VOTF, membership dues, and voting
Here is an email from my friend Paul Kendrick about Voice of the Faithful’s (VOTF) new dues policy and its role in VOTF’s February, 2010, election of officers.
Following Paul’s remarks, you’ll find a copy of a letter from the Chair of VOTF’s Board of Trustees about their new dues policy.
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Subject: VOTF announces amendment — new rules that will humiliate its less fortunate members
TO: VOTF LEADERSHIP
On October 20, 2009, Voice of the Faithful announced that its members will have to pay $50 ($85 per couple) if they want to vote in VOTF’s national elections. These members will be called “Voting Members”. All others will be called “Members,” but they will not be able to vote.
As such, VOTF has created two different classes of members, the “haves” and the “have-nots.”
In response to criticism about the creation of this caste system, VOTF leadership has now issued an amendment to the $50 rule.
In a statement issued on November 16, 2009 (see below), VOTF leaders now say that if a member cannot afford the $50 voting fee, he or she can file for a “hardship exemption.”
It’s humiliating.
Is it even possible for VOTF’s elite leadership to put themselves in the shoes of a VOTF member whose family is struggling financially because of a job loss?
Is it even possible for VOTF’s elite leadership to put themselves in the shoes of a retiree living from one Social Security payment to the next? Fifty dollars may be the difference between purchasing prescribed medication or doing without.
Is it even possible for VOTF’s elite leadership to put themselves in the shoes of a single mom with two kids whose worried sick about not being able to pay all the household bills this month?
And now, VOTF leaders want retirees and the working poor (or unemployed) to apply for a “hardship exemption” so that members who cannot afford the annual fee are able to vote in the VOTF national elections in February.
It’s humiliating.
Bishop Kenneth Untener asked that at every meeting in his diocese, no matter what the subject matter, the meeting begin with the following question: “How will what we are about to do here affect or enable the poor?”
__________________________________________________
Planning for the Future: Message on Dues
After the Board of Trustees announced its financial crisis in July, VOTF’s members responded with overwhelming generosity. Through mid-October, you have contributed $250,000 in response to an initial emergency appeal and to a call for sustaining financial commitments. Words cannot express the depths of our gratitude and the faith that you have renewed in the vision of VOTF.
To remain financially viable in the future, the Board has decided to modify its business plan to raise annual revenue. Instead of relying exclusively on regular electronic and postal solicitations for contributions, the Board is adopting a dues structure supplemented by targeted solicitations. We hope that all members will make annual dues payments and that those who can afford to do so will make additional contributions through solicitations issued during the year. For 2009, however, contributions made by members between January 1 and December 31 equal to or greater than the amounts listed below will satisfy dues payments for this year.
During the past two years, the costs of printing and mailing solicitations have risen, and, as with most for-profit and non-profit organizations, financial contributions have decreased significantly during the national economic crisis of the past few years. Despite substantial cost reductions during this same period, including a 35% cut in expenses in April 2009, VOTF’s cash reserves fell perilously low in July. After assessing the crisis, the Board concluded that VOTF could no longer sustain viable national operations with an unpredictable stream of income from periodic (or emergency) appeals. At its meeting on September 22, the Board decided to implement an annual dues structure, much like most non-profit organizations that provide member services. The Board projects that annual dues will provide a predictable source of about half of VOTF’s current total operating expenses (currently around $420,000). It will seek the rest through targeted mail solicitations, along with appeals to major donors and with applications to grant or foundation funding sources. The bottom-line is that VOTF will size its national operations budget consistent with the income from these combined sources.
The Board has set annual dues at $50 per individual or $85 per couple. Payment will entitle members to vote in the national election of Officers as well as in any other national election which might be held. These members will be called “Voting Members”. All others will be called “Members”, but they will not be able to vote. On an annual basis, VOTF will notify its members of the costs and payment date for dues. VOTF’s database records all contributions by members and will be the official reference for these payments. The Board will modify the By-Laws to implement this change.
As noted above, members’ contributions of at least $50 per individual or $85 per couple made between January 1 and December 31, 2009 will satisfy 2009 dues payments. Counted will be any contributions made through monthly automatic payments as well as online donations or contributions by cash or check, in response to general solicitations, the emergency appeal or the current solicitation of financial pledges. These members will receive a ballot to vote for national officers in February 2010.
If you want to make a dues payment for 2009 (see paragraph above for amounts counted toward 2009 dues), you can do so by clicking here to pay online or by mailing in your payment to P.O. Box 423, Newton, MA 02464.
In the meantime, VOTF will send this message by postal mail to any members that have not provided an email address so that they will receive notice of this significant change.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact the VOTF office at office@votf.org or 781.559.3360.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees,
Sincerely,
Bill Casey, Chair
8 Responses to “VOTF, membership dues, and voting”
November 21, 2009 at 4:45 am
It sounds as if the VOTF leadership instituted something similar to the poll tax used in Southern states to prevent Negroes and poor White trash from voting–to keep any uppity Members in place.
November 21, 2009 at 10:09 am
Thanks for the laugh
November 24, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Is it really helpful to VOTF or anyone else to continue these on-line, public attacks at VOTF national everytime they issue a press statement? I have certainly had my differences with the national leadership and the board but I no longer see any value for continuing the constant bickering. It will only serve to harden attitudes and will also continue to distort anything anyone says. As far as voting is concerned, why is it necessary to attribute bad will and intentional exclusivity to VOTF for a procedure/requirement that is very common in various organizations? The last national election turned into a travesty. Didn’t anyone learn anything from it? Do we need to start the attacks and accusations even before the election process has started? The complaining and back-biting is getting very old and very tiresome. I decided to back off from being constantly critical when I realized that all I was involved in doing was stoking resentments and creating more negative energy. Doing so does not promote communication and trust. It does not help those who have good will and an honest desire to help. It does not encourage people who are working through a different level of distrust for the eccdlesiastical institution and it surely doesn’t help the victims of clergy sex abuse. TPD
November 25, 2009 at 9:28 pm
VOTF needs funds and this seems to be a good way to get them. Voluntary contributions don’t seem to have met their needs.
November 26, 2009 at 1:08 am
[...] Here is Tom Doyle’s comment on a recent VOTF-related post on this blog. [...]
November 26, 2009 at 2:00 am
I don’t know where people objecting to the collection of dues in support of VotF think the money comes from to keep the office working, and support necessary activities. At some point we have to face reality, and put some money on the line, big or small. Some of us have been doing it from the beginning, and thankfully there are still people with the energy to keep going. Some of them will get their reward in heaven.
Let’s try to squeeze out a few dollars for a very good cause. We are still standing!
Peggy Sullivan
November 26, 2009 at 9:24 am
Dear Friends,
You may seem to want to be doing something for the people of GOD (i.e. ALL God’s chidren, I hope)
but this is the last straw for me… I quite agree that the comparison to the poll tax in the South (and
NORTH?) is revealing- re: the nature of your decision, so count me out of your particular ‘club’. There are other “semper reformanda” groups who do not need to hang on so tightly to a business world idea rather than trusting God… Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker Houses of Hospitality come to mind. Guess
I’ll send them a good will offering. Peace and blessings upon all. Elizabeth
November 30, 2009 at 5:43 am
Hello VOTF friends —
I was one of the primary supporters / promoters of the concept of dues as a membership criteria
for VOTF. I am glad to see that this concept (which was rejected and / or sidelined by VOTF HQ
several years) has finally been approved by the Bd of Trustees.
Part of the idea behind having dues was to get a more accurate assessment of how many “real” members VOTF has. For years, VOTF HQ has consistently maintained that the organization has
30,000 “members”. But since there was no measureable criteria for “membership”, there was no way to ascertain whether the 30,000 figure was “bogus” or for-real. Yes, it is lovely to be able to claim a
nationwide membership of 30,000 persons — it’s a wonderful figure for impressing the national news media (and scaring the bishops?) But it is not very honest or fair to claim 10’s of thousands of members when youhave no proof whatsoever to back up your claim.
In fact, commonsense, including a steep decline in the number of active local chapters,
combined with scads of “dead” email addresses, tells us that the 30,000 figure is HUGELY OVERBLOWN.
I personally believe that the actual number of persons who considers themselves active members of
VOTF is probably closer to 3,000 than to 30,000 — and dues payment will tell us where the truth lies in the game of membership numbers. Granted, a much-reduced membership number may leave VOTF HQ
with some egg on their face, since they have been trying to conceal the fact that active participation
in the organization has been declining for several years now. However, at least with a more realistic
membership number, we will have a “base” figure from which to measure our growth — and the
desire to make that growth happen.
When I first propsed a dues structure 3 years ago, I suggested $20 as a “Basic” membership fee
(and even suggested that amount could be made in two payments for those on a seriously limited income). A membership fee of $20 would provide a foundation of dollars for doing the work of the organization. It would also screen out those who want to derail VOTF by voting in our elections and
/ or causing problems on Listservs, etc. I think we all remember the utter and complete disaster that was the case in the last VOTF election cycle, both in regard to the comments posted on the Election website, to the fraud in the voting procedure itself — an absolute HORROR STORY!
But the Bd of Trustees, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to recommend $50 for single memberships,
and $85 for couples. Personally, I think that those numbers are too high, especially given the severe
economic recession that many of us are currently experiencing.
Consequently, I think that VOTF HQ ought to allow a “sliding scale” of dues ranging from $20 to $100
with suggested dues payments based on income levels. VOTF HQ would have to rely on the
“honor system” for ppl determining what amt to send in for their dues payment. However, it is my
belief that most VOTF members will pick a number that is close to what they can honestly afford —
and as a result, there will be no exclusions of those who truly want to participate in VOTF elections,
(while at the same time, weeding out those who simply want to sow havoc and dissension).
Those are my thoughts on the dues question . . . let’s pay what we can, to help the organization
stay afloat. PEACE everybody!
Dee O’Neal — former Region 7 (IL, IN, WIS) Rep
factual evidence for that that statistic.
But common sense, and declining numbers of Local groups, tell us that the 30,000 figure is HUGELY
overblown, touted by HQ mainly for PR purposes (to scare the bishops?) Sooner or later the press,
if they are paying attention at all, comes to realize that 30,000 is a “sham” number — and then that
realization leads to a demand for a true “measureable” number — hence the suggestion that VOTF
should have dues so as to get a sense of how many persons are actually interested / following the
activities of VOTF.
Having a dues structure solves two problems at once — it gives VOTF a
real number of persons who consider themselves members of VOTF is probably only 1/10 that amount
– 3,000 rather than 30,000.