<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>In a message dated 8/22/2002 12:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, morriganlwc@yahoo.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My<BR>
suggestion/challenge to you all is if you are bringing<BR>
a new person to an event, whether it is their 1st<BR>
event or their 5 event and they are either a) to poor<BR>
to cover their own fee or b) are not even certain that<BR>
they want to be a member yet then offer to do one of<BR>
two things. Either cover their entire site fee and<BR>
make them your guest or if you cannot afford to pay<BR>
the entire site fee, offer to cover the $3 surcharge.<BR>
If they have been playing for a few months, encourage<BR>
them to become a paid member, even if it is just an<BR>
associate membership. <BR>
As the challenge has been made to clothe new members,<BR>
I ask that if you aren't able to sew and clothe a<BR>
newcomer, then pay their way to a couple of events.<BR>
Make them feel welcome. Explain to them that the extra<BR>
charge is to mitigate SCA, Inc expenses.<BR>
Remember that the entire point of this is to encourage<BR>
paid membership. <BR>
Just a thought.<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BR>
I really do prefer to read the arguments rather than get myself involved in them, but like Lady Moira, I'll jump into this feet first and agree with her suggestion. Neither of my children (one age 13 years the other age 16 months) are paid members. Why? Because neither of them know for sure if they want to be members. Right now, the oldest thinks it's a neat thing to do sometimes, and the baby doesn't have a choice -- she gets dragged around to events regardless. In a couple of years, when my son is old enough to know his mind, we'll ask if he wants to be a paid member, and we'll offer the same chance to my daughter in about 13 years. Until they decide they want to make the monetary investment, my husband & I will happily pay the required fees. The SCA is not a "members only" club. It's one of the few groups that will allow members and non-members to play and have access to many of the same things. The benefits of membership are self-explanatory, and non-members shouldn't be harangued for their membership status anymore than members should be harangued for *their* membership status. I thought we were all here to learn, re-create and have fun.<BR>
<BR>
Olwen</FONT></HTML>