Membership sticky?

[Greg2013]

If membership is going live might be an idea to do a sticky or a post here to remind people what levels of membership are available and what you get for your membership fee at each level

[featherbed_brew]

Membership FEE??? wtf. Why should there be a fee for everything nowadays?? The idea of the club is to get free information and share ideas that we all have. So with group buys saving us money, what we save we have to pay for membership?. if If this is the direction the NHC is going , then i think it will be it's own downfall. Maybe i am reading into this wrongly but anybody else have an opinion?
regards,
Featherbed Brew.

[Padraic]

Membership FEE??? wtf. Why should there be a fee for everything nowadays?? The idea of the club is to get free information and share ideas that we all have. So with group buys saving us money, what we save we have to pay for membership?. if If this is the direction the NHC is going , then i think it will be it's own downfall. Maybe i am reading into this wrongly but anybody else have an opinion?
regards,
Featherbed Brew.

I'm disappointed that your view is so anti a small membership fee. The free flow of information will remain the same and people will have the option to support the club and become members for a small fee or they can continue as is and just use the forum and website for the wealth of knowledge.

The membership fee will be small and by no means close to what you may have saved in group buys. At a guess i'd say if you bought one bag of grain or one bag of hops you would have saved more than the membership fee.

The most important point is you won't be loosing anything by not being a member so if you have an aversion to paying for membership that is your choice!

[Greg2013]

What do you gain by being a paid up member might have been a more appropiate reply?


And tube to be fair the sticky should be the first thing that goes up before any mention of going live on membership IMHO.

[Padraic]

What do you gain by being a paid up member might have been a more appropiate reply?


And tube to be fair the sticky should be the first thing that goes up before any mention of going live on membership IMHO.

You gain access to the members forum and get to decide the direction the club takes. We are also working on some other benefits that will be announced as soon as they have been finalised. To be honest I feel that I have gained enough from the club to pay a membership fee but I do see where ye are coming from! If you have any other benefits you would like to provide for our members then please feel free to do so!

My point was that I thought featherbed was over reacting and I wanted to say:
Don't worry,
about a thing,
every little thing...

[Metattron]

Ask not what your club can do for you, ask what you can do for your club! 

[JD]

@deadman1972, the gain from being a paid up member is, firstly, that warm glow that comes over a person when they realise that they  are supporting a really cool club with real tangible hard cash that is sorely needed. The fringe benefits are secondary but also worth while.

For my money, I think a membership fee is a good thing. It elevates the club into a more serious strata. It will also provide the club with the means to better provide for its members (group buys, for one). 

@Tube, perhaps an indication as to the scale of yearly dues would help alleviate people's concerns.

As I understand things, the forum will remain free, where all and sundry, members and visitors, can exchange info and ideas, read articles, etc. I would expect there would be sections that will be for members only, where the benefits of membership will be organised, discussed, etc.  Perhaps Tube might like to comment on this as well.

/J

[Greg2013]

I dont remember posting this thread?

[LordEoin]

Do I remember correctly that people who entered the Competition get half price membership or something along those lines?

[Ciderhead]

There was to be a reduced fee for next years entries.

[Ciderhead]

Membership FEE??? wtf. Why should there be a fee for everything nowadays?? The idea of the club is to get free information and share ideas that we all have. So with group buys saving us money, what we save we have to pay for membership?. if If this is the direction the NHC is going , then i think it will be it's own downfall. Maybe i am reading into this wrongly but anybody else have an opinion?
regards,
Featherbed Brew.

We all accept that money is tight and you are absolutely right somebody else with their hand out.

However NHC is a non profit making organisation and it costs money to;
run the site
facilitate the competitions
pay for ingredients for educational brew days at TOG and anywhere else in the country that wants to run them
Facilitate the direct purchase of group buys rather than an individuals credit card

No single individual is paid or gets any remuneration in the NHC, they are all volunteers and the biggest bunch of can doers I have ever come across on a volunteer capacity. I'm still amazed the power this collective yields in getting things done, and not just thrown together either.
The NHC has gone from a "well who are you again and well perhaps ok we might want to be associated with you" to "hey I heard you guys were ... and I want to be part of that"

Any monies gained from group buys or sponsorship are all ploughed back in.

Where do you think this money has come from to provide these services up until now?

To date the NHC has been receiving corporate funding, in the current climate there is no guarantee that that is sustainable and really for the NHC to be truly independent and beholden to no one it need contributions from its members to support the movement going forward.

Most of the site will remain visible to the general public but at the end of the day we are a brother/sisterhood supporting club members, not an anonymous set of self centered posters.

Lets be honest though you want a service and something tangible for this years €10.

For those that take the option of membership it will give them;
1st Access to Group Buys at cost or close to cost, up until now there was a small contribution made to the club
Worthwhile discounts at the homebrew shops and hardware outlets and other relevant retail premises to homebrewers
Lower fees into the competition
Full transparency in the running of the NHC and a vote on critical issues
Direct feedback to specific questions, more like consultancy!. I have yet to see a post for help go unanswered even when on a 3 or 4 month cycle the same information is being posted time and again.
And as some have alluded to here a feeling of contribution to what is a very powerful resource of very friendly individuals and on a personal level,  yeah sure I am more likely to help a paid up member even if they don't have a high post count than a standard poster to the site.

Of the 4 other associations I am part of the proposed cost for the NHC is still the cheapest by far, the irony is, however I get more from the NHC. 

You have the choice its not compulsory, but the NHC free even with the volunteer effort is not sustainable. 

 

[Partridge9]

Well Said John !

[johnrm]

Wow, a newbie of only 8 days with only 70plus posts and he has us sussed already! 

Seriously though, John has hit the nail on the head.
I have never been involved in a club that didn't cost at least a few quid.

'Someone' in my house goes to weight watchers and pays EUR10 each week(I think) to get weighed!
...even though said person was gifted a scale in Argos for EUR18

[Will_D]

Kohn,

Very well put sir!

A big plus one from me

[Partridge9]

Wow, a newbie of only 8 days with only 70plus posts and he has us sussed already! 

Seriously though, John has hit the nail on the head.
I have never been involved in a club that didn't cost at least a few quid.

'Someone' in my house goes to weight watchers and pays EUR10 each week(I think) to get weighed!
...even though said person was gifted a scale in Argos for EUR18

I'd be very careful with that sort of talk - you'll end up with that argos scale wrapped around your head.
Your job is to say - 10€ a week - well you look wonderful so its worth it...

anyways - I have another fermentor in the kitchen and one in the sitting room ..