From the Finance Committee - April 2000
Dues vs. Fees, Part Two: At recent Long Range Planning Workshops, comments were made regarding the issue of fees assessed for various activities or adult education programs at our temple. The question became: "Shouldn't our dues cover the cost of these activities?"
The answer to this question lies partly in our dues policy, and partly in the diversity of our membership. As a guideline, each member is asked to contribute 2% of gross income. In applying this guideline, each of us is expected to pay at least the actual cost of membership, which may vary each year. This cost to sustain a membership is determined by dividing the budget for the new year by the number of member households. For the new fiscal year, which begins July 1, that cost of membership continues to be $100 a month, or $1,200 a year, though our operating expenses will continue to rise.
The economic diversity of Albuquerque is reflected in our congregation: 71.4% of our members pledged less than $100 a month this year. The membership policy of Congregation Albert ensures that all are welcome regardless of ability to pay the actual cost of membership and we rely heavily on members who pay more than the actual cost of their membership. This leaves us with the dilemma of trying to keep dues affordable (and increases to a minimum), while continuing to provide rewarding programs.
Program Expenses: There are obvious expenses associated with any program or activity. Just opening the doors to our building creates expenses that need to be offset by either budgeted dollars or user fees. The lights must be on and someone needs to clean up when we leave. Guest speakers, leaders or lecturers, food and materials often add to these costs. Occasionally, a member of our congregation will help defray some of these added costs by making a generous contribution. This is something for all of us to consider. And it is important to note that the committees who sponsor these activities go to great lengths to keep fees as low as possible.
Adult education courses provide scholarships to those who are unable to pay the full tuition. Our policy is to be as inclusive as possible, while retaining our fiscal responsibility to you, our members.
Dues Pledges: To help in this effort, you can increase your dues pledge for next year. Formally, we are suggesting a minimum increase of 5%. But, if you can do more, we encourage you to do so. Consider, too, joining one of our leadership pledge circles, if you've not already done so:
Guardian Circle $250/month or higher Pillar Circle $125 to $249/month
Please remember: completed pledge forms are due back to the office by April 15th.
Dues vs. fees. To keep dues affordable for all, program fees are sometimes needed to offset expenses. One way or another, we must cover all of our expenses and try to maintain a balance between being inclusive and being fiscally responsible.
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