Club Funding Changes

by Rhonda Scheurer

Effective December 10, 2020, the COC returned to a “voluntary donation” funding model.

Unlike in the past, however, coordinators will not be requesting a “per event” donation at events. The club will find other ways to encourage and request the voluntary donations needed to sustain our club.

Like in the past, voluntary donations will be just as the name says... voluntary.  We will encourage and solicit donations through a variety of methods, however, the amount of your donation (or lack thereof) will not have any impact on your participation with the club. 

Saga of COC’s Funding Model

The Calgary Outdoor Club started off with an unsustainable “Rhonda pays for everything out of pocket” funding model in 2003, and, to Rhonda’s tremendous relief, evolved into a “funding by voluntary donation” model thanks to a suggestion from a creative club member.

The voluntary donation funding model was very successful through the 2000’s, although it did present its challenges with the way it was implemented - coordinators requesting $2 at the start of each event.  This was a hassle for event attendees, who didn’t always have $2 in their pocket, and it was a hassle for event coordinators who would have to request, collect, and then submit the money to the club.

Over the years, our funding model has continued to evolve including:

1. Introduction of the “Premier” membership option, which cost $25 per year
2. Replacement of the “voluntary donation” for “Regular” members with a mandatory per-event fee;
3. Replacement of the per-event mandatory fee for “Regular” members with $15 per year membership fees.

That most recent change, implementation of the $15 per year membership fees for “Regular” members, took the burden off of coordinators to collect and submit money, and was more convenient for some club members, however, it:

1. Discouraged events which would have, in the past, been offered without a request for a donation (e.g., in-town events, and events which carried additional fees); and
2. Presented a “barrier to entry” for new members, who no longer had the ability to “pay as they go” and would have to make a significant outlay just to get started. 

Happening Now

On December 9, 2020, the executive committee voted to return to a "voluntary donation" funding model, which will once again allow members to pay what they wish (based on what they can afford, and the value they feel they’ve received from the club). 

Coordinators will not request donations at the start of an event.  The club’s preference is that donations be sent, via e-transfer, to the club Treasurer.  Coordinators are still able to accept donations at events, if and only if, pre-arranged through agreement between the coordinator and the attendee.  Some coordinators may simply wish to avoid money-handling, in which case, the club asks that members respect that preference and submit their donation another way.

Donate Now

If the spirit has moved you while you were reading this article, and you wish to make a donation at this time, please send an e-transfer to treasurer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com.  If you’re not sure how much to donate, we suggest $2 per event attended to a maximum of $20 per year.

If you’ve already paid $15 for a Regular Membership fee, you have two options:

1. You can consider that to be your “voluntary donation” to the club until such time that you feel it’s time to donate again; or
2. You may contact treasurer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com to request a refund.

If the spirit has not yet moved you, or if you just can’t afford it right now, that is fine, too.  We are not in dire straits and are happy to wait.

More Information

For more information about how we collect voluntary donations, see our How You Can Help page on the Calgary Outdoor Club website.

Wondering what's going on with Premier Membership?  We're still working on that.  News coming before the spring.