Would the board consider an additional category of PDGA membership?

I propose a Vendor Membership for those involved in DG but not tournament players. $10 annual fee, includes message board posting privileges (to be terminated at the sole discretion of the board admins), includes member email notices, does not include voting privileges, does not include magazine, does not include tournament play (unless non-member fee is paid).

Why do we need an additional category of PDGA membership, especially one for disc golf vendors? If someone is a disc golf vendor, then surely they can spare $55/$40 for a yearly membership, right? These are not starving college students.

Why do we need an additional category of PDGA membership, especially one for disc golf vendors? If someone is a disc golf vendor, then surely they can spare $55/$40 for a yearly membership, right? These are not starving college students.



I don't think we can make assumptions about a vendor's business profits.

However, now that I think about it more, it has to cost us a lot more than $10 to make somebody a member.

Rick, I think the topic of various kinds of 'smaller' memberships, like the one you mention, comes up a lot. But after lots of discussion about the costs versus the benefits, enthusiasm kind of wanes.

Actually, most organizations charge a higher rate to commercial members than to the rank and file. For instance, the National Recreation and Parks Association charges $130 per year for a Professional member and $500 per year for a Corporate member. Since businesses join organizations for the purpose of gaining access to the members, they can call it a "cost of doing business." They also generally get a member rate for exhibit space at conferences and reduced rates for advertising in the organization's publications. They generally have no voting or office-holding rights and very limited "free" contact with the membership. Sometimes one or more officers or managers are given individual memberships as part of the total fee.

Of the organizations that I have memberships in, the PDGA by far has the most direct benefit for the dollars spent. It is also the least expensive. These are all individual memberships, except AAU which is a 'club' membership I maintain to run wheelchair sports events.

PDGA: $40/$55 for magazine, competition, ratings, points, message board.
NRPA: $130 for magazine and reduced conference fees.
AAHPERD: $125 for journal and reduced conference fees.
AAU: $60 for magazine, ability to host events, reduced insurance.

It may be that in the future the PDGA will have more categories of membership, but we will need to evaluate the cost/benefit ratio and make sure that the organization is well served by having these.