Chapter Dues

[Jim Heffelfinger]

My chapter started out wanting to have a chapter project and assessed dues to be $24/yr. They built 2 planes and sold them. Sometime in the past it was shifted to $20/yr. That was 57 years ago.
Using an inflation calculator that places dues at $157/yr if it rose with it.
Our mailing and printing of the newsletter eats up nearly all the dues as nearly 50% are chapter life members.
How much are your dues. Is there an assessment in addition?
How are other chapters covering the other expenses of the organization?
JIm

[CarlOrton]

Chapter 34 has been at $25/year for at least the past 10 years or so. No other assessments. We don't have life memberships at the Chapter level.

We have usually been able to maintain a fairly level bank balance, but that has mostly been the result of hosting the B-17. Since it went off-line a few months ago, we've started getting a little low. Bigger expenses are hangar and insurance. Newsletter relatively inexpensive since it only goes out hardcopy upon request. Out of 52 members, only 12 receive it via snail mail. The rest receive a PDF via email.

[WLIU]

IAC Chapter 35 went to e-mail for chapter news. No postage costs. I recall that for a while, for an extra $10 dues, you could get a paper newsletter but that was discontinued.

These days everyone has e-mail.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

[Hangar10]

Our dues are $25 and we don't offer a life membership either, although we do comp our charter members. We hold a monthly pancake breakfast and also host the B-17 and Tri-Motor tour stop in Tulsa. While I realize that every chapter can't host the EAA tour stops, the pancake breakfasts generate enough funds to keep our lights, heat and rent paid at our hangar. In addition, it gives us another reason to get together and invite others to come visit. We also keep a fridge stocked with cold drinks, and ask for donations on these items on the honor system. Probably not a huge money maker, but it certainly pays for itself. We also hold a chapter picnic and rent out the hangar for member events (Christmas parties, family gatherings, etc.). When I say rent out, this is on a simple (and small) donation basis as well.

We are fortunate to have a well established chapter that has been hard working and smart with our funds. In the 80s, our group hauled a concession stand all over the place selling hot dogs and cold drinks at fly in events. They made enough to build our hangar! We continue to keep a decent balance sheet through hard work and saving. We are planning several events this year, so we'll dip into the funds a bit... of course our hope is that our efforts will generate even more interest and therefore fund our future through increased membership and participation.

We also have an active Young Eagles program that helps us send a youngster to the Air Academy each year. National compensates us a few dollars for each Young Eagle that we fly, as they offer to do with all chapters. This helps a lot when it comes time to send that lucky youngster to Oshkosh each summer.

As for our newsletter, we e-mail and print. There are several members that do not have e-mail, and others that just like to hold a printed copy... on top of that, they are good for leaving in FBOs and pilot lounges. Any time we have a guest or prospective new member attend a meeting or breakfast, it is the first thing I hand them. We print 100 copies each month, but only mail 60.... we send another 60 or so via e-mail. One thing I should mention is that our print shop happens to be owned by a local aviator, so he cuts us a huge break on the cost. I'm pretty sure that we would lose members if we discontinued our newsletter... many seem to enjoy it. For some of our remote members, it is their only contact with the chapter.

Jim, your chapter charged $20 57 years ago? You guys must have GREAT coffee! What chapter are you with? Chapter 10 is nearly 58 years old (est. 1955)... you must be with an early chapter too.

[Richard Warner]

Our chapter is small(#405), and we had to raise our dues to $35 this year so we would have enough money to pay the insurance National makes us buy. We have been meeting at a restaurant or at the airport terminal building, so seems stupid to have to buy insurance since the restaurant and the airport have it. It was either raise them or discontinue having a chapter.

[rock4evr]

Chapter 2 dues are $20 and have been for some time. Most of our newsletters are electronic. About 10 members without e-mail still receive a hard-copy that gets mailed out. Newsletters are also on our website and we have one hanging at the airport FBO. We host a pancake breakfast and a chili lunch that serve as fundraisers for the chapter. Looking at a couple other options this year as well. We don't have a hangar so we don't have that expense. We also fly a lot of Young Eagles so those credits cover most, if not all, the tuition for the kids we send to air academy each year.

[rock4evr]

Our chapter is small(#405), and we had to raise our dues to $35 this year so we would have enough money to pay the insurance National makes us buy. We have been meeting at a restaurant or at the airport terminal building, so seems stupid to have to buy insurance since the restaurant and the airport have it. It was either raise them or discontinue having a chapter.

Richard,
If you have a good relationship with the restaurant, see if they will help out with a fly-in breakfast or lunch as a fundraiser in return for some promotion at the event. We got a local restaurant to donate food for our pancake breakfast for the last few years. It's worked very well for us. Good luck!

[WLIU]

My IAC chapter meets at the airport restaurant each month. We provide the umbrella for the local Young Eagles activity. At each Young Eagles event the airport restaurant sets up an area to cook and sell burgers and hot dogs, and gives each Young Eagle a free ice cream dish. They donate lunch for the pilots who fly Young Eagles at the event. The relationship works great.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS