There is a lot of discussion off and on about the day member fee that a non-member pays to ride an AERC ride. Many believe that fee should be waived completely. I may be in the minority, but I disagree. Here is my proposal of how it should work:
A first time rider should ride their first ride FREE.
Then in order to ride again you either take on an Associate Rider Only Membership (for half the price of a full membership) and you do not receive the magazine or any other perks including tracking your mileage, but you can ride AERC rides for half the cost of regular members. This would be a benefit to AERC.
Also offered could be an Associate Membership without rider privileges for those no longer able to ride and they receive the magazine and full access to the informational end of the sport for a very reduced cost. This way anyone connected with the sport, involved with the sport, would in some way support the organization.
For people that have been involved many, many rider miles, or logged many, many volunteer hours, they could be grandfathered in with a lifetime membership for FREE after X many miles/hours.
There you go. My thoughts for the day. The people that put a lot into the sport get the most value for their membership. Those on the fringes don't use the organization for free. Those who've contributed consistently in the past get the Free Pass.
I totally do not get why a fringe rider would be expected to have the same privilege as a paying member. Heck, you only get one free pass to the YMCA then you are expected to join to use the facilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment