Membership and dues

Lepine1 said:

This may be a sore subject to some as times are tough for everyone but this needs to be addressed.

All orginizations need commitment and funds to operate. That's just a given. We need to show the world that we are serious. Not many people get interested or remain interested in unorginized orginizations. Here is my suggestion:

Open official membership for a sum of maybe $35 for the first year, $20 for renewals. Name the founders as "Founding members" Throw in a founders hat and membership card.

The Hat serves two purposes. One, it helps advertize the organization, second it lets the members show their support as founders. Other hats and merchandise can be added later.

The membership card allows us to track our members and add funds to the kitty.

I am willing to act a secretary is no one else is interested. I have experiance in this area.

Other member benefits can be added like listings of shooting ranges in Maine, discounts at different vendors (Easy to set up), etc

AL (all comments and suggestions welcome)

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shanebelanger said:

I agree, although shouldn't we set up the 501c(4) first?

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thebigsd said:

This is the way to go. How is it coming on that front Shane?

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shanebelanger said:

cash flow just isn't there. I think we're barely past the halfway point thus far...

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thebigsd said:

I think this is where the problem lies. You have to get people motivated to start the organization before you an have members. (This is a general statement, I know you are doing more than your fair share.) There was little response from this forum in regards to your recent request for money. In fact, Grapeshot and I might have shown the most interest. Have you tried any fundraising attempts locally?

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Lepine1 said:

Time for a physical meeting or online chat session. Things seem to be stagnant. We need to elect a membership commitee, fundraising committee and stratigy committee. All these ideas are great but to make this work we need serious attention to the project. Everyone has access to Yahoo messanger. It's easy to work and wold save time and expense but not as effective as eye to eye contact and commitment.

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jonjon_jon said:

Glad to see you back on the forum. I heard you we're having some difficult times. Sorry to hear of your loss. Al I find your idea to have online meeting very interesting and feel it should be considered. May I suggest some Sunday night in the dead of winter, when most people are home. I've always been trouble by the numbers of hits we get on the forums and the little input from members, if we host a online forum may give us a better understanding of our visitors and what's on their minds? I think it's unrealistic in a state as large as Maine with the price of fuel this high to expect people to drive to meet for what could be up to 10/12 hours depending on location. That's why I find your idea so simple yet brilliant! I'm suprised none of us had thought of it earlier. I think we should wait for Shane's input on the idea but I personally like it.

Actually to continue with lepines 1 thought, we could set up time last Sunday of month for open forum and invite all members to attend just to see what comes of it. Good idea??????

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Lepine1 said:

A raffel?

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Lepine1 said:

I think that the first step is getting the name right, that's important, we need to finialize this soon. Next register as a business until the 501 gets approved. Then the founders need to step up and knock on doors. Tell friends, relatives and businesses that we support to give a small contribution to us to get started. Maybe we need to sell something. Hats, tee shirts, parkers, coffee cups, etc People don't mind paying a little extra to support a cause. That's how to get the ball rolling. Also think of being a vendor at rod and gun clubs and gun shows. That is the only way to get this going. If we can't get the founders to suck it up and get motivitated, then this orginization is not going to happen.

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