[Ohio-Talk] EXT: Membership dues.

Wed Dec 20 20:51:09 UTC 2023

Why can’t someone just donate to the division instead of stating the specific purpose of the donation? One problem I have observed in many organizations when they have depending totally on money donated from outside so members have not had to put forth their time, talent and treasure is that the people who benefit from these donations get lazy and stop working. I think we must be considerate of those who have limited financial resources but many members are very capable of paying the extremely affordable dues. The donations from outside the division can be added to the annual dues and hard work of the division members to make the money go even further.   

From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Walter Mitchell via Ohio-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 11:48 PM
To: 'NFB of Ohio Announcement List' <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: walterl.mitch2 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Ohio-Talk] EXT: Membership dues.

President Positive Payne,

Of course I agree with the message from the national office with a small caveat. The main goal is to build the Federation, we are a volunteer, donation based organization. As long as there is no ulterior motive attached to the donation, I see no reason to appear ungrateful and reject the donation. It is difficult enough trying to find a donor, and they are not a dime a dozen.

Yes, we encourage our members to honor their obligation to the organization, but if we have a scenario that mitigate financial burdens, I agree that we as leaders should embrace the opportunity. Our obligation to the organization is not only in dollars, but participation. Looking outside the organization for financial support, in my opinion is important, but participation for the membership is what builds the Federation.

Thanks,

Walter

From: Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Shawn Martin via Ohio-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 5:19 PM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> >
Cc: Shawn Martin <smartin494 at roadrunner.com <mailto:smartin494 at roadrunner.com> >
Subject: Re: [Ohio-Talk] EXT: Membership dues.

I am in agreement.  Members would value their membership more if they paid individually.

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 19, 2023, at 2:47 PM, Kathy Legg via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

President Payne,

I agree with this as well. I feel that it would encourage them to be dedicated that they are part of something that they want to be; they will be a part of and to participate  

Kathy Legg 

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From: Andra Stover via Ohio-Talk <mailto:ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2023 12:41 PM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement List <mailto:ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> 
Cc: Andra Stover <mailto:astover at kent.edu> 
Subject: Re: [Ohio-Talk] EXT: Membership dues.

Yes, I do agree with this. It gives the members some sort of by and if they are interested in joining.

On Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 12:31 PM Richard Payne via Ohio-Talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

Good afternoon,

I joined a meeting of one of our divisions last night and this topic came up and I wanted to get the national president’s guidance on it please review below and it makes perfectly good since to me.

        Dear Richard,

You have asked about “sponsorship of members” and it suggests sponsorship of membership dues. While I would say there is no policy prohibiting it, the idea of sponsorship of members sounds very problematic to me. The exchange of membership dues helps to distinguish between members and non-members. It creates a positive contractual agreement. As you know, members must be voted in and must remain in good standing. Members must also actively participate. Sponsorship of membership dues works against that. Now, we have all been in meetings, especially with students, where people did not have the $5 required to pay. In those cases, when someone has expressed an interest and does not have the money, I have observed someone hand them a $5 so they can pay dues. I am sure I have done it myself urging the person to pay it forward in the future. In those cases, the individual is still making the payment.

My concern with a sponsorship is that it can serve as a means to control votes—I sponsored your membership so you should vote for me. It also takes away the individual ownership and positive voting system. It will also bring in ethical questions and transparency regarding who is responsible for managing the process and the records. I cannot urge any more strongly to avoid sponsorship of membership dues. If someone wishes to sponsor members, let me get to know the prospective members and help those in need. It is also worth noting that donors do not get to direct the use of the funds they donate so if  person wants to donate the money, determine its purpose, and who gets it, that will be a potential IRS issue. 

Let the person make a contribution to the organization so it can be put to use. Encourage payment of membership dues by individuals.

Sincerely,

Mark  

Richard Payne,  President

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

937/829/3368

 <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> Rchpay7 at gmail.com

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