Spring 2005 Newsletter : Is WPSA membership good value for money?
Do you think that your annual subscription to the Branch represents good value for money? Is the cost of the Branch Annual Meeting worth what you are asked to pay? Following Christmas, the High Street retailers tell us that we are all becoming more 'picky' about what we spend our money on, and more skilled at looking for bargains, so it is probably a good time to ask whether what we pay to WPSA is really worth it.
As Secretary of the UK Branch, I am sure that I know the answer, but let me set out a few facts of which members may not be aware:
- Your £20 individual membership subscription includes four issues
per year of the World's Poultry Science Journal, but did you know that non-members
have to pay £95 per year for this highly regarded publication? (...and
students pay only £10!)
- Out of your annual £20 membership subscription the UK Branch pays
the World body $20 to cover its international running costs, subsidies to
developing countries and producing the Journal and a further £1.15
to the European Federation of Branches for its own activities, Working Groups
etc - total about £11.80. This leaves about only £8 per ordinary
member for running the Branch.
- Out of this £8, plus the considerable interest on its investments,
the Branch makes several generous student awards each year, to encourage
young people to take an interest in poultry science, pays its own running
costs, its Newsletter and very heavily subsidizes the Annual meeting and
the publication of the papers.
- This year the £65 early booking fee for the Annual Meeting, which
is really very cheap compared with most commercial events, will in fact be
subsidized by the Branch by at least a further £50 per head to cover
the facilities at York, speakers expenses and publication of the papers.
Is this good value for money? I think so!
John Parsons, Editor and Branch Secretary