Keeping Our Meetings Member-Focused 💼

The Grouper benefit is an example of the board's commitment to continue offering value for being a member of the club. We want to be good stewards of the annual dues each of you pays to sustain the club. You might wonder what operating expenses your dues support. Even though our club has a non-profit status, we still incur expenses associated with running an organization. For example, we have two major annual expenses: 1) insurance coverage to protect the board in the event of litigation; 2) appetizers served at membership meetings. There has been an increase in these two line items over the past two years, yet the dues have not been raised. 

The board feels a fiduciary responsibility to use your membership dues for expenses that directly benefit the paying members. We have always been a welcoming club and love to have guests join us at happy hours. The social time affords an opportunity to ask questions about programs, interest groups, and to get acquainted with members. However, to ensure our member meetings remain focused on club business and benefits, an operational policy was established several years ago that only paid members are eligible to participate in membership meetings. The exception to this rule is the August meeting where trips for the coming year are presented and the opportunity for members and non-members to learn and ask questions.