🚀 go-pugleaf

     Mark Olson said:

     >Reducing fees would leave CIPS trapped in the cycle of
     >low revenue =  few services = limited membership value = stagnant
     > membership = low revenue.

     The best ways to increase revenue is to increase membership.  The
     approach of saving money and collecting the same revenue is similar to
     the corporate strategies of downsizing corporations by streamlining
     and not passing the benefits onto the ultimate consumers.

     >I see this as an opportunity for CIPS to develop the services which
     > makes a CIPS membership a "must have" item for all IS professionals
     > without having to increase membership costs.

     I agree that this concept has merit.  The development of these
     services brings  CIPS into the nineties delivery.  By investing and
     providing online services and more, we'll create an organization that
     people will want to be a part of.  From the client/server people I've
     talked to here in Ottawa, the CIPS image is not related to current
     technology.

     Don't take all of the cost savings back to the members, but give them
     some!  Here's an example of what I'd propose (est cost savings $10 for
     argument sake per CIPS member)
        Original CIPS membership:          $150
        New CIPS 'online' membership       $145
        New CIPS 'mailing' membership      $155

     Recognize the difference in costs, and allow people to benefit in some
     small way.  The online members will appreciate a small decrease(they
     won't get the pictures & graphics as readily), and the people who
     continue to wish for paper based mailing won't mind the small
     increase.

     >Doubling or tripling  membership numbers would then provide the
     >economies of scale which  could allow a reduction in fees.

     History in other organizations I've followed show that if sales
     increase, the extra money is re-invested, and doesn't result in fee
     reduction.

     Gary Scherling
     Helping people help themselves
     http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/GScherling_GMS_TPN