What is the point of members?

Discussion of the re-branding of CTC as Cycling UK.
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SA_SA_SA
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What is the point of members?

Post by SA_SA_SA »

If (cough) the current brand of Cycling UK is meant to be a campaigning organisation paying some lip service to Touring (to try and keep members?) but whats "best for the charity" always overrides members views what is the point of being a member?

A memberless charity which collected money per campaign would surely be more controllable: if cyclists don't like a campaign then they can simply not fund it.....
Like the CDF I suppose....
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meic
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by meic »

Your question in the title is rather different to the one in the text!

The point of having members is that it gives the charity "authority", it can claim to speak for its 60,000 members and also those members contribute a little to the coffers.

The point of being a member is third party insurance (which cuts £2 off an Audax entry), a magazine and a feeling of altruistically giving money to benefit those who are not paying members.
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by PH »

Plus the 15 - 20% of us involved with member groups...
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meic
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by meic »

I had forgotten that even though I indulge quite frequently myself.

Now isnt that so perverse, a charity which is supposed to support cycling and encouraging people to get out and ride their bikes actually erects the disincentive of charging those who do get and out and ride for the privilege of doing so as CTC/CUK members!
Taxing those who do ride to fund those who do not. One would think that they were more after members' money than encouraging cycling. I could understand a membership club having subscriptions to ride but not a charity that makes the charitable cause fund the charity's existence!!!
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by PH »

meic wrote:I had forgotten that even though I indulge quite frequently myself.

Now isnt that so perverse, a charity which is supposed to support cycling and encouraging people to get out and ride their bikes actually erects the disincentive of charging those who do get and out and ride for the privilege of doing so as CTC/CUK members!
Taxing those who do ride to fund those who do not. One would think that they were more after members' money than encouraging cycling. I could understand a membership club having subscriptions to ride but not a charity that makes the charitable cause fund the charity's existence!!!


Excuse me, this is my soapbox, go get your own :wink:
SA_SA_SA
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by SA_SA_SA »

meic wrote:Your question in the title is rather different to the one in the text!

The point of having members is that it gives the charity "authority", it can claim to speak for its 60,000 members and also those members contribute a little to the coffers.

The point of being a member is third party insurance (which cuts £2 off an Audax entry), a magazine and a feeling of altruistically giving money to benefit those who are not paying members.


The title seemed OK to me* :)

But if the members can be overruled whenever convenient then any claimed authority is greatly diminished/gone IMO.

Giving money to others is nice as long as its destination is controllable/recipents trustworthy..
Third party insurance is available elsewhere...
The magazine is nice but I was waiting for the current CEO to leave after the Technical and Touring Officer debacle and now the rebrand has happened...
I can live without the mag especially seeing as CJ's Technical articles had no equivalent in other mags, now these are gone...

*why have members who you ignore / why be a member who is ignored
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meic
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by meic »

But if the members can be overruled whenever convenient then any claimed authority is greatly diminished/gone IMO.


They dont have to mention that and nobody will ask that question. They say they speak for 60,000 cyclists and it will be accepted without any questions.
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gaz
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by gaz »

There is a summary of the Charity Commission's view on the relationship between the members of a charity and its Trustees here.

meic wrote:They dont have to mention that and nobody will ask that question. They say they speak for 60,000 cyclists and it will be accepted without any questions.

Possibly because those who might ask the question are aware that CTC is a Charity and that its Trustees make the decisions, not its members. There would be little point in asking the question if you already know the answer.
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Psamathe
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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by Psamathe »

SA_SA_SA wrote:....*why have members who you ignore / why be a member who is ignored

Now they are called Cukers (pronounced Suckers) - explains? (Trustees/National Office being the ClUKers).

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Re: What is the point of members?

Post by al_yrpal »

Perhaps the title of this thread should be 'What is the point of being a member?' Insurance - no, available elsewhere. Mag, now full of blather, rather than stuff associated with touring. Able to influence priorities - forget it, its all controlled by a faceless bunch of 'professionals' who think they can dictate to the members who finance them. Local rides - plenty of other clubs and organisations organise these.

I now know where this is all heading. Remove their finance, leave and reverse the stealth takeover.

Al
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