It would be best to send a special mailing to members
informing them of the Board's decision and the
rationale for it immediately. Certainly include such a
letter with membership renewal notices if the cost of
a special mailing is too much. Newspaper articles,
word-of-mouth or notices posted at the museum won't
reach everybody, and may not present the museum's case
for the necessity of the change..  

What do the organization's bylaws say about membership
fee increases?  Some organizations actually require a
vote of membership on a dues increase (even if it's
mostly token at an annual meeting). Other bylaws
require that members be notified when a dues increase
is being voted upon at a meeting so they can attend. 

Presumably the board members took into account the
number of members who would not renew at the higher
level when figuring the revenue the increase would
generate and have decided to accept that.

Keep track of the renewals and see if you can identify
categories of (or reasons for) non-renewals.  Perhaps
you can convince the Board to offer discounted
memberships for these categories next time the subject
comes up for discussion. Seniors, students, people
with disabilities and families of military on active
duty discounts are categories often offered at
slightly reduced prices.

If it's been some time since a dues increase, it is
likely most members will accept it and pay the higher
amount.  The exception is likely to be an area where
there's been a major adverse economic event (big
employer(s) going out of business, hurricane or
natural disaster, etc.). It can also be a problem if
many of your members are senior citizens or others on
a "fixed" income. If it's not too much trouble,
perhaps you can offer to accept the dues payment in
installment - like public television - or accept
payment by credit card. 

We've all come to expect that operating costs are
spiraling upward annually - be it a household or a
museum.  

Judy Turner
Whitefish Bay, WI



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