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Old 16-12-2008, 05:55 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
Diana Kulaga[_5_] Diana Kulaga[_5_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,086
Default aos membership redux

Janet,

I can't answer for Tennis, but I can tell you what our costs are, roughly.

Once a year, we volunteer to pay for a lunch for the judges at their WPB
center. Not all societies do it. We choose to. The cost is never more than
$100, and generally less. We don't even need to go down and deliver the
food.

As for the show, we do need to have a photographer in case of awards. I
think he got around $45/awarded plant last year. We also ask him to judge
our photo entries (we have a category for orchid photography).

I don't recall how much our hospitality budget was for the show last year,
but it was money well spent and IMO not a lot. We offer fruit & cheese,
along with soft drinks, on set up day. The other societies (not to mention
our own members) and the vendors need a break in the middle of the day. We
would do this whether the show was AOS sanctioned or not. Coffee, donuts,
bagels, fruit and whatever are available throughout the show, in the break
room. After the judges lunch, we provide the vendors with lunch on that one
day. This isn't fancy stuff, just sandwiches and side salads.

We are still getting AQ, but it is becoming less necessary with the advent
of OrchidWiz. As most now know, OW is not expensive to maintain. Anyhow,
that too is a minor expense in the grand scheme of things.

There is the cost of trophies, but we always have enough sponsors to cover
that. Many of our members sponsor trophies, and most of the vendors do as
well. Those sponsorships also pay for the AOS show trophy. If we were doing
a "society judged" show, we'd still have to pay for ribbons and rosettes.
And none of the above addresses the impartiality of the judges. I doubt that
the same could be said of lay people from the society.

Bottom line for me: the minor costs associated with having the AOS imprint
on the show are well worth it. And, it's good to remember that the judges
are UNPAID (sorry for shouting) volunteers who have spent years of
apprenticeship, again, unpaid. The least we can do is buy 'em lunch a couple
of times a year.

I know times are tough for lots of folks, and that spills over to some
societies. Fortunately, we have a steady influx of new members, and that
keeps us fresh and on our toes. It also means that many of the people who
volunteered for various jobs over the years can take a well deserved break.

Just my 2 cents, again. Well, make that a nickel.

Diana


wrote in message
...
On Dec 15, 12:15 pm, tenman wrote:


'Contributions' to judging centers, Orchids, AQ - and the required
laptop, expenses associated with judging (photography, judges'
luncheons, judges' coupons, etc, add up to a sizeable portion of the
organizational budget. Revenue sources are becoiming less reliable and
budgets must be evaluated with an eye at ensuring solvency.




roughly how much does all that end up adding up to?

--j_a