Support of the SRGC

[Maggi Young]

The SRGC advertising manager has made  introduced a new topic:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8656.0 - Advertising with the SRGC.


This highlights the number of  readers of these pages, and sellers, who benefit from the service provided here by the SRGC but who contribute no financial support to the continuation of the service.
So, a heart felt plea to all of you reading this.... if you  read these pages and enjoy what you see and would like the chance to have this continue, please consider some alternatives.....

a) Join the SRGC and support our effort and gain all the other benefits of membership as well.

b) Make a donation to our funds by clicking on the Paypal donate button. No paypal account is needed and the system is a secure server.

c) If you are a nursery/business person, consider taking SRGC advertising in the twice yearly journal, The Rock Garden.


Remember, this forum is widely available... but there are costs involved in maintaining an online presence, as with any other aspect of a club.

Please show you support for the SRGC by following one of the suggestions above.... your action will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Carolyn Walker]

Maggi, I had been wanting to make a donation to the SRGC but the message that appears at the top of the page sounds like you need a Paypal account, which I don't have.  It was nice you clarified this in the post, but perhaps you should revise the actual message.  Second problem, so I clicked on the button to donate, and you have to donate in pounds.  I don't know how this will work on my credit card because I have been charged outrageous fees in the past for paying for something in foreign currency.  Any guidance?  Can I mail the SRGC a check?  Carolyn

Edit : see http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=8657.msg266148#msg266148 to learn that when an amount in Sterling (GBP) isentered you will be charged the equivalent in your own currency

[Alan_b]

a) Join the SRGC and support our effort and gain all the other benefits of membership as well.

I would love to join and gain all the benefits of membership but as I live in the south of England I would gain very few of them.  Would the SRGC consider expanding to cover anywhere with a significant number of members, even if this is not in Scotland?  So that if enough of us joined down here we could start to organise SRGC events?  Please ask your committee - I would definitely join if they answered in the affirmative.

[ChrisB]

Alan,  I know Maggi will respond to this, but as subs secretary.  I'm in Northumberland and we have a group affiliated* to SRGC despite being south of the border and a similar one in the North West,  so I'm sure the council would welcome such a group forming and you would get full backing from the council.  Our constitution states:  Local Groups exist or may be formed whenever the members in an area wish to associate for meetings o other Club activities including shows.  After recognition of a Group by the Council the Group Convener or his deputy shall be a member of the Group Conveners Committee and the Show Secretary shall be a member of he Show Secretaries Committee.  I can pm you a copy of our constitution if you want to look at it.

*all our groups are self supporting, regardless of where they are.

[Anthony Darby]

Not sure if cheques from countries other than the UK can be paid into UK accounts. I am still keeping my membership as I feel the bulletins alone are worth the money. I also benefit from the seed exchange and the Forum.

[Maggi Young]

Alan,  I know Maggi will respond to this, but as subs secretary.  I'm in Northumberland and we have a group affiliated* to SRGC despite being south of the border and a similar one in the North West,  so I'm sure the council would welcome such a group forming and you would get full backing from the council.  Our constitution states:  Local Groups exist or may be formed whenever the members in an area wish to associate for meetings o other Club activities including shows.  After recognition of a Group by the Council the Group Convener or his deputy shall be a member of the Group Conveners Committee and the Show Secretary shall be a member of he Show Secretaries Committee.  I can pm you a copy of our constitution if you want to look at it.

*all our groups are self supporting, regardless of where they are.

 Christine is quite correct and has explained  ratherwell, I think.   



I think that Anthony's response is telling..... and is backed up by the percentage of  SRGC members who live overseas .... around half, I think: they seem to find that membership is worth it for them. 

[Martin Baxendale]

I left Scotland at the age of 12 but I keep up my membership down here in Gloucestershire because, like Anthony, I've found it worthwhile for the journals alone, let alone the forum and seed exchange.

[Maggi Young]

Carolyn, I will ask WebMaster Fred to make the change you suggest to indicate more clearly that one need not have a paypal account to use it. (He's away right now)

I am not entirely sure about the mechanics of paypal costs . We have a paypal account and the fees for payments in other currencies are very small... but I cannot say for sure what they are for payments using credit cards : I will look into this and report back.

[Lesley Cox]

I have to agree absolutely with Anthony. Membership gives one a lot more than the Forum itself, brilliant though that is. The Journals are quite different from the AGS Bulletins (not better, not worse, just different) and worth every penny/cent of the sub and then there's the seedlist too. I had amazing species from my allocation this year. No local group, no shows but in effect, the Forum is my local group and heaven knows it shows me plants I would never see and learn about otherwise. Lots of chances to express my opinion too. (I read on some man's t-shirt on Saturday "Everyone is entitled to my opinion."  I agree. ). So take the plunge Alan and join. It has kept me interested since 1964!

[Lesley Cox]

We can pay cheques in NZ dollars into Australian and UK accounts at the appropriate rate. There are some small costs at this end but none for the recipient. The real disadvantage, is that they take (the banks claim) 1 full month to clear. Ridiculous.

[Carolyn Walker]

I am a little confused about "join the forum" versus "donate to the forum".  Are they two different things?  Can I join on line?  Do US members get any of the benefits people have been talking?

[Maggi Young]

Carolyn, it is possible to "join" the Forum by registering to be able to post.... one need not be an  SRGC member to do so... naturally, we  hope that those folks who do register or even who read the fourm regularly and enjoy it might consider either joining the Club as a full member (in which case they get the benefits of the twice yearly journal and the seed exchange plus a local group to attend if applicable) or giving a donation to the Club, via the paypal button, to help  keep the website going.

We now also  have the capacity for members joining the main SRGC online to use the paypal method, if they wish.

As some have kindly  said, the benefits from use of the the SRGC Website alone, with the Bulb Log and IRG , Show Reports etc and the use of the forum  are thought by many to be worth keeping in operation

[Maggi Young]

Thanks and congratulations to those of you who have been moved to join the SRGC or to make a donation.
Even a small donation from the many readers who gravitate to these pages every year would be a real boost to SRGC costs.

For those wishing to savour all the benefits of SRGC Membership, see this area in the main website :
The membership options begin here :
http://www.srgc.org.uk/member/member.html

 

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

I'm another of the foreigners who is a financial member of the club as well as a member of this forum.  I joined basically to get the journals, but more so to say Thank You for all the wonderful enjoyment I get on these forums, and all the friends I've made.  I know that it costs money to the society to run this sort of thing (i.e the bandwidth and hosting etc), so my membership has been to help in covering some of these costs as well as for my own benefit journal-wise.  I have never yet taken part in the seed exchange....I've always had something else come up at the time and it never happens.   I still maintain my membership though, regardless.

The more of us that join, the better the club is financially and therefore the more projects they can support.  I think it is a good cause, given how much time I spend up here.

[Sue Beatty]

I live in Canada and I took out a membership last year.  I knew I could use the forum free but I also know it costs money to keep it going.  I don't have a lot of time to spend on the forum but on occasion (like today) when I have a question and I can't find the answer then I can come here for help.  I love the journals - great articles to help me learn and yearn from those pictures.  The seed exchange makes it worthwhile even without the rest - tho it's not why I joined, it's a bonus.  I feel blessed to be a member even if I'm too far away to physically meet you all.