Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: AOBA Shennanigans/subsidiary
A comment regarding the previous characterization of one of the "benefactor"
benefits, the excel spreadsheet of AOBA membership.
We have never received more than 4 emails (in one year) from any benefactor,
in spite of the fact that they all have the email roster. In fact, we've
never received any email from most of the benefactors. When a $5,000
benefactor uses the email roster to send out 4 emails in a year, they are
effectively paying for the privelege at $1,250 per mailing and they have to
do the mailing themselves. If they were not a benefactor, they could send
the same 4 email blasts for $200 each and AOBA would do the work. That
makes the membership excel spreadsheet one of the most expensive "free"
benefits of all.
If a direct email to fellow breeders fit in our marketing program, we'd
consider $200 a bargain, particularly when compared to becoming a benefactor
to achieve the same results.
Buying groceries, paying the house payment, filling up with gas are all a
much greater percentage of our annual gross income than that of many of the
benefactors. I don't see the grocery store, mortgage company or the gas
station cutting us a discount anytime soon just because we're not as
affluent as some of their other customers.
As for who "owns" AOBA... well, AOBA owns itself. And, because the members
do not own the association, (like all non-profits) the bylaws provide that
in the event of dissolution the assets must be passed on to another
non-profit organization, not distributed to members. We're members of
TXOLAN, and A-OK, but we do not "own" any part of the organizations. Many
folks are members of AARP... however, they do not "own" any part of the
organization. This is true of virtually every "membership" type
organization with the exception of "mutual" associations or cooperatives.
Hopefully A.M., the F&RG and the auction at Nationals will continue to
generate a profit. Since that profit is used to fund TV ads that generate
interest in alpacas across the country, we hope that profit will be
substantial, even after some income tax. The F&RG, about 15% of our
marketing budget, has directly translated to approximately 70% of our sales.
Just wish there were a couple of additional marketing venues with the same
ROI.
Jess
Jess & Cookie Bowers
Acres of Love Alpaca Ranch
Acres of Love Alpaca Transport
11006 N 92nd East Ave
Owasso, OK 74055-6531
(918) 327-3519
Fax (918) 272-0969
WWW.Acresoflove.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Heather Zeleny" <alpacatalk@westwind
To: <AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 7:29 PM
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: AOBA Shennanigans/
All I know is that participation in the FRG and Herdsire Editions and
anything above and beyond the Farm Membership in AOBA is a much larger
percentage of my annual gross income, from all sources, than from a lot
of our beloved "benefactors.
"benefactor" status were conferred to those of us who choose to
"donate" at the same percentage of our gross annual income as say, the
Forstners or AOA or Safley donates. What is $5000 to them? Pocket
change, really. I read on a post recently that the Magical Farms
auction brought in over $3 million this year. Other large farm auctions
bring in similar amounts. That $5000 "donation" to gain benefactor
status at AOBA costs them something like .00175% of the income just
from those auctions alone! That's not even close to their gross annual
income! Wanna know what .00175% of my total annual gross income is? I
won't tell, but the Farm Membership costs me a lot more than that!
So if you really want to level the playing field, AOBA should consider
this scheme rather than their current scheme. John Merrell's words on
this issue ring very very true. Many, I daresay most, alpaca breeders
do not have $1500 to "donate" to ABOA.
Heather
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posted by Chaddo at 6:49 PM
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