[QCWA] Associate Membership

Mon Nov 21 15:37:33 EST 2011

Interesting facts about QCWA come to life with this email.  QCWA assets fall
from $200K to $60K in what time period; One year, two years, or longer!
Didn't the dues just go up one or two years back.  Is raising the dues
really the answer?  Maybe a review of QCWA's entire operations including
financials is needed to see where savings can become realistic before any
thought of a dues increase in contemplated.   

Raising dues has a very negative side effect, loss of members.  You can end
up with less members and less funds.

When was the last time the Board released the financials of QCWA including,
income, expense, budgets and investments.  Where's the money?

While on the soapbox, let's go one step further and talk about Associate
members.  The average Ham gets his ticket at around age 40.  That means that
at 65 he can belong to QCWA.  That's at the average age, think about the 50
year old waiting until he's 75.  So yes the pool of possible members may be
great but for 25 years he has had no contact because QCWA does not make
itself available.  What to I mean as available?  How many chapters meet only
on weekdays?  Remember the younger hams, (not yet retired) maybe working and
unable to make meeting.

So about Associate Membership how about 55 and licensed for 10 years, and
make at least one meeting per quarter where the younger ham can attend.

Gerry Gross WA6POZ
Age 68, Licensed 51 years and not a Life Member
-----Original Message-----
From: qcwa-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:qcwa-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On
Behalf Of VE3JX
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:52 AM
To: QCWA Reflector
Subject: Re: [QCWA] Associate Membership

Greetings all,

I have some news that bears on our discussion of the financial health of
QCWA.

Last week, I was perusing the QCWA website when I noticed that two Director
positions were marked "vacant".  One further examination, one of the
vacancies was quickly identified as Tony Hirsch W8RSH.  The listing of the
Finance Standing Committee also revealed that the Chair was now vacant.

Since we've been talking financial health and methods to improve that of
QCWA, it was a shock to see the individual involved in overseeing QCWA's
financial house felt it necessary to resign.  I thought maybe it was health
concerns that drove him to quit.

I contacted Tony and found his health is okay.  He did go on to tell me why
he resigned in some detail, and his concerns re: QCWA finances.

One of his laments was that "the QCWA corporate fund asset value has fallen
from about $200k to $60k".  He felt this was due to inaction in implementing
needed dues increases in a timely way.  Of interest to us is recent Board
deliberations with respect to paying a bill which is not rightfully ours.

Apparently, the Rhode Island Convention lost money, to the tune of over
$21K.  It appears that there were minimum room/nights and food orders not
met, due to the lower than expected attendance.  By all accounts, the
Convention was a great time for all that were able to attend.  However, when
it was all over, it appears that 'Skip' Swenson WB6VVA was stuck with the
bill for the above amount and paid it out of his own pocket.

What has upset Tony is that the Board of Directors wants to reimburse this
expense, they feeling that "it would not be a good thing to stick Skip
Swenson with the $21k shortfall."  Tony feels that it is NOT the
responsibility of QCWA National to cover this debt.  The members' money
should not be used arbitrarily in this way, especially since QCWA seems to
be in a budgetary deficit condition.  (In my view, this would set a
dangerous precedent where QCWA National becomes responsible for all future
convention deficits.)

The 2012 Reno Convention contract has him worried as well.  It appears that
there may be a commitment for too many room/nights in it.

So, now you know the latest.  Personally, I do not get a warm & cozy feeling
when I see QCWA's top financial advisor "bail out".  (Tony says that he
continues to be a QCWA member and very interested in QCWA affairs.)

Cheers,

Dave Hayes VE3JX
QCWA Lifer

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Dave Heil" <k8mn at frontiernet.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:08 PM
To: "QCWA Reflector" <QCWA at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [QCWA] Associate Membership

> Before I became a Novice ham in 1963, I asked my mentor, Andy Timberlake
> W8MN (SK) of Hinton, West Virginia about the QCWA stickers he stuck on
> his outgoing QSL cards.  His explanation about the collegiality between
> old time radio amateurs who had been licensed for more than 25 years
> intrigued me.  I vowed that I'd become a member *just as soon as I
> qualified*.  I did so in 1988 while operating as J52US in Guinea-Bissau.
>  A year or so later when I was down the coast as 9L1US from Sierra
> Leone, I became a life member of QCWA.  I firmly oppose allowing
> associate membership.  I don't care if chapters wish to invite
> non-members as guests to their gatherings but those visitors are not
> members of QCWA.
>
> There is no shortage of potentials members.  We have more license radio
> amateurs than at any time in the history of amateur radio.  In the
> meantime, if we to revert to a magazine with matte covers and no color,
> I can live with that.  Government has to cut costs, American families
> have had to cut costs.  QCWA can do the same in the interests of
> preserving the organization.
>
> 73,
>
> Dave Heil K8MN
> Cameron, WV
>
>
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