[RC] Cost to riders/AERC fees/the BoD - Laura Hayes
Yes, the Board of Directors has looked into the
raising of fees to cover what could be a discrepancy in the budget this
year.
Here are some facts:
1.) the AERC has not raised
membership fees in a decade while improving services to members like the
wonderful EN, the yearbook, the record keeping and online services. How
many organizations can say that?
2.) Rider fees have not
gone up in many years- that is the fee that ride managers pay to the AERC per
rider for record keeping, office support, EN, and ride INSURANCE among
other things. The insurance is a BIG DEAL, which as of 2004, has been
provided to ride managers at no additional expense.
I recently attended my second BoD meeting as a
Director at Large.
I took four days (Friday morning to Monday
afternoon) out of my life when I could have been working or riding.
I boarded my two horses that needed to be fed and can't be turned out 24/7
with the others, took my two dogs to a boarding kennel, and paid the
neighbor to come and feed the rest of my animals. I drove my own
car to the airport an hour away, put it in long term parking, flew
half way across the country, and sat in meetings for hours and hours on
end. I am not complaining - I choose to do this job, but I can tell you
for sure, that any decisions we made, or ideas we had to balance our budget or
make AERC better, was debated, questioned, and agonized over by people who
care dearly about the AERC. Many committee chairs had detailed
reports, long term plans and charts, and hours and hours worth of time
involved to keep us abreast of every aspect of our
organization.
Just a reminder that before you
second guess the BoD's motives, remember that we are riders, and ride
managers too.
By the way, nominations for the BoD regional
directors are due.
Laura Hayes Vine Cliff Farms Brocton,
NY AERC# 2741
