Squadron Dues

[MIKE]

What do you think is reasonable to charge members for squadron/unit dues... What do you charge, if anything? 

If you collect them annually, bi-annually or perhaps quarterly, can you also break it down to a weekly or per meeting cost to the member?

For those in cadet or composite squadrons, do you charge seniors more, less or the same as the cadets?

Do you supplement dues fully or partially with some other source of funding... If so, can you explain?

[DNall]

We talked about it recently, but don't yet do it. Requires Wg CC approval (formality).

I don't really like the idea, but I hate fundraising in or out of uniform.

We were talking about an annual fee of about $25 to adults only, but could be broken down to month/quarter (I'm sure we'd round up to make that a nice round number for those payments).

We just considered it to cover phone/highspeed internet. We're still pricing that so hadn't moved yet. I'm going to try to put some people on pitching community organizations (rotary & such) instead & I think that'll come out nicely.

[carnold1836]

50 cents a night for Thursday night meetings or 1 dollar a meeting for Saturdays. Or pay in a lump sum of 20 bucks for the year. Both seniors and cadets. We also get matching funds from all of our Dell employees, if the give 20 bucks a paycheck to the squadron Dell matches it 100%. We have looked into fundraising but it is a pain in the donkey in Austin since everybody is out wanting money to save this newt or this salamander of this blind rat mole or whatever the hippies are trying to save this week.

[DNall]

Dang hippies! I remember that

[RogueLeader]

We don't have dues per se, but there is talk of charging the pilots $60 a year for hanger rental.

[mprokosch11]

 At our squadron when you first join as a cadet you pay a one time only fee of $65.

[Chris Jacobs]

I believe that we have a one time fee, but that is so that the squadron can get you all your uniform parts, like squadron hat and patches.

[A.Member]

This is somewhat a sore spot with me but it also illustrates funding issues, especially at a time when Wings are beginning to restructure finance processes (this also came out of the recent NB). 

Many of us volunteer a great deal of time and some put up with a tremendous amount of unneeded b.s. at various levels (and I'm not even including spouses here!  )  But at the end of the day, it's service before self.  I too hate fundraising, yet we need funds.  Going door to door delivering phone books or selling candy bars is silly and a further misuse of everyone's time.

The result?  More and more squadrons are charging dues on top of the membership fee.  I've heard of figures as high as $250 per person.  I don't know the solution but one is needed.  This needs to stop. 

Perhaps, this is where the corporate side of CAP really comes into the picture.  There really needs to be a more concerted effort to build partnerships to secure greater financing at the corporate and Wing levels.  This could come in the form of donations or grants.  With that, it must be assured that the funding flows to where it's needed so that squadrons aren't charging members an additional $250 a head.  I'm afraid this is a bit of a pipe dream though. 

[Eclipse]

You have to keep the lights and heat on - we're doing $30 a year donation for seniors and $25 for cadets, which just barely covers operating expenses.

We're lucky enough to have our own building, but autonomy ain't free...

[RiverAux]

$20/year for senior members is what we're usually charged for squadron dues.

[Psicorp]

Ouch...now I kinda feel...well, Come And Pay.

My Squadron's Command Staff decided that in order to pay the monthly bills (which includes rent on a hanger), that Senior Members who are aircrew qualified will pay $25 per month, non-aircrew Senior Members will pay $15 per month.   This was approved through Wing.

If fundraisers are done or other cash flow is secured, then the dues will either be reduced or eliminated.   I kinda have the feeling that dues would end up being like taxes...no taxes ever just go away.    There has been talk about going after corporate donations and non-profit organizations (such as United Way, etc.), but I don't know what actually has been done.   I fully am in favor of having our bills be paid and for us to have an aircraft and hanger at a secure airport, but squadron dues, membership fees to National, uniforms, uniform changes, gear, the occasional donation of food, drinks, fuel, etc...it all adds up.

The Cadets decided to collect dues among  themselves (with Senior Member oversight and control of funds) to pay for occasional activities.

[Pylon]

I am in a squadron which does not currently charge its members (senior member or cadet) anything for dues.  Members pay enough as it is.  I want their time, not their money.  If I need money, I can think of a dozen ways off the top of my head to get some without wasting my trained (or in training) members' time selling candy bars or some such.

Squadron bills get paid from money raised through regular fundraisers or other income sources (grants, etc.), or provided for free (hangar, facilities, electrical bill, etc.) by the County.

When cadets join however, they can pay us a flat $35 fee and we order them everything they'd need to set-up and complete their blues and BDU uniforms.  (Blues clothing comes from the FCU for cadets and squadron issued for SMs.   BDUs, boots, field jackets and for aircrew, flight suits and flight jackets are all issued from squadron stock.  Occassionally dress shoes, service coats and lightweight blues jackets are also squadron issued, depending on size availability).  They just need to purchase things like insignia, belts and hats.

WIWAC, I belonged to a cadet squadron which charged cadets a quarter (that's right, a whole $0.25) per meeting for dues.  The Cadet First Sergeant would collect quarters from the cadets before the meeting began, while taking attendance, and marked your payment off.  I was one of the wise ones who just preferred to drop a check at the beginning of the year and cover it all.   Eventually, the quarter got raised to a dollar per meeting.    When I left that squadron a few years ago, I can't remember if they were still collecting dues from the cadets.

[MIKE]

My personal thoughts are that if you have to collect dues... It should be to cover the operating costs of the unit.... Needed office supplies etc... but you should also be responsible with how you use these resources, so you aren't always looking for money from your members.

If a unit has built up a substantial Rainy Day Fund, then they need to be rethinking what they are charging members for dues.

[Major Carrales]

At present I do not believe in set "Squadron Dues."  An active WHOLE CAP squadron is one where the members are thusly motivated (having taken ownership of their unit) to see it succeed in the idea of Volunteerism.

Thus, if there is a need the members of the unit address the need as it arises. 

Many CAP Officers have their personal budget include CAP. 

Occasionally, it is not unheard of for unit members to "pitch in" for things or buy one "for the team."  I would much rather have people give freely to things they see as part of their "vision" for the unit than to take money willy-nilly for activities that many might see as "Commander's perogative."  A move that is a source of fighting, even with an active and well meaning Finance Committee.

If I may be so bold, if there is a need great enough for money to be applied...fundraising is the better method no matter how cumbersome.  I say that because funding represents "external" money.  A unit's membership can only be, and should only be, expected to carry a certain amount of burden before it becomes a personal drag.

As an aside, I often weigh my uniform purchases in the amount of operational items I could buy.  The New Corporate Service COAT, for example, is a third of a RADIO.    A new aviator shirt could buy lot sof cadet ribbons or CAP cutouts.  For the cost of this Leather Jacked I've been eyeing, I could keep cadets in uniform items, pistol belts or other things of that persuasion

[sjtrupp]

A long time ago, my old unit used to membership dues.  $1.00 per month for cadets and $2.00 per month for Seniors.  Then we got a new CC and I was appointed the Finance Officer.  I got a lot of grief when I went asking for the dues.  I brought up the complaints to the CC and we went over the budget with the committee.

I then told everyone that they had a choice.  Either continue with the dues, or do a couple of fund raisers a year.  We needed to come up with $1,000.00 a year.  Everyone opted for fund raisers.  We did three car washes a year and an annual candy bar sell. 

That was in addition to the annual Air Show (where the parents did most of the work, so we could help with the airshow) and the annual CFC campaign.  We also had the obligatory Snack Shop (candy bars and soda). 
We were lucky to be on a base, so we didn't have monthly bills of elect, water, etc.

[Major_Chuck]

We always did better with 50/50 drawings  Most of us adults just donated the winnings back into the squadron pot of gold so to speak.

[ZigZag911]

I'm not fond of squadron dues, either.

WIWAC, back in the 70s, I think we paid 25 cents a week....don't know what, or if, seniors paid....certainly a quarter was not asking a whole lot, but worked out to about $13 annually per cadet.

I could see local dues in a senior unit  or headquarters staff, if the members did not want to do fund raising.

[afgeo4]

I think charging a member $1 a week for the year is very fair. If you come and participate every week you're bound to reap the rewards of the money spent. If you don't come, well... maybe you should.

[jimmydeanno]

What do you think is reasonable to charge members for squadron/unit dues... What do you charge, if anything? 

If you collect them annually, bi-annually or perhaps quarterly, can you also break it down to a weekly or per meeting cost to the member?

For those in cadet or composite squadrons, do you charge seniors more, less or the same as the cadets?

Do you supplement dues fully or partially with some other source of funding... If so, can you explain?

$0.00, the membership dues are high enough.  In my old squadron we did a "snack fund," selling candy bars and soda, each for $0.50.  We ended up with a profit off sales of about $0.50 on the dollar, raising about $2,500 annually in profit from selling snacks to the members.

I am all for alternative fund raisers to keep costs down.  I have found that soliciting donations from business is a lot easier if you can specifically tell them what their money will be used for; i.e. Encampment Scholarship, NCSA Scholarship, rather than just general "fund raising."

WIWAC, my squadron didn't charge monthly dues, but instead relied on "pitching in for gas" for the activities.  Each outside activity we did was a dollar or two depending on distance.

It all depends on the Squadron's situation though, do you have to pay rent, do you have to contribute for utilitites, do you have no associated costs of being in your building.  If your meeting location is costing you exorbanant amounts of money each year to stay there, I'd try to find a new location. 

One thing I am not a fan of is charging cadets for their Awards and decorations.  If a cadet earned their promotion, the squadron should suck up the $0.60 for the ribbon.  You see cadets all the time that aren't wearing their achievements because they simply can not afford to pay for them all...I earned the Mitchell, but can't afford epaulet sleeve, insignia, ribbon, etc...it's a shame.

Just out of curiosity...what if a cadet doesn't pay his squadron dues?  Do you kick them out of the squadron?  Do you stop them from being promoted?  Last I checked, shelling out money wasn't part of the promotion process...just curious.

[mikeylikey]

The bigger question......why are some Wings not receiving State Appropriations?  That would help at the local levels!  If your Wing does not get money from the State Government, your Wing leadership is letting everyone down.  I know some will argue that "the Wing Commander and his staff try, but my state government just doesn't support programs like CAP".  That is BS!  Each state receives Federal $$ that is specifically designed to go to programs like CAP.  We need to lobby just a little harder and present what CAP can do for the individual states!