USPA wants to increase your dues

[TriGirl 298]

Jampi612

"Overhead costs -- postage, printing, travel, employee health care, outside services and the rest"

"If the board decides to increase dues, we'll provide plenty of notice and full accounting of the decision"

QUESTION:

1. Travel... going from 2 to 3 BOD meetings a years raised the cost by how much? How much are the total travel costs per year (all expense reports taken into account) for the USPA? 10,20,30...% of the total monies intake?

2. What does "if the board decides" and "we'll provide plenty of notice and full accounting of the decision" mean? break down of costs and their respective increases will be shown somewhere?

I don't know if someone else addressed this, as I've only made it to your post in reading this thread so far. The raise in dues (as you would also have gathered from reading Ed's letter) includes being able to pay the employees of USPA. I would like to know how much each director and each employee is paid. I do know that most of them cannot afford even to live in that area just on what they're making at USPA. I wonder whether the board even knows what each employee earns. Employee salaries are much more of the expense than what it costs to have one more board meeting per year.

And the purpose of moving the BOD meetings around is so that members are more likely to be able to attend one near their home at some point. I went to the last one, since it was sort of near me. I encourage everyone to plan to attend one sometime. Really want to know what they talk about? Go there and listen, meet your regional director, express your concerns, and make your voice heard.

See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

[gowlerk 2,096]

Quote

USPA should do what its members want, even if it's not the most fashionable thing to do.

Your members want value for their money. If you think they want a mag why don't you make a subscription optional? Those few who want it would pay? Very few would pay. No one subscribes to magazines anymore. Why do you think skydivers are different?

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[ShotterMG 0]

I like the magazine. I enjoy reading about incidents, I find some of the stories informative, and I think the pictures are awesome and the print is of good quality. I like having them around the house and friends find it interesting.
Also, I find new members absolutely devour the magazine and learn a lot of information. And of course, they love seeing their name in print every time they get a license.
Overall, I think its very valuable. If it were only online I would rarely read it. As it is, I like to throw a copy in my briefcase and read it anywhere I want regardless of an internet connection.

[yoink 321]

TriGirl

[

And the purpose of moving the BOD meetings around is so that members are more likely to be able to attend one near their home at some point. I went to the last one, since it was sort of near me. I encourage everyone to plan to attend one sometime. Really want to know what they talk about? Go there and listen, meet your regional director, express your concerns, and make your voice heard.

Why do meetings have to take place in person?

Save the cash on travel expenses and buy each director a laptop and webcam and have the board meetings through an online conferencing service. You could have closed sessions if you need to and open ones that the membership could remotely attend.

I'd listen in.

[jdatc 0]

peek

OK, I have been given some figures on how your dues are spent, in particular, Parachutist magazine.

About 25% of a domestic member's dues goes to providing a mailed paper copy of Parachutist. This includes payments to contributors ($10,000 per year) and to photographers ($14,000 per year). This doe not include staff salaries and overhead.

(Keep in mind that if an online version of Parachutist exists, that some of the costs will remain if the online version is identical to the paper version.)

So I would think that the question to members would be, would you be willing to forego a paper copy of Parachutist to help keep the costs of your dues from increasing?

Ahh, parachutist.... the magazine I never read but always got when I was active-

My wife was a business manager for several years for many outdoor magazines and a movie production company, so seeing this thread, I picked her brain as magazines and digital media are very much in her wheel house-

What I got out of it, was pretty interesting, but pretty much what you'd expect, and I'll make it quick-

1. There is always a certain resistance, against going digital, especially depending on the age of those in charge. The older the age, the greater the resistance.

2. Digital often, on small projects/subscriber number kills your advertising revenue compared to paper.

3. Everyone who doesn't want the magazine delivery, is a win for the maker of the magazine, since they probably only quote member numbers to advertisers..., and since you don't have to produce for newsstand, you know exactly how many you need to make.

4. Making a magazine isn't cheap. If you gave me some numbers, I probably could tell you what it would cost to make parachutist at my wife's former company since she's in the know, but they got preferential treatment with the publishers since they made so many.... book size. Number, etcetera, many terms I butchered I'm sure...

5. Shuttering a magazine isn't easy, and just going digital will probably cost you more money if the ad revenue dries up and the people (and salaries) of those responsible for creating it stay on-

That said, when I was active I paid the dues more cause I had to, but in reality it was more for someone to lobby with the FAA on our behalf...

In summation, Kill the magazine? If you want an analysis financially, I can get you a quote from my wife, lol. Though the first thing to go would be BOD face to face meetings if she was in charge of the budget probably...

_j

[peek 20]

jdatc

***OK, I have been given some figures on how your dues are spent, in particular, Parachutist magazine.

About 25% of a domestic member's dues goes to providing a mailed paper copy of Parachutist. This includes payments to contributors ($10,000 per year) and to photographers ($14,000 per year). This doe not include staff salaries and overhead.

(Keep in mind that if an online version of Parachutist exists, that some of the costs will remain if the online version is identical to the paper version.)

So I would think that the question to members would be, would you be willing to forego a paper copy of Parachutist to help keep the costs of your dues from increasing?

Ahh, parachutist.... the magazine I never read but always got when I was active-

My wife was a business manager for several years for many outdoor magazines and a movie production company, so seeing this thread, I picked her brain as magazines and digital media are very much in her wheel house-

What I got out of it, was pretty interesting, but pretty much what you'd expect, and I'll make it quick-

1. There is always a certain resistance, against going digital, especially depending on the age of those in charge. The older the age, the greater the resistance.

2. Digital often, on small projects/subscriber number kills your advertising revenue compared to paper.

3. Everyone who doesn't want the magazine delivery, is a win for the maker of the magazine, since they probably only quote member numbers to advertisers..., and since you don't have to produce for newsstand, you know exactly how many you need to make.

4. Making a magazine isn't cheap. If you gave me some numbers, I probably could tell you what it would cost to make parachutist at my wife's former company since she's in the know, but they got preferential treatment with the publishers since they made so many.... book size. Number, etcetera, many terms I butchered I'm sure...

5. Shuttering a magazine isn't easy, and just going digital will probably cost you more money if the ad revenue dries up and the people (and salaries) of those responsible for creating it stay on-

That said, when I was active I paid the dues more cause I had to, but in reality it was more for someone to lobby with the FAA on our behalf...

In summation, Kill the magazine? If you want an analysis financially, I can get you a quote from my wife, lol. Though the first thing to go would be BOD face to face meetings if she was in charge of the budget probably...

_j

Well, thank you very much, but for now, the BOD has not even discussed eliminating the paper copy, and will not do so for quite a while. It appears to be a "sacred cow".

[ShotterMG 0]

Spoken like someone who has never owned a business. Nothing can replace meeting people in person.

[yoink 321]

Spoken like someone who is stuck in the 1950s.

I run a consultancy business and have web meetings with groups of people around the country and world multiple times a day. If we had to travel to every one our costs and time would be out of control.

You know this isn't anything new, right? Hell, you can even talk to your doctor, get diagnosed and have a prescription written over a web cam now.

Some things are best done in person. Some things don't need to be. Wheat is effectively a board meeting for a company is one of those things. It happens in every multinational company in the world, for example.

[peek 20]

And the result (first section):

http://uspa.org/News-Events/News/View-Article/Article/2325/USPA-Summer-Board-Meeting-Concludes

[Jampi612 0]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

So I quoted specifics of Ed's article. However, in regards to staff's salary:

a. salaries for full/part-time staff should be considered separately, and should not be a matter of public record.
b. If the current budget does not allow for the staff to have a 'descent' living, then explain that and make adjustments, but dont increase the administrative expenses on other ends (i.e. number of BOD meetings and expense reimbursements).
c. 22 ND and RD; is a lot. Subsidizing their travels and the staff's travels impact the overall membership cost.

the beginning of this post states a possibility of renewal going up to $69. per published by uspa $66 for renewal has been approved. also stated that they are not involving themselves with tunnel skydiving matters. So, not doing that saved $3/renewal?

The increase is $11/yr (20%) and will likely not break people. But where is the logic explained? where are the details?

the answer should not always be a blind increase in membership cost without adjustments in administrative costs, or at least without a clear justification.

will this statement:

""if the board decides" and "we'll provide plenty of notice and full accounting of the decision"

follow this statement:

"The board voted to raise individual and introductory membership dues, rating fees and Group Member dues effective January 1, 2018, to the following: "

????

i keep minimum information on my profile. email is my communication preference.

[baronn 111]

SOP for this organization. What is wrong with being transparent? Who knows you mite actually garner support. Instead, it's keep the Minions in the dark, make whatever decisions we want for whatever reasons we want and just force feed it to the members. And make sure and ask for donations to a museum , a team to represent 'Merica on the world level and whine about how broke we are and how everything costs so much. If this was a REAL business it would have been bankrupt years ago.

[gowlerk 2,096]

Quote

If this was a REAL business it would have been bankrupt years ago.

It is not a business at all. If it were a business the price you are paying would be much higher. Be careful what you wish for.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[DanG 1]

Hom many times do people have to be told that the museum is a separate entity before it sinks in?

Looks like it is in the hundreds.

- Dan G

[chuckakers 414]

DanG

Hom many times do people have to be told that the museum is a separate entity before it sinks in?

Looks like it is in the hundreds.

Same thing with the US Parachute Team. It's a separate entity and not supported by membership dues.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[baronn 111]

Any publicly traded company (other than the pink sheets) must file a 4Q every qtr. Being non transparent in this instance is plain wrong. If there were another choice, the USPA wude have a very difficult time attracting customers and keeping them with the way it operates today. Business 101. Not enuff reward for me to attempt the changes that I see for me to get involved. This doesn't mean I have to accept or tolerate less than what shude be acceptable behavior from those that are suppose to be in charge of helping keep our sport/business running smoothly. Fear of the unknown is often more than the known. That's why the monkey's just go along with it and don't question what they are being told.

[GreggB 0]

Want to feel good about your USPA membership? Join USHPA(hang + paragliders) 3 times the price, seems 3 times the BS. To be fair, I could be off on that, I don't pay attention to what the orgs do anymore. The SSA(sailplanes) is in the middle $, best run. All of them play the insurance extortion game which irks me, so I only join when I want to go play somewhere that has group insurance.