Chess Scotland Noticeboard

Membership Secretary · Moderator Joined: 30 Apr 2010 Posts: 22

In Nov 2010, I started this thread to publish membership information which, hopefully, will be of interest. If you have ideas/suggestions/questions/corrections please email me; membership@chessscotland.com

(1) STATISTICS
For example, here is a summary of membership renewal etc activity this month http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/August2011.pdf and totals since 1 August 2011 to date are http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/TotalsFromAug2011.pdf the totals for the year to 31 July 2011 are http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/TotalsFromAug2010.pdf

I have now added some charts http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/MembershipCharts.pdf

The loss of members who do not renew their membership is always sad because membership is essential for the future of Chess Scotland but it is great to be able to welcome new members; http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/NewMembers.pdf

The above information will be updated each month so that current information is always available.

(2) IMPORTANCE OF MEMBERSHIP
There will be no “preaching to the converted” here. It is fully recognised that Chess Scotland can continue to promote and support organised chess in Scotland because of the loyal support of so many chess players. Long may your membership continue; it is certainly appreciated.

Many of us might be reluctant to act as salesmen to encourage others to join Chess Scotland but, for example, it might do no harm to make people aware that you are a member, that in itself may encourage others to think along similar lines. After all, Basic Membership at £18-50 per year is only 5p per day.

(3) RECRUITING MEMBERS
When a player asks you, "Why should I join Chess Scotland. What is in it for me", possible answers you could give are:-

(a) Chess Scotland offers a number of services to players. Grading, website, magazine, arbiter training, representing Scotland internationally through FIDE, financial assistance to players representing Scotland in international competitions, maintaining a list of clearance checked coaches, arbiters, chaperons etc, organisation of Scottish Championship and SNCL.

(b) Membership of Chess Scotland is voluntary. Players can still play chess in Scotland as a non member; however, players might consider joining CS if they want to access certain services e.g. an itemised weekly update of their grade or a subscription to Scottish Chess magazine.

(c) Active players may consider it financially advantageous since most congresses offer an entry fee discount to members. Other financial advantages are (i) Chess Suppliers offer discounts to members and (ii) members subscribing to the magazine get a reduced price compared with a non-member buying individual copies.

(d) Players may simply wish to help support the work of the only national organisation which promotes organised chess for all.

(4) MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
When a membership is due for renewal, the player receives a letter of invitation to renew. The renewal invitations are distributed by a combination of email and snail mail. Payment can be made either by posting a cheque to the Membership Secretary or by PayPal. PayPal payment is most easily arranged by accessing the following link; http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/membership.htm A PayPal payment takes less than a minute and is both convenient and reliable.

(5) 100 CLUB
If you are a Life Member (therefore not paying an annual membership fee) but would like to continue to provide ongoing support, perhaps you might like to think about the 100 Club. Basically, half of the money raised goes to Chess Scotland and half is handed out in a monthly cash prize. Again, PayPal is an option, see; http://www.chessscotland.com/membership/membership.htm

If you are a Basic Member and would like to give more than 5p per day to chess, the 100 Cub could be an ideal way of increasing your support. Alternatively, you might like to upgrade your membership to Full Member and receive the magazine through the post. No need to wait to renewal date before upgrading. Drop me an email membership@chessscotland.com and I’ll work out your incremental payment for you.

If you are already a Full Member, options you might like to consider are Patron Membership, Life Membership or the 100 Club.

Please note, that 100 Club is only available to players over 16 years of age.