August, 2020 Newsletter Blog

In Defense of Membership Dues

At the August board meeting, a suggestion was relayed from a member that we refund or reduce membership dues for this year since we currently are not able to have meetings or workshops.While we all agreed that we truly miss being able to get together, laugh, learn and just be among friends, there are certain realities that make such a suggestion improbable.

• Guild meetings are not a “pay for performance” gathering.In fact, some of our members are rarely able to attend meetings yet they have continued to support the guild with their membership year after year.
• The annual operating budget of the guild is $18,901.The budgeted amount from dues is $5,350 – only 28% of the total.
• Other sources of income include the Quilt Show ($5,185) which will be zero this year, Raffle Ticket Sales ($4,500) which is only a little over $1,000 this year, Merchandise Sales, In Meeting Raffles, Workshops, Library Book Sales, Documentation Fees, all of which have severely suffered this year because of the pandemic.
• We have pledged Operating Fund support to the outreach activities of the guild – Veterans Project, and Community Quilters which are both going strong.In addition, at the beginning of each year we make a $700 donation to the Lincoln County Museum to support their efforts and in appreciation of the use of the Carriage House for Board Meetings, Documentation, Finishing School and other guild activities.A total of $3,600 has already been paid out this year for these outreach activities.
• Other operational costs that are paid at the beginning of the year include rental of storage space, PO Box, and Meeting room.State filing fees for the organization as a non-profit, accounting software renewal, web maintenance/hosting, and liability insurance combine with rental fees for a total of more than $4,600.
• Additionally, since the beginning of the year, committees including Block of the Month, Challenge, Documentation, Hospitality, Membership (directory printing), Merchandise, Programs and Workshops, Quilters Surprise, and Raffle Quilt have spent a total of more than $6,500.

In summary, income has lagged behind expenses leaving the General Operating Fund in the red by almost $2,000.Because of restrictions of the pandemic, there is little expectation that it will get better before the end of the fiscal year.However, the reserve fund was established for unforeseen circumstances such as these and can be used to bring us back to the black at the end of the fiscal year.

This has been a long explanation, but the board hopes that it helps you understand why a refund or reduction of dues is neither fiscally responsible nor feasible at this time.Oregon Coastal Quilters Guild is a strong, vibrant organization, and we can all be proud members.We hope that you will continue to support the organization with your membership dues and participation.Membership dues are $25 annually and due by the second Thursday of January.

Diane Tillotson,
OCQG President

 

A Note from The 2021 Retreat Committee

The 2021 Retreat Committee met on Tuesday and also conferenced in the Event Coordinator for Oregon Gardens.  We have decided that due to the uncertainty of the pandemic and how the Oregon Gardens will be able to handle our group we will be canceling the Retreat for 2021.  If it is ok with everyone the Retreat Committee will stay on for the next Retreat.

    There are many factors that the Committee talked about, considered and tossed around but they were not really practical and the cost of the Retreat would have been greatly increased per person.

    This was not a decision made lightly and we discussed many pros and cons.  Many alternatives were also discussed but really not feasible when everything is still so uncertain. We can reschedule to 2022 without penalty.  We are so sorry about this, we look forward to it every year.  If you have any questions please feel free to email Georgia.

With a Heavy Heart from the Retreat Committee,

Georgia, Cyndie, Gail & Jan McQueen