Day Sailer Association Membership Drive

[dssec]

You all know the drill... it is time for membership renewal to the Day Sailer Association! I am trying to be a little more timely with the roster this year, so would appreciate renewals soon.
If you are not a member, think about joining. The application form can be found at http://forum.daysailer.org/pdf/dsaapp.pdf
Fill it in and send it off to me. $35/year is a deal.
Mary Niederberger
Day Sailer Association Secretary

[GreenLake]

You heard the lady - who hasn't paid up yet?

For those new to the forum:

There's no requirement to become a DSA member in order to use the forum, but as I understand that the DSA supports Bob Hunkins in paying for the server space, you should consider whether $35 isn't well spent to keep this invaluable resource on the air. Plus you'll get four copies of the DaySailer Quarterly - with Brooks Measures seemingly able to always find something that really worth reading in every issue.

So, how about it?

[jeadstx]

I have re-newed.

John

[curifin]

PayPal.... Seriously it is 2014, takes 15 min to open an account. Trying to give you my money.

[GreenLake]

My bank informs me that they have a new service where you can send anybody money by e-mail without having to exchange account data. That's an intriguing development and looks like it's piggy-banking on top of the electronic deposit and ACH machinery. You might check out whether your bank offers something like that. For me the attractiveness of that scheme is it would cut out the company whose name starts with "P" and is one I'm disinclined to do business with. (If you go on the net you'll see I'm not alone, so I'll save myself stating my personal story here). As far as I can tell, all it would take is for the recipient (DSA) in this case to designate an e-mail alias and link it to the proper accounts. Whether that is more or less practical than adding a paypal button to the home page, I can't tell, I don't have access to that part of the site or the organization.

This has come up (perhaps you were the one who raised it last time) and I did forward the suggestion at the time. This time Mary has joined and can read this for herself.

In the meantime, I still remember how to lick a stamp (oh, why do they taste so funny?) and will mail my check that way this year.

[Alan]

Sent my check in long enough ago that I even have my new 2014 DSA sticker, to make my transom handsome.

[GreenLake]

There you go. I do my transaction in batch mode, so mine's ready, waiting on the pile.

[dssec]

I have forwarded the requests for electronic payment (of some/any type) to the Day Sailer Association treasurer. One of the issues with pay-pal is that there is a cost per transaction. Not sure how much, but money seems better used elsewhere, especially if we can set up an electronic check system. Hope to know more later, and will update.

[curifin]

Grumble..... Let me find a check, and a stamp. At least I get a sticker for my hopefully soon to be finished boat.

[mike31416]

I wonder how many more people would join if they could use an on-line payment method?

Mike

[GreenLake]

I hear you. Especially, since, many it not most on the forum here, we experience the DSA exclusively through its online presence. This, of course, may be different for the small circle fortunate enough to belong to a fleet and/or be active in the Nationals. To them, the DSA has a palpable real-world presence that just might make sending off a piece of paper seem more motivated. But even so, the DSA will send you nice collections of pieces of paper, stapled and with cover, no less, four times a year.

I happen to belong to other, small (local) organizations where payment by check is the only alternative, and given the circumstances that seems appropriate and unremarkable. But, I'm beginning to notice that those are quickly becoming the only checks that I write all year. Practically everything else has shifted to credit cards or online payments.

That said, setting up an online payment system has gotten vastly more accessible and the number of players in the field now mean an organization has more choices than just the outfit starting with "P". I have some difficulties buying the argument that fees to vendors would eat too much into revenue from the membership fees. First, it's entirely possible that the net effect could be revenue neutral, because of increased membership if forms of payment are more convenient. Second, for a transition period, some members may well continue to send in checks. Third, there comes a point where you end up being a holdout...

So, I hope Mary is successful in getting this taken up by the treasurers and the rest of the board.

[seandwyer]

I think adding an online payment option is more than a solid idea--it's a fact.

From my experience with a small business a few years ago, we struggled with the idea of accepting credit cards and alternate payment options for a while, but once we began accepting them our business nearly doubled. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. So, as Greenlake pointed out, membership WILL go up if they make payment easier.

I know there may actually be free ways of putting something like this together, but with companies like Square Up and others, it's ridiculously easy to get going.
https://squareup.com/
They say their rates are at 2.75% at most. If the DSA is worried about losing this percentage, I'd be willing to bet people would be willing to pay the difference just to have the convenience. I know I would. I'm incredibly lazy when it comes to paying things with checks.

I also heard about some new option people are using to pay for things using smart phones (no card reader involved). I can't remember what it was called--a story on NPR. But the basis was that it was something that did not involve credit cards and was becoming successful enough that credit card companies were beginning to see it as a threat. Gotta love anything that threatens a credit card company!

That said, I will be sending my membership in by the end of the month--via check.

[dssec]

thanks, sean. i also have a request in to the bank that we use to see if there is some way that they can accept electronic checks. i would like to see this get done...
another of my concerns is people not getting me their membership forms with updated information, if we institute an electronic method of payment.
i have made that membership form electronically available, and i am stunned that people are NOT using it (the preference is to write things down). the electronic form is way more legible for me to read.
i am adding the link here in case someone is interested in joining. http://forum.daysailer.org/pdf/dsaapp.pdf

[scitfrostbite]

Is there a online membership payment option? I don't even own a printer anymore so printing and mailing the PDF is a drag! That's one reason I haven't renewed, plus the fact that I'm lame. PayPal, anything?
Thanks

[GreenLake]

I'm sure that you could simply write an e-mail with the information to the DSA secretary. That leaves payment. If you don't have checks, then you'd need to do something else. For example, my bank offers a way to send payments to a specific e-mail address. I don't know whether the registrar would want to receive moneys that way, but perhaps it takes a pioneer like you to try this out. Unlike PayPal, there's no need for the receiving party to sign up ahead of time. So, if your bank offers a service like that...