Ever since I joined the Club, it has been run as a ‘Sweat Equity’ operation. Members put in work to help the Club operate and that, in turn, keeps cost reasonable for everyone. There are a lot of talented members who donate their services to the overall Club operation.
To the best of my knowledge, only the Tow Pilots and CFI-Gs are compensated in any way, with a dues credit for the towing and training they provide. It’s been that way since at least the early 1980’s. Others who donate their services and talents are not compensated. The runways get smoothed and mowed, the hangar gets painted, the fleet is maintained, the winch was built from the ground up, the Hustler mower was rebuilt, the golf carts are maintained, the Wi-Fi network is maintained and monitored, the web site is actively managed and updated, plumbing issues are addressed. All without any compensation to the individuals who perform these services. Board and Committee members all serve without compensation. Only tow pilots and CFI-Gs are compensated.
Art Silverman brought up an interesting point last night that should be further investigated. If these tow and training payments are actually cash-flow positive, then that has some impact on how it should be managed. At the same time, we should look at how we handle any compensation that falls short of meeting the dues requirement. There are real costs to having members on a program that pays their dues over a season of activity. The dues for the CLGC and SSA are two of those real costs. That’s money the Club pays out on their behalf, expecting the tally to at least break even by the end of the season. Do we have a ‘True Up’ plan for the end of the season that makes sure the dues have been covered?
And if the tow and training activities are cash-flow positive, should other donated services be viewed in the same light? Do we compare the cost of having a landscape company come in and roll and mow the runway to ‘free’ labor we get from members who spend a few hours on the tractor or mowers to accomplish the job? Should those members be getting a dues credit for their work? I think you see the point.
So, more scenarios to think about. Just my view/opinion.
Best Regards,
John F. Phelan
From: Sky Soaring <webmaster@skysoaring.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 22:31
To: phelanjf@gmail.com
Subject: [Sky Soaring] New topic: General Discussion, Instructor & Tow Pilot Credits