Why Start All Subsciptions in January?

Art, this is a situation that the current board inherited. There is only enough time and energy to reexamine so many policies in a given time. We haven't had anybody complain about it before you raised this question. I think it has to do with the way we keep track of memberships - the software, if you will.

What other groups that have magazines are you a member of? You don't say. And how big are they?

I will send the contents of your message around and see what we can find out.

GWH

HI. My understanding of why all of the memberships are from Jan to Jan of each year was to simplify the record keeping when the ACMOC was an all voluntary organization. It is alot easier to send out renewal notices once a year than sending them out a few at a time all year long. If I remember at one time the membership year was from June to June.
Thanks
Ken

What you say about simplification makes sense. I am also a member of the Association of Air Force Missileers, and they are constantly reminding those who are delinquent that they need to pay up, or be removed from the membership roles. The HCEA group does not put any information regarding when your membership expires on the address lable of the magazine, and this somewhat annoys me. The John Deere 2-Cylinder 'club' does not seem so much a 'club', as an interest promoting their annual show, and a 'clearinghouse' for certain information, along with the magazine.
As much as I hate to say it, very seldom do I have any reason to refer back to a magazine after I have read it. I do bring the ones I subscribe to home with me from work, but then I have to decide what to do with them, usually I will give them to someone who I would like to believe would also find them interesting. I do not throw them away, as I do magazines and such that I take to work, but do not subscibe to (i.e. the modern Popular Mechanics, or Popular Science (what a joke they have evolved into), Smithsonian, NewsMax, Consumers Report, etc., as they have no relevance to me at all, once they have been read. I treat books the same way, ones that really interest me, stay at home to be read in the future, this pile is always growing, others that somewhat interest me, will get brought back home again, and given away, and the 'quick reads, to kill time', are left on the rig, or tossed in the bin.
'Collectible Automobile' is a excellent magazine, but it just contains TOO much information, and is very hard for me to pick up and read, wheras, Hemmings 'Classic Car' is an easy and entertaining read. Same subject matter, but I almost regret subscibing to the one.
Sorry for being so long-winded, and I will renew my membership, but not knowing what I have missed in the past 2007 issues, will not keep me awake at night.
Thanks
Art

Art, another board member sent the following supplemental explanation.

"Another thought about why we do this: If we did it on a 12 month from join date, we would be forced to send out renewal notices by mail for each of 3000 members. By having them all come up at the same time, the notices can be inserted and sent with the magazine thus eliminating the need for multiple mailings. The human resources required to prepare and send out 250 notices (average) per month along with the postage is significant."

GWH