[board] Proposal to clarify how we handle membership dues and additional payments

[Tom Pillsbury]

All:
I agree with Dana's take on this. I know I have paid more than once in a
year, because I din't know if we were on a calendar year, etc.
my 2 cents,
Tom

On Mon, Oct 19, 2026 at 9:01 AM Dana Pepp <danapepp at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I think it’s a bit more nuanced.
> I am one of those who probably paid my $25 membership more than once a
> year.
> It was because we didn’t have a good system in place to remind members
> when their memberships are due.
> Once that system is operational, I think we’ll collect more, do it more
> consistently and then we can ask people for donations in a separate ask.
> Asking for additional donations to MCBA is a good idea.  And, a good idea
> to do soon, i.e. before Giving Tuesday ;).
>
> Thanks,
> Dana
>
>
>
> On Oct 19, 2026, at 8:54 AM, Paul Reulbach <paul at marinbees.org> wrote:
>
> Good morning,
>
> I’d like to raise a question about how we currently handle membership dues
> when someone pays more than the annual membership fee of $25.
>
> Our current practice is to apply the excess payment toward additional
> years of membership. I’m not sure that this is necessarily the payer’s
> intent. In many cases, someone may simply wish to contribute a little extra
> to support the Marin County Beekeepers Association and its educational
> programs, rather than prepay for several years of membership.
>
> I’d like to propose that we adopt a policy whereby *any amount paid in
> excess of the annual dues is treated as a donation to MCBA for the current
> year, rather than extending membership into future years.* Membership
> would continue to renew annually, with dues collected each year.
>
> I believe this approach would better reflect the likely intent of our
> members, provide additional support for the association’s activities, and
> more accurately represent membership tracking and renewals.
>
> Of course, if someone specifically wishes to pay for multiple years of
> membership, we could accommodate that request. The distinction would be
> that excess payments are considered donations unless the payer explicitly
> indicates otherwise.
>
> Before adopting the policy, we should confirm how donations should be
> recorded and acknowledged, particularly if MCBA represents the excess
> payment as a charitable contribution for tax purposes.
>
> I’d appreciate your thoughts on this proposal and whether we can agree on
> changing the policy going forward.
>
> Thank you.
>
> best regards, Paul
> PaulPaul Reulbach
> Paul Reulbach
> President
> Marin County Beekeepers Association
> https://marinbeekeepers.org
> 617-828-2222 <(617)%20828-2222>
>
>
> <PastedGraphic-3.png>
>
>
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