Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with membership

Whats a good way to keep track of members that visit our establishment?

JakeTimberlake — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:39:07 -0800

Help me come up with an easy way to track members at the entrance to our "private club" So I'm helping to open a bar, and North Carolina laws require that we be a private members only club because we serve alcohol but no food. That means every customer must be a member, and must sign in before they can enter.

I'd like to speed the process up for them by giving each member a small card (key chain or wallet sized) with a unique barcode on each. That way, they can just scan their membership card when they enter the bar, and we'll be able to be sure they're counted.

I'd also want to use the system as a way to see who are most frequent customers are, and reward them for being regulars. Occasionally, we might run give-away promotions that would involve coming to the bar on a certain night each week, etc.

I've looked at http://www.card-scanner.com/scanshell-pro.html and that looked like a pretty good solution, but then I started thinking about maybe using a cell phone to record the data and plug it into a database.

Does anyone have any ideas of how we could track this information quickly and efficiently?

How to be a membership chair?

zainsubani — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:19:47 -0800

I have recently been appointed the 'membership chair' for a hobby-related organization of which I have been a member for some years. The club president and I have agreed that my duties will consist largely of:

* Contacting members who have lapsed and inviting them to rejoin

* Devising various means of recruiting new members

I have no experience in this sort of work. I could definitely use pointers, suggestions, and especially referrals to any articles or books that may be relevant.

Worth trying to change an organization from within?

DevilsAdvocate — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:41:12 -0800

An organization which I have belonged to for many years has taken a position which I find abhorrent. Should I withdraw my membership outright or, should I first try to get the organization to reconsider its position? I've been a member of this organization for many years, and it does many good things. However, I have now received a request from the organization (sent to all its members) to take action in support of a position which I find deeply abhorrent. Naturally, I will not act on the request. But the fact that the organization would request it at all deeply bothers me, and I do not wish to support such an organization.

I'll be writing to the organization's leadership to express my opinion. I'm torn, though, as to whether it should be "I am cancelling my membership because..." or "I strongly urge you to reconsider this position; otherwise, I will cancel my membership." Part of me is pissed off enough to just cancel my membership, period, but part of me wants to believe there's a chance of getting them to reconsider and that the organization deserves a chance to correct itself. If a friend of several years did something that deeply offended me, I'd like to think I'd let them know how they offended me and give them a chance to apologize and make it up, but I also question whether it's valid to analogize between a friendship and membership in an organization.

What would you advise in such a situation? Have you ever faced such a situation, what did you do, and how did it work out? What other factors I should consider in such a decision?

I'm being deliberately vague about both the organization and the position which I find offensive, which I realize may make answers more difficult; however, I don't want answers to get sidetracked by what people may think of the particular organization or the position. However, I will add:
- The organization is large enough that I don't have regular contact with its leadership but small enough I believe my letter will be read and at least considered.
- The position is not criminal nor in support of anything criminal.
- The position is one the organization had not expressed an opinion on one or the other before, and one I had no reason to believe it had any interest in one way or the other (so it wasn't as if it was an about-face from a previous position).

Bonus question: Coincidentally, I made a donation, by check, to the organization a few days before, which has not been cashed yet. If I give the organization a chance to change its position, do I stop payment on the check? (If I decide to just cancel my membership outright, I'm definitely stopping payment.)

Met net vs associate vs individual???

smackfu — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:53:07 -0800

Can you explain the differences between the various Metropolitan Museum of Art memberships? In particular, if you have one, why did you pick that one and not another?

Keepin the story straight

chickaboo — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:02:09 -0800

How can I host a member directory for a nonprofit, for free, online, that is password protected? Are there any sites that would protect basic contact information for our members, and also enable us to upload other basic organizational info that multiple people (at least 50) would be able to log in and view?

Recommend a Club Membership Database Application

cornflake — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:26:20 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions for an open source, web based club membership database. I want to be able to store contact information and keep track of who has paid their membership fees and who hasn't. Something that can send emails at various times (meeting invitations, fee reminders etc) would be good too.

CRM software looks overly complicated for what I need, and most of the applications I can find via google are either commercial or windows based.

Gold's Gym Lifetime Membership?

cdemay — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:46:18 -0800

Has anyone heard of lifetime memberships at Gold's Gym? They don't list it on their website, and I can't find any reference to it online, but I thought I heard something about it recently (on TV?)... Ideally, I'd like to buy a membership that doesn't expire and allows me to use any Gold's Gym. I don't care if it is transferable. I would appreciate any information you might have on the matter.

How to automatically track member renewal notices and payments?

jcmilton — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:57:51 -0800

I manage an organization with a few hundred members, each of which pays an annual membership fee. Is there a way to automate renewal notices and payments? The membership fees are staggered throughout the year, based on when the member joined the group. Currently, I'm managing things with a combination of manually tracking members on a spreadsheet, manually sending out email reminders and Google Checkout email invoices, and manually recording on the spreadsheet who's up to date on their annual fee and who's behind.

I'm looking for an automated web-based service or off-the-shelf program that can automatically send out email renewal notices based on a date and track the receipt of payment (Google checkout) so as to keep the list of paid and delinquent members up-to-date. Ideally I'm looking for as much of a hands-off solution as possible where all I have to do is monitor a report to see who hasn't renewed yet.

I could manage a small monthly subscription charge or a one-time software purchase, but a custom programming solution is probably not in the budget. Ideas?

They pay...but they never show up.

ostranenie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:54:27 -0800

You manage a gym. How many of your members never, ever go? I'm wondering what the statistic is for people who sign up, go for maybe a week or a month, then stop (but keep paying, hoping they'll someday go). Then, at the end of the membership period, they cancel and breathe a sigh of relief that they're no longer paying for their "useless" gym membership.

Personal anecdotes only, please.

Membership App (Hosted?) for Non-Profit / Club?

c0nsumer — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:03:28 -0800

I'm looking for a web-based app (free or otherwise) or a hosted app which will handle membership for a non-profit / club. It needs to provide different membership levels, handle payments (via PayPal or Google Checkout), and provide some method for allowing members to renew or upgrade their memberships, change their info as needed, etc. It does not need to be free, even though that would be nice. Currently we are looking into Wild Apricot, but I'm running into some odd weirdness with importing users, the way income is booked into it (importing our current member list records each member as paying again), and a few other things.

I found this question from a while ago, but it's a bit out of date and doesn't really answer the question.

So, does anyone know of some better way to handle this?

Why the hard sell on REI memberships?

grouse — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:54:33 -0800

Why do REI employees always push membership so hard? I feel like I get the hard sell for membership from multiple employees every time I walk into REI, which is strange, because they never seem to give me the hard-sell for anything else. Is there a quota or reward for getting people to sign up as new members? Is it just something they're directed to do by management?

Please do not speculate. Someone here has to either have worked for REI or know someone who has that they can ask.

There is, in fact, a need to feel down.

granted — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:21:56 -0800

The YMCA is charging me for the next month even though I've already canceled my membership and turned in my card. Am I out of line in thinking this is out of line? I stopped by the YMCA today to cancel my membership, as I will be moving out of the area soon. The woman took my membership card and lock and handed me a form to fill out - standard protocol for membership cancellations the world over. However! To my dismay, the bottom of the form stated that "This serves as a 30-day notice of cancellation. This means that if your next payment date is within 30 days of completing this form, the YMCA reserves the right to charge the credit card on file with your account on this date."

I asked the woman at the front desk if this could possibly be real. She confirmed that indeed it was. I asked if there was any way to contest this charge, since I will obviously no longer be using the facilities, having just turned in my membership card. She gave me a look of feigned sympathy and said no, sorry, your next payment date is on the 14th, so it's already been processed - they just haven't taken the money out yet. (I have no idea what that means - apparently the paleolithic YMCA accounting department lacks the technology to issue credit card refunds?) Like a wuss, I just said, "Okay. Thanks," and stomped out wearing my fiercest passive-aggressive glare.

As the cancellation form kindly reminded me, they have the trump card, because this "30-day notice" business was apparently on the authorization agreement I signed when I joined. I, however, find this ridiculous. Was I was supposed to staple a reminder to my brain that when-random-ever I decided to cancel my membership, I'd have to do it 30 days prior to when I actually wanted my membership cancelled? Was I supposed to remember to review my contract at least thirty days before I wanted my membership cancelled so as to remind myself that I needed to review my contract thirty days before I wanted my membership cancelled so as to remind myself that I needed to cancel thirty days in advance? Is this insane, or is this standard? It's not like I'm renting from them and they need time to find a replacement. Even Comcast doesn't pull this shit, and Comcast has tried to fuck me in ways even Rick Santorum could not conceive of.

I joined the YMCA even though it was twice as expensive as 24-Hour Fitness down the block, because, I mean, it's the YMCA. It exists in service to the community. And now I feel betrayed because not only are they going to charge me for something we both know I'm not using, but they're all like "La la la, we're the YMCA, and if you criticize us you're a dick who doesn't want underprivileged children to have summer camp." But I'm essentially being forced to donate $75 to the YMCA, except it's not even tax deductible. I really and truly cannot afford this. Is there any way to stop them, or am I fucked really and truly? Am I wrong in thinking this is bullshit?

Need to know who I'm president of!

epersonae — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:59:07 -0800

I'm looking for a way to organize a list of members of my neighborhood association, preferably something web-based, but that doesn't require the actual members to log in. I'm the (new) president of my neighborhood association, and our membership database is, well, a nightmare. As in: a laundry hamper full of slips of paper at the treasurer's house. Plus I have a small stack of sign-in sheets from our general meetings.

I would really like to get something together to track who's paying dues, who comes to meetings, etc.

I started playing with a spreadsheet last year, but I couldn't figure out a good way to record years of membership and meetings attended, especially over more than a year or two.

I would love to have something web-based that I could just hand off to future board members without worrying about what kind of computer/software they have.

Our current web setup is LAMP, with some flexibility of what we can install/run. I have enough PHP expertise that I can definitely futz around with something close but not quite, but would prefer not to have to do a ton of work or write the whole dang thing myself. Something that interops with WordPress would be nifty but in no way necessary.

Most of my searches thus far have turned up things for managing membership of a web site, which is entirely NOT what I'm looking for.

Hive mind, can you help?

What happens to a membership contract when the gym unexpectedly closes?

45moore45 — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:50:29 -0800

The gym I joined 6 weeks ago went belly up over the weekend and locked their doors. Supposedly a different gym not affiliated with the bankrupt gym is buying all the contracts, but nothing is clear at the moment. What are my rights in this situation? The gym I joined 6 weeks ago charged a membership fee and my contract was for monthly "no hassle" payments charged to my credit card with a with 60 days notice cancel policy.

I went to the new gym supposedly buying our contracts and they immediately tried to up sell me a different type of membership that cost more than what I was paying although they said they'd honor the current rate of my membership. What are my rights in this situation? I have notified my credit card company and I am going to dispute the membership fee I paid 6 weeks ago since the company has reneged on the membership by closing shop.

I had a good deal at the first gym and while I'd like to think the new gym really will honor it, they are under no obligation to do so and as this situation unravels I suspect they will decide not to honor certain terms I had with the original gym and will want to upgrade me to a more expensive type of membership. My membership was to be a month to month I could cancel at with 60 days written notice. How does a consumer protect themselves in such a situation? I had an automatic credit card deduction with the other gym and I question whether they have the right to transfer that information to a new gym I am not even sure I want to be part of since the location is not as convenient. The old gym did not notify members of their abrupt closing and the new gym seems unaware of the terms of the agreement or if there really is an agreement--they are allowing us to use the facilities for now while they figure out what is really going on. There are several hundred displaced members and no one really seems to know if they should go with the flow or not. My credit card company said they cannot block future automatic payments but that I could cancel my card and get a new one to stop the transactions. Am I obligated to continue a membership at the new gym? Am I in breach of the contract if I just cancel my credit card and refuse to pay? I don't really understand my rights under a contract when the company issuing the contract flies the coop and hands the contract and my credit info off to some third party without my permission or consent.

Benefits of Recording Academy membership

allterrainbrain — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:06:16 -0800

If you are or were a member of the Recording Academy (Grammy Fdn), would you recommend I join? Has it had any notable benefits or negatives that weren't clear to you before you joined, and has it been worth the annual fee? I'm mainly asking if there's anything you would've advised yourself before you joined the Academy (especially if it was "don't bother") or any further research I should do.

(Feel free to send me a private message if you'd rather.)

I qualify to join as a voting member, but I want to do research before I join since there's the $100/yr fee. I do live in a city with a local chapter that has regular events, but A) it's not stated on the website whether those events also cost a lot or are free for members; and B) realistically, I probably wouldn't make time for most of them.

The site is not at all clear about member benefits; it just gives a list of businesses and publications (which I'm assuming offer small discounts to members, same as you'd get as a member of any other professional org like ascap).

It seems like the main benefit is the voting itself, including the ability to nominate albums for the initial voting. Is that right or am I missing something?

Electronic voting systems for membership organizations.

elle.jeezy — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:03:35 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions for electronic voting/polling systems. It would be used to conduct officer elections for a large membership organization. It can be for rent or purchase and needs to be able to be set up in a conference area with one voting unit per voter. Ideally it would connect to a display so that results are revealed 'real time'. Something similar to U.S. Congress voting or U.N. voting.

I have found this, which seems pretty good, but I'm wondering if there are other alternatives.

The system would only be in use every two years, so renting is probably a better option. Would rather not have a 'reader' system where a ballot is marked and then read.

Any other suggestions/recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.

Community Groups & Money

divabat — Sun, 27 May 2007 14:47:52 -0800

How do small community groups with branches in different areas manage membership fees? We're trying to form a community arts project whereby people meet up in cafes every week and experiment with different art projects. (inspired by this AskMefi thread actually!)

The idea is that we'd start out with one group, then as membership grows, we'll have smaller groups meeting up in different parts of the state/country. Each group would the have its own coordinator, which reports back to the head office. However, we're stuck on how to effectively charge membership fees, especially when the groups start to expand location-wise.

The money's meant to help cover expenses and materials, both for the group itself and the head office.

We have these few options:

a) Charge each person an individual fee that goes straight to HO, then give each group some money
b) Ask for donations during each meeting, and the group leaders decide what to do with the money
c) Charge each group a set fee and let the group leaders decide how they'll raise the funds
d) Have the groups decide if they want a fee and find funding for the HO some other way

What other options are there? How else can we raise money? How have other similar groups gone about this?

(This is for an assignment, but we're given free reign on research.)

An exercise in bargain hunting.

jazzkat11 — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:52:56 -0800

Best deal at a 24-Hour Fitness center? I realize that getting a gym membership falls roughly in the realm of negotiating with a used car dealer, so I'm looking for tips in navigating the process; the when, where and how.

Any insight or anecdotes from past experiences would be much appreciated.

Recommend a mailorder book club with no extra to buy?

vanoakenfold — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 06:45:56 -0800

I greatly enjoy the Writers' Digest new-member offers I get every so often. Are there any other book-club (or CD, etc) memberships that don't have a processing charge? With Writers' Digest Book Club, you can buy all of the required purchases at the very start, and you know what to pay at the very beginning including shipping (like 4 books for ~$20) without nothing else to buy ever. I always let the membership expire so I can get a new membership in 9 months or whatever the limit is until you can do it again. What other clubs are like this?

BMG usually has a mysterious processing charge and you don't get the bill until later down the line -- I'm not looking for those.

How to shop for a gym?

Cranialtorque — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:01:34 -0800

I need to join a gym, and haven't belonged to one since a Y membership in 1996. Apparently, gyms don't tell you what they charge unless you go meet a sales rep in person. This seems extremely shady and sets off mental warning bells. Can anyone tell me what to expect? Forewarned is forearmed, etc. (Auxillary question, possibly whinefilter; how do they get away with this? Why can't I comparison shop in a reasonable manner?)

Non-profit membership management software?

stefnet — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 20:17:05 -0800

What is the best software to use for managing the membership of a non-profit organization? I've recently become the membership chairperson of an organization and I'm trying to make the process more efficient. Do any of you have any recommendations for software (preferably for OS X) to manage membership information?

The org. currently uses Access on the office computer, but it seems like overkill and I'd also like to be able to have the info on my laptop as well (hence the OS X). I need to be able to input general contact information, membership status, the date their dues were last paid, etc. I do not need to track fundraising or other financial information.

And, of course, it would be helpful if the software were open-source/free/not incredibly expensive. Is Access the way to go or is there something made especially for this kind of information?

Thanks!

PHP script for running a non-profit organization?

jbickers — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 07:33:51 -0800

Any good (preferably free) PHP software for running a membership organization? I'm looking for a PHP application - preferably open-source - that facilitates the running of a membership web site for a non-profit. Ideally, it would accept online membership applications with some sort of payment gateway; username/password authentication for a "member's area"; allow members to see when their memberships expire, and renew; mailing list function.

I know there are separate scripts for those things, but am hoping somebody out there put them all together in some sort of holistic package for a membership group.

Ever used bestfares.com? Gotten good airfare prices elsewhere?

zpousman — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 06:34:17 -0800

Bestfares.com. Scam or worthwhile deals? Does anybody have experience with bestfares.com? It's a $60 annual membership to get, ostensibly, below "sale" prices on lots of fares. And they look cheap. 'm most interested in airfares only (US + Int'l) and not in cruises, Vegas junkets, or hotels. Is it worth it? Any other hot ideas for actually getting cheap fares to, say, Europe?

Can I just stop paying membership fees?

skryche — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:41:05 -0800

Can't we just tell the gym we're cancelling the membership and tell MasterCard to stop paying them? My woman's quitting her gym (http://www.nyhrc.com/). She called them and was told she'd need to personally visit the gym, fill out a form, mail it back to them via certified mail (!), and then in 30 days (!!) her membership would be cancelled. Really, it's pretty absurd.

I suggested she just tell the gym she's quitting and then tell her credit card company to not pay them any more. (You can do that, right?)

How unwise would this be?

How can I bad mouth a company?

benjh — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:06:00 -0800

Where are the best places to "bad mouth" a company? I recently moved. My new home is 36 miles away from the gym, I signed up at, and 19 miles from their closest other location. My contract says I have to be 25 miles or more away from a comprable facility. My old gym had covered parking, a swimming pool, 2 racquetball courts, and was located in a nice office building.

The gym they say is closer to me is in a strip mall, has no swimming pool, 1 racquetball court, and no covered parking. So now we are quibbling back and forth regarding the definition of comprable.

I have filed complaints with the state Attorney General and the BBB today. But then I started thinking, where else could I create bad press about this company? I'd like to spread as much bad publicity about them as far across the Internet that I can.

Any suggestions?