- Joined
- Jan 24, 2003
- Threads
- 144
- Messages
- 2,024
- Location
- Columbia, MO
- Website
- www.tornadoalleycruisers.com
Howdy folks;
Membership has been flat or slightly declinging for the last 4 years. We seem to be stuck at about the 3,200 mark, more or less.
Most folks join primarily to get Toyota Trails, which Todd Kaderabek does an exemplary job with. It's a great magazine, and has gotten bigger, and better, and with more color during his tenure. Which is *great,* except that it now costs a little more to prduce than it used to.
Also, many members choose to join at the third class bulk mail postage rate (versus first class postage, which is a $15 upgrade that TLCA actually loses money on at that rate).
USPS does not guarantee delivery of bulk rate mail, and every month we have 75-100 members who do not get the Toyota Trails they paid for, and joined to get...This leaves our administrator with a huge headache, re-sending issues. Which, we're glad to do, but this costs TLCA additional time and money.
Soooo, if you're still with me We're feeling like we need to:
a) raise dues to cover the cost of keeping Toyota Trails the great magazine that it is in a delcining (or at least static) membership environment.
b) perhaps consider making first class postage the only option to try to resolve the "bulkmail non-delivery" problem.
Current base membership is $27 (when paid by credit card, $25 by check).
If we add $3/year to keep Toyota Trails *great,* we move to $30/year.
This seems fairly palatable to me. I don't think folks will quit over that...
If we now add the $15 first class postage upgrade, we now jump from $27 to $45...which I think is likely to run lots off.
Help me folks! Ideas? Thoughts?
thanks, chef
Membership has been flat or slightly declinging for the last 4 years. We seem to be stuck at about the 3,200 mark, more or less.
Most folks join primarily to get Toyota Trails, which Todd Kaderabek does an exemplary job with. It's a great magazine, and has gotten bigger, and better, and with more color during his tenure. Which is *great,* except that it now costs a little more to prduce than it used to.
Also, many members choose to join at the third class bulk mail postage rate (versus first class postage, which is a $15 upgrade that TLCA actually loses money on at that rate).
USPS does not guarantee delivery of bulk rate mail, and every month we have 75-100 members who do not get the Toyota Trails they paid for, and joined to get...This leaves our administrator with a huge headache, re-sending issues. Which, we're glad to do, but this costs TLCA additional time and money.
Soooo, if you're still with me We're feeling like we need to:
a) raise dues to cover the cost of keeping Toyota Trails the great magazine that it is in a delcining (or at least static) membership environment.
b) perhaps consider making first class postage the only option to try to resolve the "bulkmail non-delivery" problem.
Current base membership is $27 (when paid by credit card, $25 by check).
If we add $3/year to keep Toyota Trails *great,* we move to $30/year.
This seems fairly palatable to me. I don't think folks will quit over that...
If we now add the $15 first class postage upgrade, we now jump from $27 to $45...which I think is likely to run lots off.
Help me folks! Ideas? Thoughts?
thanks, chef