Club membership fees

[Andy Mell]

Hi.

I am looking for some data points about what other BSAC clubs charge their members for membership fees. Naturally costs will change depending on the number of members and services provided, such as boats and compressors. But it would be useful to know what the highs and lows are as I am thinking
my club is very expensive for the majority of its membership.

Its 153 pounds a year at my club including BSAC membership, this for two boats, a compressor, and free use of pool. Club has 85 members. The subs went up nearly 30 pounds in one year hence my concern, and I was wondering what other clubs charge.

Thanks

Andy

[michael smith]

Hello, you could ask your treasurer to explain over a drink, where the money is used in your branch. Ask why there was a ?30 increase. Then you can see if you are getting a good deal.

Regards Mike

[Ceri Binding]

Its 153 pounds a year at my club including BSAC membership, this for two boats, a compressor, and free use of pool. Club has 85 members.

Andy - for comparison purposes, our club currently charges ?113 a year which includes BSAC membership, use of our 2 RIBs, free fills from our compressor, and free weekly use of pool (in term time, as it's in a local school). We have about 35 adult members and a kids snorkelling section.

Ceri

PS The ?113 I quoted here is for direct comparison to your own example, it is actually based on ?70 club fees and ?43 BSAC fees. Divers on higher grades and abated members would pay less than this amount, and the snorkellers pay ?37, which is ?24 club fees and ?13 BSAC fees.

[David Leon]

Andy

We go for the low membership, pay for what you use approach, and pride ourselves on our low fees. Its easier to look at fees ex BSAC membership since different grades pay different BSAC subs, joint BSAC memberships etc.

Excluding BSAC fees we charge ?46, but then you pay ?1 per fill from club compressor, ?2 pool use, ?5 per dive from RIB + share of fuel etc.

HTH

David

[John Williams]

The two clubs that I have been in most recently charged ?20 per month for free use of either traininr equipment or the two well-found ribs. Your BSAC was paid when you joined and if you had remained a member for a full year (you could not keep dropping out and expect your BSAC to be paid).

We worked out what it cost us to run the club in terms of standing charges (pool, boat storage, insurances etc) and divided it by the number of members we had to come up with a figure - rounded it up and explained it all at the AGM.

As we got more members we used the extra dosh to pay for BSAC subs, purchase and maintain more kit, upgrade the equipment on the ribs...and then to keep from adding any increases for about 6 years.

The latest club I'm in costs me ?33 per year - including BSAC membership. In other words there are no club charges - just my BSAC subs (I'm an AI so it costs ?33)
The club owns nothing - but members allow use of two (soon to be three ribs) for no charge. Obviously we pay a share of fuel/launch fees where appropriate. our Chairman also has a bar in his front room...so that's where we meet!
All branch admin and communication is done via email so we have members from all over the place.

I guess that's both ends of the spectrum for you....but I considered both to be value for money.

As has been mentioned...the best person to ask would be your branch treasurer.


John

[Mike Halligan]

Andy,

I guess ?125 including BSAC membership, DTP instruction, access to 2 boats & compressor (though there are usage charges) with extra weekly charge to use the pool looks pretty fair in comparison.

Mike

[TerryH]

You need to ask your treasurer and quick.

What's more important is that constitutionaly he/she has to
inform the whole club why the subs have increased. We do this
at the AGM after the previous years accounts have been
explained and approved by the membership.

The fact you are asking here means that the mechanism for
informing your club are either non-existent or you've missed
them. Either way it's the responsibility of the treasurer and
the committee to ensure you know.

If this was ny club, I would not object to a ?30 increase as
it sounds reasonable based on your figures, but I wouild be
very concerned that there wasnt a clear explanation why.

TerryH

[Dave Taylor]

Andy

My branch fees have just gone up from ?55 to ?60. We have about 70 members and two boats. We charge seperately for use of the pool and training equipment and we don't have a compressor. We charge for boat dives (?5 I think) plus share of the fuel and towing fees.

HTH
Dave Taylor

[derek perry]

Andy

If you go to the BSAC branch web site page at

<a href="http://www.bsac.com/about/branches.htmlist" >http://www.bsac.com/about/branches.htmlist</a>

you can then visit a few of the many branches where you'll see most have costs posted.
Our renewing cost is ?135 and includes everything, BSAC, Pool use, use of branch equipment etc.
Whilst we don't bother with a club boat or compressor we do heavily subsidise every hard boat dive where basically no matter how many divers turn up the member only pays one tenth the cost of the boat. The empty spaces are paid by the branch.


Hope this helps


Derek

[Robert McLaughlin]

Hi.

I am looking for some data points about what other BSAC clubs charge their members for membership fees. Naturally costs will change depending on the number of members and services provided, such as boats and compressors. But it would be useful to know what the highs and lows are as I am thinking
my club is very expensive for the majority of its membership.

Its 153 pounds a year at my club including BSAC membership, this for two boats, a compressor, and free use of pool. Club has 85 members. The subs went up nearly 30 pounds in one year hence my concern, and I was wondering what other clubs charge.

Thanks

Andy

Hi Andy

Well here in N.Ireland Barracuda SAC 1477 we charge ?20pm this is for use of 2 ribs and one dive per week free( additional dive ?5.00), free air and use of the pool once a week, we also pay ?20 renewal fee to the club per annum and BSAC fees are payable on top.
So dont think you are doing to bad!!

Rab

[Geoff Oldfield]

Our annual membership, excluding BSAC Levies is ?87. We have our own clubhouse, compressor to provide free air to members, a 6.5mtr RIB, 5.8mtr RIB, Fully equipped lecture room in the clubhouse and a pool opposite the clubhouse which costs ?1.50 per head each session - subsidised by the branch most of the year as instructors do not pay. Boat usage is ?6 per day plus a share of the fuel & towing costs. We try to manage our finances much like any business, modifying our charges to meet expenditure, thereby ensuring that we are solvent and in a fit financial state for the next committee. Recent big cost increases have been in Rent for the Clubhouse and (boat store ?1000 a year), insurance for boats, premises & kit. We have a replacement policy for boat engines - every 4 years to keep maintenance costs low and part exchange reasonable for 175 hp engines. Membership fees have crept up gradually over the last twenty years, but most members reckon they get a good deal. We have about 85 members of all grades. Oh yes and we've been around for 50 years next January.