The Society has just announced an increase in fees, as decided at last weekend’s Board meeting. Annual membership fees are increasing by $10 per year, while the costs of additional family members and non-member event participation are increasing by $5 each.
Here are a few tips for folks unfamiliar with the Society membership system:
A paid membership is only required if you want to hold an office or be a marshal, vote in our occasional governance pollings, or subscribe to the Society’s print publications (Tournaments Illuminated or the Compleat Anachronist).
However, if you attend four or more events per year, the membership pays for itself by giving you a $10 discount at events.
For most individuals, the right choice is an Associate membership at $40/year — the only reason to purchase a Sustaining membership is if you want to include family members or subscribe to the Society print magazines.
For two or more people in a household, a Sustaining membership plus a Family membership is $70 for two people, $85 for three, or $100 for any number above that.
If these fees would present a barrier to your participation, please take advantage of the membership assistance fund, which will provide you with a membership at no cost.
You can still start or extend an existing membership at the old, lower prices for the next two weeks; if your membership will expire in the next few months, consider taking this opportunity to renew and save a few bucks.
More Context: These fees were last increased more than a decade ago, while the Society’s costs have increased, especially for its insurance / legal expenses. The slowdown of activity during the Covid outbreak cut into revenues more than it did to expenses, sapping the savings built up in previous years, and that pinch has led to the Society running a deficit, which this increase is intended to reduce.
Membership and non-member event fees generate a bit less than a million dollars a year, while expenses are a bit over a million dollars, leaving a gap of about a quarter-million dollars per year. The Society has about eight million in liquid assets, so it can cover these losses for a while, but not perpetually.
There are more details in the financial statements on the sca.org website, although they’re less informative than one might like.