened attitude towards membership subscription and club finances coming from the committee.

[girlyglide]

All seems to be a move in the right direction to me.

This has convinced me to stay a member, and I must admit I was seriously considering not rejoining this year.