Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Apparently other clubs pay or award their officers some form of monetary compensation.
We did not discuss it at the time because our treasurer was absent. Our next meeting is coming up, and I am curious as to what other clubs do and any discussion for or against.
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I am not involved in any local club but I do not like the idea.
It becomes a paid position. If money is the primary motivation then you have the wrong person for that. The club officers' primary mission turns into maintaining a treasury level possibly at the expense of something else.
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Sally,
How many members do you have in your club and how many attend regularly?
Our club has 10 official members, of which 8 attend fairly regularly.
I am the vice president and also the secretary/treasurer.
If this was ever proposed in our club, I would vote a resounding NO, for the reasons Al mentioned and probably a few others as well.
And just for an FYI - we usually have on hand an average of $150-$200 in the club fund.
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The club I belong to has around 25 members, and on any given meeting, we can count on 15 attending. I can only imagine the uproar with that particular suggestion (even though the club's finances are in excellent condition right now)
I've never been on a hobby-related club (or heard of one) where the exec gets a stipend - unless you are talking about a regional/provincial/national co-ordinating body.
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Hi
Our local club has about 18 members. We did have more, but, lost 3 (passed away) in 4 straight months just last year. Our club, financially, is in good shape, but, I would not like the idea of paying the officer's positions, and, I am the president of our club and this will be my third year.
Chimo
Bujutsu
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Thanks for the responses so far.
Our club has 21 members and about 10-12 regularly attend the meetings.
I am the secretary. The club president and I were both shocked by the suggestion and had an immediate, gut-reflex kind of reaction that was NO. Then others said they would be Ok with it, and I said I wouldn't even discuss it further until our treasurer was present.
The member who made the suggestion said that he is involved in other clubs that do give their officers a small stipend.
Another member said that if we refuse a stipend, maybe the club could pay for the officers meals at our Christmas supper. I don't know where the thought comes from that the officers need to be paid or why it is coming up now, but I imagine it will be an interesting discussion this week.
I agree with all the No responses for all reasons mentioned.
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our club has probably 25 members, with 15-20 attending regularly
there are no paid positions, and I can't imagine the need for it
stipend wouldn't drive any more peeps to the posts, nor does its absence keep people from volunteering, which has the usually 20% rule
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We gained a new member because i saw his name in the APS applying for membership. I gave him a call and he attended our meeting !
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look, it's the president of our local stamp club, right after my last post and right above this one. He is married to the Treasurer. Together, they do an enormous amount for our club, some publicly and acknowledged and some, like this little comment, quietyly. Our club is lucky to have them: Phil and Jopie.
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Our club has maybe 15 members. It is set up differently from most clubs as we are mostly a source of cheap stamps for sale to our members that we get from buying large collections and piecing out. We have a healthy treasury to work with. Although we have no "official" officers, the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins.
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Sean, your club sounds a lot like ours...we all know we are fortunate to have an auctioneer that can squeeze the last drop out of a bidder .
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A stipend for officers of a small stamp club seems quite out of place. When our club has extra money we cater a meal for all the members.
The only organization I am an officer for is a non-profit.
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I am surprised that few have mentioned the 800 pound gorilla (Al's post touched upon it).
Club dynamics undergo a huge transition once money and power enter the picture. When a hobby club or organization remains small, I find that they are more friendly and stay hobby-centric. But an employee perspective is different than a volunteer perspective.
Clubs are like towns, as they grow they typically lose what made them great to begin with as those who are attracted to power become decisions makers. Paid club officers often move to self-preservation mode and begin to sound more like politicians instead of stamp collectors. (Heck, some large national clubs elect politicians to six figure salaried positions.) Once this happens you start getting decisions which are more about people protecting their positions of power and the food on their table than helping or promoting the hobby.
Don
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I volunteer hundreds of hours every year to two charitable organizations in my community and also donate to help keep them going. Not trying to brag; but my point is that, if compensation is required to keep someone engaged, they are not worth having. Their primary interest should be in keeping the local stamp club going; certainly there are lots of pressures working against hobby organizations and you don't need a divisive issue like this to compound the problems.
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I tend to agree with NBStamper
Since my last posting in this thread, we have gained 3 more new members in our club. All the work done is on a voluntary basis. I feel that it is hard enough to get new members to join as it is in this computer age generation. We volunteer our services and time because we like our club and want to see it grow. None of us have ever thought of a paid compensation.
My nickel's worth anyway (since we do not have pennies anymore)
Chimo
Bujutsu
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I've served as president of my stamp club and as VANPEX chair and exhibits chair; our club probably hovers around 50 to 60 members, of which 20 or 25 typically show up at weekly meetings.
I certainly never would have accepted payment for my positions, for all of the reasons mentioned above. But there's another reason: I would not want to shoulder the obligations that being paid would imply. Perhaps no one else would think that I was obliged to do thus and so, but I would feel it! I always tried to approach my job with maximum voluntary effort.
Also, there are other ways to show appreciation to club officers. Small, appropriate personal gifts — philatelic, of course! — are always appreciated and to me at least don't imply any resultant obligation. The best "payment" of all is for members to volunteer to help in the running of the club.
Bob
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"... the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins ..."
THAT is BRILLIANT !@#$%!
If a small club cannot honor its volunteer officers without cash, that club has a problem that cash awards are not going to solve.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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" the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins"
Fine if you are an out-going person but doubtless would stop a lot of people, me included, from joining.
Maybe it should be the club member who has been with the club the longest, at least they will know everyone.
Not everyone likes or feels comfortable speaking to a room full of strangers and having to remember all the procedural matters.
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I will take it as given that, if the club rule is that the new guy has to run the show, they are a pretty congenial & forgiving lot.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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An update on the outcome of our club discussion:
All three club officers politely refused a stipend. Other club members accepted our decision but still thought some kind of recognition would be nice. So they voted to have the club pay for the officer's meals at our annual December get-together.
We weren't going to mention it again this year, but the same folks remembered that we did it last year and voted it through again this year.
While we officers didn't ask for this little "benefit ", we have stopped arguing because it seems to mean a lot to the rest of the membership.
As far as having the newest club member serve as president, that's quite the idea! I know it would deter many people from joining here (our newest member joined at our October show - he lives several hours away and I expect that we will not see or hear from him until our next show in Oct 2019). It would definitely solve the problem of lifetime positions though.
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If I joined a stamp club and immediately made me president, I may not return.
Al
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That's a nice gesture from your club Sally!
I have been president and show chairman for my model car club for about 20 years. My treasurer has also served for many years. These have become more or less permanent positions due to the complexity of running a national event, and the associated finances.
We do have a rule that all members must work the show. When we announced that 20 years ago, we lost two members, no biggie if they didn't share our mission. We did have a member who was discouraging newcomers not to join because "they'll make you work the show". Fortunately he's moved on and now new people just fall in line as the job assignments are made.
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11:55:46pm
In all the years as an active stamp collector,
attending meetings and paying dues, I have never
heard of the officers accepting monetary
remuneration for the job. I have been a member of
two or three clubs on LI, NY, four in Florida,
one, so far, in Texas and one on the Island of
Guam, M.I. in the early sixties.
I agree with all the members replying that to
some degree that would be some kind of crazy.
While I am on the subject, does anyone know
of a local stamp club in the Amarillo area of
North Texas ?
Or anyone interested in forming such a club,
in or around Amarillo ?
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At the last meeting of our local stamp club, one of our members (not a club officer), proposed awarding our club officers (which for our club is only a president, treasurer, and secretary) a stipend as long as our treasury remains above a certain level.
Apparently other clubs pay or award their officers some form of monetary compensation.
We did not discuss it at the time because our treasurer was absent. Our next meeting is coming up, and I am curious as to what other clubs do and any discussion for or against.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I am not involved in any local club but I do not like the idea.
It becomes a paid position. If money is the primary motivation then you have the wrong person for that. The club officers' primary mission turns into maintaining a treasury level possibly at the expense of something else.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
Sally,
How many members do you have in your club and how many attend regularly?
Our club has 10 official members, of which 8 attend fairly regularly.
I am the vice president and also the secretary/treasurer.
If this was ever proposed in our club, I would vote a resounding NO, for the reasons Al mentioned and probably a few others as well.
And just for an FYI - we usually have on hand an average of $150-$200 in the club fund.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
The club I belong to has around 25 members, and on any given meeting, we can count on 15 attending. I can only imagine the uproar with that particular suggestion (even though the club's finances are in excellent condition right now)
I've never been on a hobby-related club (or heard of one) where the exec gets a stipend - unless you are talking about a regional/provincial/national co-ordinating body.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
Hi
Our local club has about 18 members. We did have more, but, lost 3 (passed away) in 4 straight months just last year. Our club, financially, is in good shape, but, I would not like the idea of paying the officer's positions, and, I am the president of our club and this will be my third year.
Chimo
Bujutsu
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
Thanks for the responses so far.
Our club has 21 members and about 10-12 regularly attend the meetings.
I am the secretary. The club president and I were both shocked by the suggestion and had an immediate, gut-reflex kind of reaction that was NO. Then others said they would be Ok with it, and I said I wouldn't even discuss it further until our treasurer was present.
The member who made the suggestion said that he is involved in other clubs that do give their officers a small stipend.
Another member said that if we refuse a stipend, maybe the club could pay for the officers meals at our Christmas supper. I don't know where the thought comes from that the officers need to be paid or why it is coming up now, but I imagine it will be an interesting discussion this week.
I agree with all the No responses for all reasons mentioned.
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this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
our club has probably 25 members, with 15-20 attending regularly
there are no paid positions, and I can't imagine the need for it
stipend wouldn't drive any more peeps to the posts, nor does its absence keep people from volunteering, which has the usually 20% rule
Login to Like
this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
We gained a new member because i saw his name in the APS applying for membership. I gave him a call and he attended our meeting !
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
look, it's the president of our local stamp club, right after my last post and right above this one. He is married to the Treasurer. Together, they do an enormous amount for our club, some publicly and acknowledged and some, like this little comment, quietyly. Our club is lucky to have them: Phil and Jopie.
Login to Like
this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
Our club has maybe 15 members. It is set up differently from most clubs as we are mostly a source of cheap stamps for sale to our members that we get from buying large collections and piecing out. We have a healthy treasury to work with. Although we have no "official" officers, the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
Sean, your club sounds a lot like ours...we all know we are fortunate to have an auctioneer that can squeeze the last drop out of a bidder .
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
A stipend for officers of a small stamp club seems quite out of place. When our club has extra money we cater a meal for all the members.
The only organization I am an officer for is a non-profit.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I am surprised that few have mentioned the 800 pound gorilla (Al's post touched upon it).
Club dynamics undergo a huge transition once money and power enter the picture. When a hobby club or organization remains small, I find that they are more friendly and stay hobby-centric. But an employee perspective is different than a volunteer perspective.
Clubs are like towns, as they grow they typically lose what made them great to begin with as those who are attracted to power become decisions makers. Paid club officers often move to self-preservation mode and begin to sound more like politicians instead of stamp collectors. (Heck, some large national clubs elect politicians to six figure salaried positions.) Once this happens you start getting decisions which are more about people protecting their positions of power and the food on their table than helping or promoting the hobby.
Don
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07:10:55pm
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I volunteer hundreds of hours every year to two charitable organizations in my community and also donate to help keep them going. Not trying to brag; but my point is that, if compensation is required to keep someone engaged, they are not worth having. Their primary interest should be in keeping the local stamp club going; certainly there are lots of pressures working against hobby organizations and you don't need a divisive issue like this to compound the problems.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I tend to agree with NBStamper
Since my last posting in this thread, we have gained 3 more new members in our club. All the work done is on a voluntary basis. I feel that it is hard enough to get new members to join as it is in this computer age generation. We volunteer our services and time because we like our club and want to see it grow. None of us have ever thought of a paid compensation.
My nickel's worth anyway (since we do not have pennies anymore)
Chimo
Bujutsu
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I've served as president of my stamp club and as VANPEX chair and exhibits chair; our club probably hovers around 50 to 60 members, of which 20 or 25 typically show up at weekly meetings.
I certainly never would have accepted payment for my positions, for all of the reasons mentioned above. But there's another reason: I would not want to shoulder the obligations that being paid would imply. Perhaps no one else would think that I was obliged to do thus and so, but I would feel it! I always tried to approach my job with maximum voluntary effort.
Also, there are other ways to show appreciation to club officers. Small, appropriate personal gifts — philatelic, of course! — are always appreciated and to me at least don't imply any resultant obligation. The best "payment" of all is for members to volunteer to help in the running of the club.
Bob
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
"... the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins ..."
THAT is BRILLIANT !@#$%!
If a small club cannot honor its volunteer officers without cash, that club has a problem that cash awards are not going to solve.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
" the last person to join the club becomes the President until a new member joins"
Fine if you are an out-going person but doubtless would stop a lot of people, me included, from joining.
Maybe it should be the club member who has been with the club the longest, at least they will know everyone.
Not everyone likes or feels comfortable speaking to a room full of strangers and having to remember all the procedural matters.
Login to Like
this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
I will take it as given that, if the club rule is that the new guy has to run the show, they are a pretty congenial & forgiving lot.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
An update on the outcome of our club discussion:
All three club officers politely refused a stipend. Other club members accepted our decision but still thought some kind of recognition would be nice. So they voted to have the club pay for the officer's meals at our annual December get-together.
We weren't going to mention it again this year, but the same folks remembered that we did it last year and voted it through again this year.
While we officers didn't ask for this little "benefit ", we have stopped arguing because it seems to mean a lot to the rest of the membership.
As far as having the newest club member serve as president, that's quite the idea! I know it would deter many people from joining here (our newest member joined at our October show - he lives several hours away and I expect that we will not see or hear from him until our next show in Oct 2019). It would definitely solve the problem of lifetime positions though.
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
If I joined a stamp club and immediately made me president, I may not return.
Al
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re: Local Stamp Club Officers
That's a nice gesture from your club Sally!
I have been president and show chairman for my model car club for about 20 years. My treasurer has also served for many years. These have become more or less permanent positions due to the complexity of running a national event, and the associated finances.
We do have a rule that all members must work the show. When we announced that 20 years ago, we lost two members, no biggie if they didn't share our mission. We did have a member who was discouraging newcomers not to join because "they'll make you work the show". Fortunately he's moved on and now new people just fall in line as the job assignments are made.
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Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy..
18 Dec 2018
11:55:46pm
re: Local Stamp Club Officers
In all the years as an active stamp collector,
attending meetings and paying dues, I have never
heard of the officers accepting monetary
remuneration for the job. I have been a member of
two or three clubs on LI, NY, four in Florida,
one, so far, in Texas and one on the Island of
Guam, M.I. in the early sixties.
I agree with all the members replying that to
some degree that would be some kind of crazy.
While I am on the subject, does anyone know
of a local stamp club in the Amarillo area of
North Texas ?
Or anyone interested in forming such a club,
in or around Amarillo ?
Login to Like
this post