P&Slocal First off, I am not a "joiner" of organizations that have paid officers and/or staff and still claim a non profit status.
First off, I am not a "joiner" of organizations that have paid officers and/or staff and still claim a non profit status.
That's a pretty narrow view. Profitability has little or nothing to do with an organization's desire to pay people.
Back in my temping days, I worked for a very large national non-profit. My job was to handle the paperwork that came in with the donations, distribute it to the data entry clerks, and then file the paperwork in the file room. Their primary fundraising season was March to September, but processing all of the donations they received required a staff of about 45 working 40 hours a week 52 weeks a year. You'd never attract a volunteer force large enough to do that.
NittanyLionProfitability has little or nothing to do with an organization's desire to pay people.
As an example, the non-profit Cleveland Clinic, a world-class health organization, pays it's CEO over $2.3 million and there are over a dozen top tier employees paid over one million. Revenue runs around ten billion a year.
NittanyLionYou'd never attract a volunteer force large enough to do that.
And I would want to know that my heart surgeon is reasonably compensated
Ed
Now you are splitting hairs. Do you join the Cleveland Clinic as an organization that looks out for the interests of your hobby? Does you annual dues you pay to join the Cleveland Clinic pay the salaries of the people you mention? CC is actually an academic medical institution that claims non-profit status because it is ACADEMIC.
Robert H. Shilling II
P&Slocal The NMRA also deals with a small niche group and they could just as easily shoot themselves in the foot. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I had met some of the Division officers for the very same Division (Allegheny Plateau) that Chris and someone else had mentioned above. When you meet people and walk away with the impression that they are a bunch of egotistical, arrogant jerks; what would make you WANT to join their organization? Chris had asked a question on here about a month ago about the NMRA and his experience with the secretivity of a meeting in the same Division. Really, it is a huge secret where the meeting is! It is a bunch of model railroaders! Many of the members will have to change their attitudes if they want to draw others to the organization. [language edited by moderator]
The NMRA also deals with a small niche group and they could just as easily shoot themselves in the foot. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I had met some of the Division officers for the very same Division (Allegheny Plateau) that Chris and someone else had mentioned above. When you meet people and walk away with the impression that they are a bunch of egotistical, arrogant jerks; what would make you WANT to join their organization? Chris had asked a question on here about a month ago about the NMRA and his experience with the secretivity of a meeting in the same Division. Really, it is a huge secret where the meeting is! It is a bunch of model railroaders! Many of the members will have to change their attitudes if they want to draw others to the organization.
This is refreshing to hear/read. I was being led to believe that I was the only one that shared this opinion. This has been my argument with Mr Getz. I tried to assist in re-activating the local division of the Niagara Frontier, but when I requested the membership roster, I was told I couldn't have it because I wasn't an officer. Well the local division was (still is) inactive!
Allegheny Plateau...your assestment is so spot on! I suspect it took some prodding from the NMRA General Counsel to get them to actually post the dates and addresses of where their monthly meetings were being held.
At the national level, the NMRA is focused mainly on the big convention and train show. They do not devote many resources to promotion of membership, leaving that to the regions and divisions.
I'm a member and handle the membership chair for my division. My division meets six times a year, plus we put on an annual train show. Our meetings are open to the public, and I can't recall anyone attending more than twice without joining the division.The vast majority of our new members join because they want to be in the division, or join a 100% NMRA club in our area.
The NMRA's policy is reasonable. If you want to attend the divisional/regional events regularly, then join. $44.00 a year is pretty cheap compared to many other organizations' dues.
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/
I was a member twice. Not for me! I prefer to spend my money where I get a bigger and more enjoyable return for that investment like the various RR historical societies. I don't get to attend the continuos Enemaray conventions and there's no model activity in my area. The RRHS provide great information comparatively.
I know........I KNOW...........the NMRA got all the manufacturers in line and working in a common direction back in the day and that was a truly wonderful and valuable undertaking. We're all grateful for that. I'm personally tired of the NMRA crutch of pointing out all the great things done in the past by the Enemaray. But should we join and continue pouring money down a bottomless well in gratitude to guys that are mostly deceased and what they did many, many years ago? Guilt tactics to squeeze everyone's dwindling hobby dollars to me.
ANYWAY.......my big question is this...... obviously the NMRA has been having issues with a declining membership and subsequent decline in funds so why devote precious money, time and resources to tracking all these horrible moochers for life? Who will mind the database to further discriminate against these 3 time losers? Seems like a counterproductive system to me. Will they brand them at the door? Will there be a "wanted" poster book at the registration tables?
Childish, trivial undertaking! This should really boost sagging membership!
Just my 2¢.
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works
"I would not want to join any organization that would have me". Groucho Marx
Whether NMRA membership is, by itself, worth the money strikes me as perhaps being a topic for another thread. This thread's original topic is contentious enough on its own.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
One of the wealthiest private business owners in America once said:
"every time someone, some where, gets something for nothing, someone, some where, does something for nothing - how much can you afford to do for nothing?"
Many seem to want the benifits of the NMRA, past and present efforts, for nothing.
Similar to the false ideas about value that generally exist in this hobby - that value is only driven by the market. Value is FIRST driven by the "cost to produce" that sets the bottom value assuming there is any demand at all.
If that demand will not support the cost to produce, then the product or service goes away. If the NMRA cannot support its expenses, it will go away.........
Allowing non members continued free/open access to things others pay to support devalues those things. If that devaluation goes below the cost to produce........
Still happily paying my dues for over 40 years, never been to a meeting/convention, don't really like that sort of thing, won't travel just to do that sort of thing.........
Sheldon