I’ll be happy to respond to the inquiry about membership value....
First we need to separate that into two categories...
Monetary value and non-monetary value.
As for the latter, NON-monetary value, this is something that every person has to answer for themselves. There is no set answer as each person gets out of the club different things. These will include friendships, opportunities to ride, shared experiences, advice, information, and many more things I can’t even think about right now. The list is as long as the club is old. As diverse as there are the number of members.
Monetary value is a little more concrete. It starts with the cost of 39.00 per year for a membership. But, you’ve got to subtract 10.00 from that for the 10.00 off of a REGIONAL rally fee coupon that every dues paying member gets when they join or renew (or in the case of multi year Members it is sent yearly). That leaves you with a yearly cost of 29.00.....not even enough money to fill the tank of my Jeep Cherokee 1X. So let’s start with agreeing that a membership to the MSTA is pretty darn inexpensive.
But wait! There’s more!
Each dues paying member will get 4 copies of the STAReview, either mailed to them in print form or sent in digital form. Like the coupons, this will be only available to dues paying members.
Beyond that, there are a whole host of discounts on hotels, gear, admissions, and parts that are available to MSTA members. Those discount codes are not given to non- members. Taking advantage of just a few every year can more than pay for a membership. And speaking of discounts....most of the events (regional and national) involve staying in a hotel and/or eating at a restaurant....almost always at a discounted rate that the event coordinators negotiated for the event. Being part of an established group makes this not just possible, but easy.
I’ll sum it up this way....I’m a member because I WANT to be. I want to be because in the MSTA I have found a group that shares my style of riding and a group of people whose friendships I value and with whom I enjoy riding with and spending time with. I’ve not found that so completely with any of the other groups I have been associated with. The monetary cost is virtually 0 for me as I take advantage of the discounts and save more there than the 39.00 it costs me. In fact I’m a sustaining member because even with the extra 30.00 that costs me, it’s still a wash.
I’ll make just a couple of more points...in my PERSONAL opinion....I think it’s more important that we have a small solid nucleus of members that believe in the club and want the club to continue to exist, than it is to have thousands of members that are only members for what they financially get out of the it. If someone is breaking it down to just why does it make financial sense to be a member?.....they are missing the whole point of the club. In addition, if all we club members are concerned with is membership numbers and growing the numbers, then we as club members are missing the point too. Dana Sawyer didn’t start this club with the idea of just getting big, he started this club with the idea that it would be FUN. I kind of figure that if we concentrate on making things fun, the numbers will take care of themselves. If spending 39.00 a year for a membership is going to take all the fun out of it for someone, then don’t spend it. Come to the events and concentrate on having fun. Maybe if you’re having enough fun you won’t mind sending in the 39.00....consider it a donation if you like and not a membership.
Seems that as soon as ANY money is involved people take this sh** way to seriously.
