Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Hi Leann, This is fine by me. I think a larger increase may put some people off, at least until we make some changes and get publications out regularly. We can publish smaller Gekkos until we can afford bigger issues. Neil On 2011-04-05, at 1:47 PM, Leann Christenson wrote: Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Our budget will vary with our membership numbers no matter what we decide to charge. i think we should set a realistic goal for membership and work with that as a base. Years ago we talked about getting membership up to 400, which didn't happen. I think it can get there, but for the short term, we can probably try to get up to 250-300 over the next year. Neil On 2011-04-05, at 3:54 PM, Leann Christenson wrote: Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Let's give this a few more days, let's say until Sunday, to let Jon and others weigh in on this discussion, which is going very well! Best, Julie -- www.geckoranch.com Serving the gecko community since 1993 ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
OH! Like a Pie diagram! I get it! I get it! Okay, that % diagram is build on the budget. We are both right! Leann From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Julie Bergman Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 11:53 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Thanks Leann, I think a short FAQ with straight percents on expenses would be optimal, then put a link to a more detailed explanation if the member wishes. Ex.) with made up #s Where do my membership funds go? Publications 40% Postage and mailing expenses 20% etc, etc. This way that question is quickly answered in an up front and honest way, which always impresses me as a consumer! Best, Julie On 4/6/2011 6:10 AM, Leann Christenson wrote: Yes, Julie, the explination helped: a night of sleeping was key. Cost analysis is a classic business practice. A person either learns it via business college, on the job, or the hard knocks school of life. Some people, like my dear mom, went through her entire life without learning it.and she ran a non-profit organization! Yes, there can be an explination of why a membership cost what it cost on a fact page, or you give the members a yearly budget and previous year's financial statementit explains exactly where their membership dues go. (Following example are all made up numbers) Publish this in FAQ: $32 dues = 2 gekkos @ $7 ea + 1.50 Post/handling, 4 Chit Chats @ $1.09 ea + 1.10 Postage/handling, + 20% overhead or publish this 2010 Budget Projected Income $3,200.00 Memberships $ 100.00 Donations $ 600.00 Bookstore $3,900.00 Total Income Projected Expenses $ 400.00 Website and Domain $2,000.00 Printing $ 700.00 Postage $ 200.00 Supplies $ 300.00 Misc. 3,600.00 Total Expenses 2009 Actual Income/Expense Report Income $3,132.00 Membership $ 221.00 Donations $ 298.00 Bookstore $3,651.00 Total 2009 Income Expenses $ 349.00 Hostway $1,752.00 Printing $ 621.00 Postage $ 185.00 Supplies $ 140.00 Misc. $3,047.00 Total 2009 Expense 2009 Net Income: $604.00 It gets down to this: someone on your board MUST have the know how to number crunch. Poor Chris Nelling was just not that guy. Thus, the GGA operated in the dark and members never knew what was going on. I get back to my old broken record of getting the right people on the board. If your president doesn't know anything about Financials, you better get someone in the treasurer position who does. You all should really be wondering why I still have hair on my head. For nearly 10 years I was pulling my hair in frustration over the GGA failure to fix the treasure situation. Am I frustrated with this current board? Not at all. You all are becoming the most educated, best-thing-that-happen-to-the-GGA-EVER. Clap, clap, clap. Am I sorry that Jon is only the VP and not the president right now? No, he is learning the ropes while he brings the future plans for the GGA into focus. This is how it should be. What should you be saying to people who ask you about the GGA today? That the current board is fixing shortcomings and strengthening the GGA for a bright future. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Julie Bergman Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 10:51 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Thanks Melody, I think so too. Leann, I was thinking about the future and how to make this task of setting membership pricing much easier, basing it on a formulation of percentages. This way future board members have a basic formula to refer to, which will not take much work to change when it needs adjustment for whatever reason. We have considered raising membership prices on this board prior to some of you and have ended up not doing it because of a perceived lack of good will or just not having the know how to explain what members are paying for. If we don't have enough money to sustain our expenses we will NEVER have good will. It is sort of a Catch 22, but I think we can figure out how to justify it to members and keep them, even gain more! This is also why I am pushing the membership FAQ so hard. This is just good marketing, something the GGA desperately needs. People don't want to spend money on something they don't understand. All should be crystal clear to the member. Really cost averaging should only be done on the cost of publication as it is the most variable expense we have. Postage just keeps going up and is the same relative percentage, so no need to average stuff like that. Figure out the percentages for each expense and plug in the numbers. Viola! Hope that helped explain my thinking! Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 9:07 PM, Melody
RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
I think we should set a base price that covers printing of the publications and add to that an estimate of the actual cost of mailing - both plus a small percentage to round out the numbers and for other expenses that come up, such as envelopes, re-mailings, etc. That way the US membership is not subsidizing foreign membership as it has in the past. Everyone pays their fair share. Best, Chuck Charles Barbara Powell American Dendrobatid Group www.frogday.org --- On Tue, 4/5/11, Leann Christenson le...@daygecko.com wrote: From: Leann Christenson le...@daygecko.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 9:47 AM Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
I think we can do (or our treasurer can do if we ask) some cost averaging on all membership is to pay for, postage, printing, some room for new projects, rainy day (margin of safety), etc. and set up a pricing structure for membership based on percentages. Can you please do this Leann? This way it will not need major reconsideration so often. When it does and if one of the percentages for something is out of whack, that part can be restructured and a motion to make a change to it only can be made and not to the whole thing comprehensively. Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 11:54 AM, Leann Christenson wrote: Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Although it's nice to have no objections on the membership fee increase, I really think input is necessary. Memberships are a big contact the GGA has with it's members. If the membership structure is confusing or problimatic, we loose members. How would you react to this structure? Would a simple two price system work: International membership $45, American membership $40? Maybe by currency : GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30? Think, think. Leann ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com -- www.geckoranch.com Serving the gecko community since 1993 ___ Global Gecko Association Board of Directors http://www.gekkota.com
RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Maybe it's just late at night (here in Alabama) and my mind is not working, but I am not understanding this. Maybe a bit more explanation? --in over ten years of GGA, there has only been one price change. This would be the second. That isn't too often, is it? --look at what other herpetological charge for their memberships http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofiler http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofilertask=registers Itemid=1002 task=registersItemid=1002 -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Julie Bergman Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 9:16 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure I think we can do (or our treasurer can do if we ask) some cost averaging on all membership is to pay for, postage, printing, some room for new projects, rainy day (margin of safety), etc. and set up a pricing structure for membership based on percentages. Can you please do this Leann? This way it will not need major reconsideration so often. When it does and if one of the percentages for something is out of whack, that part can be restructured and a motion to make a change to it only can be made and not to the whole thing comprehensively. Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 11:54 AM, Leann Christenson wrote: Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Although it's nice to have
Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
IMHO not often enough -- postage and other costs go up every year! On 4/5/2011 6:53 PM, Leann Christenson wrote: Maybe it's just late at night (here in Alabama) and my mind is not working, but I am not understanding this. Maybe a bit more explanation? --in over ten years of GGA, there has only been one price change. This would be the second. That isn't too often, is it? --look at what other herpetological charge for their memberships http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofilertask=registersItemid=1002 http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofilertask=registersItemid=1002 -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Julie Bergman Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 9:16 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure I think we can do (or our treasurer can do if we ask) some cost averaging on all membership is to pay for, postage, printing, some room for new projects, rainy day (margin of safety), etc. and set up a pricing structure for membership based on percentages. Can you please do this Leann? This way it will not need major reconsideration so often. When it does and if one of the percentages for something is out of whack, that part can be restructured and a motion to make a change to it only can be made and not to the whole thing comprehensively. Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 11:54 AM, Leann Christenson wrote: Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing their adhesion strength, and then running them on treadmills to determine which species perform best and different temps, and compare between diurnality and nocturnality. It is interesting to note that not only the federal government, but the collective US armed forces offer a lot of grant money for scientific work on these topics. It's further interesting to see it happening with your own geckos and how applicable the adhesion strength of gecko toes can be even for the US military. I find nothing wrong with increasing the price of Gekko by the proposed amounts. The drawbacks to increasing membership rates, at least at this moment, have already been discussed. Is it financially important enough to examine the potential for having Gekko actually printed in Germany? The person I have in mind for doing this also possesses a strong ability to market the extra Gekko copies and memberships. Since I do not have previous experience with the costs and issues of commercially mailing Gekko to Europe, perhaps some of you might suggest that it's just cheaper to print them here and mail them to Europe and absorb the related costs? Jon -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Leann Christenson Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 11:47 AM To: gecko
Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure
Thanks Melody, I think so too. Leann, I was thinking about the future and how to make this task of setting membership pricing much easier, basing it on a formulation of percentages. This way future board members have a basic formula to refer to, which will not take much work to change when it needs adjustment for whatever reason. We have considered raising membership prices on this board prior to some of you and have ended up not doing it because of a perceived lack of good will or just not having the know how to explain what members are paying for. If we don't have enough money to sustain our expenses we will NEVER have good will. It is sort of a Catch 22, but I think we can figure out how to justify it to members and keep them, even gain more! This is also why I am pushing the membership FAQ so hard. This is just good marketing, something the GGA desperately needs. People don't want to spend money on something they don't understand. All should be crystal clear to the member. Really cost averaging should only be done on the cost of publication as it is the most variable expense we have. Postage just keeps going up and is the same relative percentage, so no need to average stuff like that. Figure out the percentages for each expense and plug in the numbers. Viola! Hope that helped explain my thinking! Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 9:07 PM, Melody Hartley wrote: IMHO not often enough -- postage and other costs go up every year! On 4/5/2011 6:53 PM, Leann Christenson wrote: Maybe it's just late at night (here in Alabama) and my mind is not working, but I am not understanding this. Maybe a bit more explanation? --in over ten years of GGA, there has only been one price change. This would be the second. That isn't too often, is it? --look at what other herpetological charge for their memberships http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofilertask=registersItemid=1002 http://www.zenscientist.com/index.php?option=com_comprofilertask=registersItemid=1002 -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Julie Bergman Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 9:16 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: Re: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure I think we can do (or our treasurer can do if we ask) some cost averaging on all membership is to pay for, postage, printing, some room for new projects, rainy day (margin of safety), etc. and set up a pricing structure for membership based on percentages. Can you please do this Leann? This way it will not need major reconsideration so often. When it does and if one of the percentages for something is out of whack, that part can be restructured and a motion to make a change to it only can be made and not to the whole thing comprehensively. Best, Julie On 4/5/2011 11:54 AM, Leann Christenson wrote: Setting a price is a tricky business. You look at several things: What is the past cost (past printing postage costs) Look at known price increases (US postage prices are going up) Take in consideration the worse case scenario Always put overhead as the base cost Look at today's prices. Setting a price is not trying to save the most money, it's anticipating the difference of what it will cost, what the consumer will pay, and what you need to keep in business. So, even if Jon comes up with a place to print in China at half the cost, it isn't hardly considered it until it's closer time to print. What the hecky does that mean? Parents say: How much do you want to go to the movies, Bobby Jr? Bobby thinks: $6 to get a ticket, $5 for a coke, $5 for pop corn. But I may want some candy and I really want to play some arcade games. I know getting a $20 bill will be easy for them but I am gonna ask for $30. Parents balk at $30 but hand Bobby $25. Everyone is happy. The GGA looks at what it costs right now. We know that we are losing money on some overseas members. We know the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Best to base costs for here in the US (worse case scenario). I am leaning toward a membership price in both Euro USD price GGA Member - USD $40, Euro 30(?) I am investigating how our new bank account works with Euros. They are an international banking establishment. Leann -Original Message- From: gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com [mailto:gecko-ad...@lists.gekkota.com] On Behalf Of Jon Stacy Boone Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:09 PM To: gecko@lists.gekkota.com Subject: RE: [gecko]Open discussion - membership fee structure Sorry for my lack of cooperation at the moment. Two teams of scientists are here for 10-12 days with portable labs set up in my gecko building and testing numerous species of geckos for toe pad efficiency and performance. They have been working 14-18 hours/day on piles of animals while testing
