When I consider joining an organization , I have learned from a negative experience to find out some of the following information :
1. Is it a true club or a privately owned business owned by one or more persons .
2. What are the means used to determine the board of directors ?
3. Specificly what are the membership fees used for ? [ not to be answered by a general statement such as \" A club to promote the Ameraucana Chicken \" etc. ]
3. Do members receive detailed financial reports of the club\'s income , expences , and assets ?
4. In what way will I benefit from paying a membership fee ? [ I have determined that by paying a relatively low fee I will be allowed access to this forum and receive a newsletter with some information that I will probably find interesting ; hopefully it can be sent by email because I no longer prefer hardcopy of articles , news , etc. . \" [ one club I\'ve been a member of offers a discount on the membership fee in return for agreeing to get the newsletter by email , saving them on publishing costs and mail expences ]
I\'m certain I\'m not the only person struggling to get by on very little income and debating with myself on paying a fee to a club I know very little about . It might help the ABC if those questions and others were addressedd on the ABC\'s website .
Thanks for reading ,
SteveH - redeemerbulldogs@hotmail.com