DaySailer.org Forum

Couldn't the Association create a PayPal accout tied into their bank account?

John

Just giving my personal take on this I am afraid that the DSA may be at risk of missing what you might call a generational shift. The current system has served the organization for a long, long time, and among current members there isn't a great push to do something different, because everyone who is a current member had to find a way to come to an arrangement with the current system.

Also, for the subset of the most active members, the set that races in fleets and/or attends the Nationals, the task of printing a form or mailing a check is the least of the issues - think registrations, measurements, certificates and all that.

However, I would like for the DSA to engage with and capitalize on the resurgent interest in the DS that we see here on the forum, where the only interaction that people have with other DSA members is along the electronic life-line of the forum -- which, in a few cases has lead to face-to-face meetings as well.

I have raised this issue a number of times offline with various people, but the response has been a bit mixed; there is some openness towards electronic payments, but no conclusive results (see the post from @dssec from January). Above I used the term "generational shift" deliberately, because I have noticed that the attitudes towards paper-based transactions are shifting. It would be really unfortunate if that were to turn into a barrier that prevents "new blood" from joining and supporting the DSA.

Status update: Just exchanged some messages with @dssec and they are actively working on setting up something in time for the annual membership renewal later this year.