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Main
Date: 24 Dec 2008 09:36:01
From: samsloan
Subject: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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Mike Nolan has just released statistics regarding trends ever since
the Goichberg "New Plan" went into effect, under which only "Premium"
USCF Members will get Chess Life magazine.
In advocating his "New Plan", President Goichberg estimated that 80%
would sign up for the premium membership and only 20% would take the
no-magazine-membership.
However, the statistics thus far have been the opposite. So far in
every membership category except for adults, more than 70% of all new
and renewing members are taking the no magazine choice.
President Goichberg calls this a great success. Here is an exact quote
from President Goichberg.
"The Young Adult, Youth, and Scholastic numbers look great, with 2186
total memberships compared to 1868 during the same time last year,
even though the net we retain per member just increased. Maybe two
weeks isn't enough of a sample to get excited about, though.
"Bill Goichberg"
When Goichberg says that "numbers look great", he means that more
members are joining and we get to keep more of their money because we
do not have to send them Chess Life magazine. However, past experience
shows that members who do not receive a magazine do not renew.
Therefore the slight increase in memberships so far under the new plan
will be more than offset by the fact that few of them will rejoin. In
addition, it is likely that many those who are joining as "regular
members" now do not realize that they will not be receiving Chess Life
magazine, and will be angry and feel cheated with the magazine fails
to arrive.
Here are the statistics released by Mike Nolan:
"We now have two full weeks of data since the higher rates for premium
scholastic, youth and young adult memberships went into effect on
December
1st. (The premium adult rate goes from $41 to $42 on January 1st, but
I
don't see that as having a major impact.)
Here's a summary of the memberships processed in the last two weeks:
Type Total Premium Family Regular
Adult 480 310 (64.6%) 30 ( 6.2%) 140 (29.1%)
Young Adult 329 91 (27.7%) 56 (17.0%) 182 (55.3%)
Youth 326 95 (29.1%) 21 (70.9%)
Scholastic 1531 403 (26.3%) 1129 (73.7%)
By way of comparison, in the first two weeks of December 2007 we sold
a
total of 476 adult memberships, 247 young adult memberships, 326
youth memberships and 1295 scholastic memberships.
--
Mike Nolan
Sam Sloan
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Date: 08 Feb 2009 13:36:45
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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[quote="nolan"]I'm not sure I understand the question, Sam.
The lowered rates for 'regular' adult and 'regular' scholastic
memberships went into effect on September 24th, at which point the
higher rates became the 'premium' rates, and any one who paid the
higher rates, whether that was before September 24th or afterwards, is
entitled to a mailed publication. The 'premium' rates went up in
December (January 1st for premium adult.)
If that's not the question you were asking, you will need to be more
specific.
Mike Nolan [/quote]
My question is: If a regular member (not a premium member) joined on
or after December 1, 2008, does he get to receive Chess Life magazine
in the mail. It December 1, 2008 the cut off date after which anybody
who joins as a regular member no longer will receive a magazine in the
US Postal Service mail? If December 1, 2008 is not the date, then what
is the date after which regular members who joined no longer receive a
magazine in the postal mail?
Also, at one point the board informed the Life Members that they can
provide no assurance that they will continue to receive Chess Life in
the mail after 2010. Later after the $350,000 bequest arrived, the
date was pushed back to 2011.
Am I correct on this? Is 2011 the date after which the current board
no longer guarantees to life members the right to receive Chess Life
magazine in the mail? If 2011 is not the correct date, then what is
the correct date?
Sam Sloan
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Date: 08 Feb 2009 13:10:45
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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[quote="tsawmiller"]Time for some issues questions. Mr. Lafferty,
what is your position regarding Life Membership in the USCF, and the
LMA fund? Are you in favor of continuing the former? Are you
committed to fully funding the latter, and protecting the right of
Life Members to keep receiving a paper CHESS LIFE magazine, should
they desire to keep receiving it?
Tim Sawmiller [/quote]
You did not ask this question of me (perhaps because you already know
what my answer would be) but my answer would be "yes". I am committed
to protecting the right of Life Members to keep receiving a paper
CHESS LIFE magazine, should they desire to keep receiving it? I am
also committed to restoring to all regular members the right to
receive a paper "Chess Life" magazine and to all scholastic members
the right to receive a paper "Chess Life for Kids" magazine.
The USCF still receives $3.2 million in annual revenues. We can easily
afford to continue to send a paper printed magazine to our members.
By the way, I am not a life member myself.
Mike Nolan, could you please tell me the cut off date when those who
renewed their regular or regular scholastic memberships were no longer
entitled to receive Chess Life in the mail?
Sam Sloan
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Date: 26 Dec 2008 00:00:17
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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PRINT VS. ONLINE CHESS LIFE
When the Chess Life plan kicks in and an appreciable number of members
no longer receive anything tangible for their money then we will will
learn, rather definitively, whether the new Goichberg model means the
president will get his chance to buy the USCF at a fire-sale price and
replace it with the USCCF or whether it turns out that he and
governmentalized Oberphlonkdooper Randy Bauer are really on to
something. In which case, we critics eat crow.
The Oberphlonkdooper, wearing a black uniform with silver buttons, a
red swastika armband and black-leather uniform strap, will strut about
Executive Board meetings, sporting metal taps on the heels of his
tall, shiny black boots. He may even show up at Delegates' Meetings
in this regalia along with a monocle to add a bit of sophistication to
the act.
The scene will be intolerable. But we shall have to bear it, grind
our teeth and finally have to admit that Oberphlonkdooper Bauer was
right.
Which brings up the more lachrymose subject of why the
Oberphlonkdooper is, alas, almost certainly wrong. There are, in
truth, very few regular tournament-playing members of the USCF. A
majority in my time at the Federation -- and likely still a large
number these days -- did not play a single tournament game during a
given year. They were obviously members for a single reason: to
receive the tangible benefit of something to hold in their hands,. It
was and still is called Chess Life.
Our Oberphlonkdooper figures that something appearing online from the
USCF will satisfy those who are accustomed to a real magazine that
they read at night in bed, that they consult while answering nature's
call, that they take over to the homes of friends, that they carry to
work to consult during lunch hour and the like.
We will be discovering who is right. If we are correct, the
Oberphlonkpooper, a natural if deliberate typo, will slink away from
the Federation that he did so much to destroy -- unless, to be sure,
his motives were dishonest, in which case he will become part of the
USCCF. If the Oberphlonkdooper gets it right, then we end up at an
intellectual Auschwitz, or worse, having to take the man's gas.
Yours, Larry Parr
Randy Bauer wrote:
> On Dec 25, 6:57?am, samsloan <[email protected]> wrote:
> > [quote="marknibb"][quote="artichoke"]I guess that some who purchased
> > Regular memberships did not understand that CL will not arrive in the
> > mail, so they are asking how to upgrade.
> >
> > Are some asking for their money back? ?I hope not many.[/quote]
> >
> > Did I also read that member count is up, revenue is up, costs are
> > down. ?Do we know how many are asking for the upgrade?
> >
> > Mark Nibbelin [/quote]
> >
> > Costs are down because we no longer have to send them the magazine.
> > Now, every penny paid by USCF members to join is pure profit, now that
> > we do not have to provide them with a magazine or any service at all
> > in return for their money.
> >
> > This is the brilliant feature of the Goichberg "New Plan" that was
> > passed by the delegates in August.
> >
> > Sam Sloan
>
> An absurd reading of the situation. We still publish Chess Life and
> have all the costs associated with doing so (although we will save
> some on printing and mailing costs). We still maintain a rating
> system and all the costs associated with doing so. We still organize
> national tournaments, support various chess activities, etc.
>
> One would think Mr. Sloan would know that, wouldn't one? Or is this
> just his typical hyperbole?
>
> Randy Bauer
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Date: 25 Dec 2008 07:49:52
From: Randy Bauer
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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On Dec 25, 6:57=A0am, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> [quote=3D"marknibb"][quote=3D"artichoke"]I guess that some who purchased
> Regular memberships did not understand that CL will not arrive in the
> mail, so they are asking how to upgrade.
>
> Are some asking for their money back? =A0I hope not many.[/quote]
>
> Did I also read that member count is up, revenue is up, costs are
> down. =A0Do we know how many are asking for the upgrade?
>
> Mark Nibbelin [/quote]
>
> Costs are down because we no longer have to send them the magazine.
> Now, every penny paid by USCF members to join is pure profit, now that
> we do not have to provide them with a magazine or any service at all
> in return for their money.
>
> This is the brilliant feature of the Goichberg "New Plan" that was
> passed by the delegates in August.
>
> Sam Sloan
An absurd reading of the situation. We still publish Chess Life and
have all the costs associated with doing so (although we will save
some on printing and mailing costs). We still maintain a rating
system and all the costs associated with doing so. We still organize
national tournaments, support various chess activities, etc.
One would think Mr. Sloan would know that, wouldn't one? Or is this
just his typical hyperbole?
Randy Bauer
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Date: 25 Dec 2008 04:57:34
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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[quote="marknibb"][quote="artichoke"]I guess that some who purchased
Regular memberships did not understand that CL will not arrive in the
mail, so they are asking how to upgrade.
Are some asking for their money back? I hope not many.[/quote]
Did I also read that member count is up, revenue is up, costs are
down. Do we know how many are asking for the upgrade?
Mark Nibbelin [/quote]
Costs are down because we no longer have to send them the magazine.
Now, every penny paid by USCF members to join is pure profit, now that
we do not have to provide them with a magazine or any service at all
in return for their money.
This is the brilliant feature of the Goichberg "New Plan" that was
passed by the delegates in August.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 24 Dec 2008 21:48:39
From: Randy Bauer
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
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On Dec 24, 2:08=A0pm, samsloan <[email protected] > wrote:
> Note that how carefully Bill Goichberg shades the statistics.
>
> There is an old saying, "You can lie with statistics", and Bill
> clearly does that here.
>
> The statistics that Bill Goichberg ignores are the following:
>
> Young Adult =A0 =A0329 =A0 =A0 =A0 91 (27.7%) =A0 56 (17.0%) =A0 =A0182 (=
55.3%)
> Youth =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0326 =A0 =A0 =A0 95 (29.1%) =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A021 (70.9%)
> Scholastic =A0 =A01531 =A0 =A0 =A0403 (26.3%) =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0=
=A01129 (73.7%)
>
> This shows that the three most important categories, including
> Scholastics, which are the majority of all paid memberships (that is
> not counting life members) 73.7% took the no-magazine membership.
> Similarly, 70.9% of Youth members opted not to receive the magazine
> and 55.3% Young Adult members chose not to pay for the magazine.
>
> Only the adults, a much smaller and steadily declining number, were
> willing to pay extra for the magazine.
>
> Then, at the bottom, Bill states:
>
> " I expect that not counting Scholastic (who receive Chess Life for
> Kids if choosing a paper magazine), over 80% of our members will
> receive the paper Chess Life"
>
> Read this carefully. He writes "not counting scholastics =A0... if
> choosing a paper magazine."
>
> But, as shown above, 73.7% of scholastics chose not to receive the
> magazine.
>
> The USCF might as well stop the publication of Chess Life for Kids if
> so few are going to receive it. Indeed, that was the proposal this
> last Summer. Bill Hall was circulating a proposal to stop the
> publication of "Chess Life for Kids" to "save money". Bill Goichberg
> came up with his "new plan" to keep "Chess Life for Kids" going a
> little longer rather than close it down immediately.
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> On Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 2:39 PM, <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> =A0 =A0 Postby chessoffice on Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:19 pm #121170
> =A0 =A0 USCF has now been collecting Young Adult, Youth and Scholastic
> memberships under our revised dues structure for three weeks (since
> Dec 1), with the following results:
>
> =A0 =A0 YOUNG ADULT
> =A0 =A0 Old: $25 with $2 affiliate commission and monthly paper Chess
> Life.
> =A0 =A0 New Premium: $32 with $3 affiliate commission and monthly paper
> Chess Life.
> =A0 =A0 New Regular: $24 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
> Chess Life.
> =A0 =A0 Family: The Family Type 2 rate was raised from $35 to $44.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2007, 287 Young Adult memberships
> were received, plus 58 Type 2 Family Memberships, an average of $25.32
> per membership, a total of $9671.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2008, 353 Young Adult memberships
> were received (131 Premium, 222 Regular), plus 66 Type 2 Family
> Memberships, an average of $28.03 per membership, a total of $13145.
>
> =A0 =A0 YOUTH
> =A0 =A0 Old: $19 with $2 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper Chess
> Life.
> =A0 =A0 New Premium: $27 with $3 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper
> Chess Life.
> =A0 =A0 New Regular: $20 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
> Chess Life.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2007, 421 Youth memberships were
> received, an average of $17.52 per membership, a total of $8201.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2008, 369 Youth memberships were
> received (106 Premium, 263 Regular), an average of $20.41 per
> membership, a total of $8532.
>
> =A0 =A0 SCHOLASTIC
>
> =A0 =A0 Old: $17 with $2 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper Chess
> Life for Kids.
> =A0 =A0 New Premium: $23 with $3 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper
> Chess Life for Kids.
> =A0 =A0 New Regular: $16 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
> Chess Life for Kids.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2007, 1731 Scholastic memberships
> were received, an average of $15.79 per membership, a total of $29359.
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of 2008, 1792 Scholastic memberships
> were received (482 Premium, 1310 Regular), an average of $16.19 per
> membership, a total of $31820.
>
> =A0 =A0 TOTAL YOUNG ADULT, YOUTH, SCHOLASTIC
>
> =A0 =A0 Total memberships collected in these three categories: 2580 in
> 2008 and 2497 in 2007, an increase of 3.3%. Total revenue is $53497 in
> 2008 and $47231 in 2007, an increase of over 13%. In addition, there
> should be a savings on magazine printing and postage for these members
> of $6000 to $7000.
>
> =A0 =A0 ADULT
>
> =A0 =A0 Adult dues have not gone up; the online price will rise slightly
> from $41 to $42 on Jan 1. Since late September, a Regular Adult option
> with online only magazine has been offered for $12 less than Premium
> Adult with monthly hard copy magazine, and over 75% of Adult members
> have opted to pay the higher fee that includes the paper magazine.
> During this period, it is unclear to me whether Adult member numbers
> have been better or worse than the same period last year. During the
> first three weeks of December, we received 751 Adult memberships (522
> Premium, 193 Regular, 36 Family) compared to 680 (638 Premium, 42
> Family) last year. The average collected per adult declined from
> $42.08 to $38.68, but Adult revenue increased from $34635 in 2007 to
> $36208 in 2008, and there will be about a $2500 savings on these
> members for printing and postage.
>
> =A0 =A0 SENIOR
>
> =A0 =A0 Senior dues remained the same if paid online, but with no
> affiliate commission. If paid by mail or phone, they increased by $7
> on Dec 1. In the first three weeks of December, Senior memberships did
> very well, with 177 collected compared to 119 for the same period last
> year. There was also an increase in the percentage of Seniors joining
> for two or three years, with multiyear Senior memberships going from
> 16.8% to 26.6% of the total. Overall, Senior membership revenue during
> this period in 2008 was $9184, compared to $5135 in 2007.
>
> =A0 =A0 CHESS LIFE CIRCULATION
>
> =A0 =A0 During the first three weeks of December, in the three major
> categories that include a monthly hard copy Chess Life (Regular,
> Senior, Young Adult), 830 memberships with hard copy magazine were
> received, compared to 214 without the magazine, or 79.5% with the
> magazine. Youth memberships with bimonthly paper Chess Life declined
> from 263 to 106, but most Life and Sustaining members are expected to
> choose the paper magazine after they receive their letter giving them
> a choice, which should go out soon. So overall, I expect that not
> counting Scholastic (who receive Chess Life for Kids if choosing a
> paper magazine), over 80% of our members will receive the paper Chess
> Life. It should also be noted that those choosing the "Regular"
> options with online only magazine will receive a bimonthly 16 page
> bulletin (for Regular Scholastic, the bulletin will be sent every four
> months).
>
> =A0 =A0 Bill Goichberg
>
> =A0 =A0 In a message dated 12/24/2008 9:48:26 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
>
> [email protected] writes:
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Mike Nolan has just released statistics regarding trends =
ever
> since the Goichberg "New Plan" went into effect, under which only
> "Premium" USCF Members will get Chess Life magazine.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 In advocating his "New Plan", President Goichberg estimat=
ed
> that 80% would sign up for the premium membership and only 20% would
> take the no-magazine-membership.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 However, the statistics thus far have been the opposite. =
So
> far in every membership category except for adults, more than 70% of
> all new and renewing members are taking the no magazine choice.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 President Goichberg calls this a great success. Here is a=
n
> exact quote from President Goichberg.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 "The Young Adult, Youth, and Scholastic numbers look grea=
t,
> with 2186 total memberships compared to 1868 during the same time last
> year, even though the net we retain per member just increased. =A0Maybe
> two weeks isn't enough of a sample to get excited about, though.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 "Bill Goichberg"
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 When Goichberg says that "numbers look great", he means t=
hat
> more members are joining and we get to keep more of their money
> because we do not have to send them Chess Life magazine. However, past
> experience shows that members who do not receive a magazine do not
> renew. Therefore the slight increase in memberships so far under the
> new plan will be more than offset by the fact that few of them will
> rejoin. In addition, it is likely that many those who are joining as
> "regular members" now do not realize that they will not be receiving
> Chess Life magazine, and will be angry and feel cheated with the
> magazine fails to arrive.
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Here are the statistics released by Mike Nolan:
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 "We now have two full weeks of data since the higher rate=
s for
> premium
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 scholastic, youth and young adult memberships went into e=
ffect
> on December
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 1st. =A0(The premium adult rate goes from $41 to $42 on J=
anuary
> 1st, but I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 don't see that as having a major impact.)
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Here's a summary of the memberships processed in the last=
two
> weeks:
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Type =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Total =A0 =A0 =A0Premium =A0 =A0 =A0=
Family =A0 =A0 =A0 Regular
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Adult =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0480 =A0 =A0 =A0310 (64.6%) =A0 3=
0 ( 6.2%) =A0 =A0140
> (29.1%)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Young Adult =A0 =A0329 =A0 =A0 =A0 91 (27.7%) =A0 56 (17.=
0%) =A0 =A0182
> (55.3%)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Youth =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0326 =A0 =A0 =A0 95 (29.1%) =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A021
> (70.9%)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Scholastic =A0 =A01531 =A0 =A0 =A0403 (26.3%) =A0 =A0 =A0=
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A01129
> (73.7%)
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 By way of comparison, in the first two weeks of December =
2007
> we sold a
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 total of 476 adult memberships, 247 young adult membershi=
ps,
> 326
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 youth memberships and 1295 scholastic memberships.
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 --
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Mike Nolan
>
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Sam Sloan
I have two daughters, ages 13 and 10, both of whom are avid readers
with a wide range of activities. We and their grandparents have
bought them magazine subscriptions in the areas that interest them for
years, but they rarely read them. They do, however, spend lots of
time on websites that cater to their interests.
Connect the dots.
The world is changing, and young people are much more receptive to
change. I would suggest the statistics for scholastic members reflect
that fact.
Randy Bauer
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Date: 24 Dec 2008 12:08:56
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: 70% of New USCF Members are Joining in No-Magazine-Membership
|
Note that how carefully Bill Goichberg shades the statistics.
There is an old saying, "You can lie with statistics", and Bill
clearly does that here.
The statistics that Bill Goichberg ignores are the following:
Young Adult 329 91 (27.7%) 56 (17.0%) 182 (55.3%)
Youth 326 95 (29.1%) 21 (70.9%)
Scholastic 1531 403 (26.3%) 1129 (73.7%)
This shows that the three most important categories, including
Scholastics, which are the majority of all paid memberships (that is
not counting life members) 73.7% took the no-magazine membership.
Similarly, 70.9% of Youth members opted not to receive the magazine
and 55.3% Young Adult members chose not to pay for the magazine.
Only the adults, a much smaller and steadily declining number, were
willing to pay extra for the magazine.
Then, at the bottom, Bill states:
" I expect that not counting Scholastic (who receive Chess Life for
Kids if choosing a paper magazine), over 80% of our members will
receive the paper Chess Life"
Read this carefully. He writes "not counting scholastics ... if
choosing a paper magazine."
But, as shown above, 73.7% of scholastics chose not to receive the
magazine.
The USCF might as well stop the publication of Chess Life for Kids if
so few are going to receive it. Indeed, that was the proposal this
last Summer. Bill Hall was circulating a proposal to stop the
publication of "Chess Life for Kids" to "save money". Bill Goichberg
came up with his "new plan" to keep "Chess Life for Kids" going a
little longer rather than close it down immediately.
Sam Sloan
On Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 2:39 PM, <[email protected] > wrote:
Postby chessoffice on Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:19 pm #121170
USCF has now been collecting Young Adult, Youth and Scholastic
memberships under our revised dues structure for three weeks (since
Dec 1), with the following results:
YOUNG ADULT
Old: $25 with $2 affiliate commission and monthly paper Chess
Life.
New Premium: $32 with $3 affiliate commission and monthly paper
Chess Life.
New Regular: $24 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
Chess Life.
Family: The Family Type 2 rate was raised from $35 to $44.
During the first three weeks of 2007, 287 Young Adult memberships
were received, plus 58 Type 2 Family Memberships, an average of $25.32
per membership, a total of $9671.
During the first three weeks of 2008, 353 Young Adult memberships
were received (131 Premium, 222 Regular), plus 66 Type 2 Family
Memberships, an average of $28.03 per membership, a total of $13145.
YOUTH
Old: $19 with $2 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper Chess
Life.
New Premium: $27 with $3 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper
Chess Life.
New Regular: $20 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
Chess Life.
During the first three weeks of 2007, 421 Youth memberships were
received, an average of $17.52 per membership, a total of $8201.
During the first three weeks of 2008, 369 Youth memberships were
received (106 Premium, 263 Regular), an average of $20.41 per
membership, a total of $8532.
SCHOLASTIC
Old: $17 with $2 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper Chess
Life for Kids.
New Premium: $23 with $3 affiliate commission and bimonthly paper
Chess Life for Kids.
New Regular: $16 with $3 affiliate commission and online only
Chess Life for Kids.
During the first three weeks of 2007, 1731 Scholastic memberships
were received, an average of $15.79 per membership, a total of $29359.
During the first three weeks of 2008, 1792 Scholastic memberships
were received (482 Premium, 1310 Regular), an average of $16.19 per
membership, a total of $31820.
TOTAL YOUNG ADULT, YOUTH, SCHOLASTIC
Total memberships collected in these three categories: 2580 in
2008 and 2497 in 2007, an increase of 3.3%. Total revenue is $53497 in
2008 and $47231 in 2007, an increase of over 13%. In addition, there
should be a savings on magazine printing and postage for these members
of $6000 to $7000.
ADULT
Adult dues have not gone up; the online price will rise slightly
from $41 to $42 on Jan 1. Since late September, a Regular Adult option
with online only magazine has been offered for $12 less than Premium
Adult with monthly hard copy magazine, and over 75% of Adult members
have opted to pay the higher fee that includes the paper magazine.
During this period, it is unclear to me whether Adult member numbers
have been better or worse than the same period last year. During the
first three weeks of December, we received 751 Adult memberships (522
Premium, 193 Regular, 36 Family) compared to 680 (638 Premium, 42
Family) last year. The average collected per adult declined from
$42.08 to $38.68, but Adult revenue increased from $34635 in 2007 to
$36208 in 2008, and there will be about a $2500 savings on these
members for printing and postage.
SENIOR
Senior dues remained the same if paid online, but with no
affiliate commission. If paid by mail or phone, they increased by $7
on Dec 1. In the first three weeks of December, Senior memberships did
very well, with 177 collected compared to 119 for the same period last
year. There was also an increase in the percentage of Seniors joining
for two or three years, with multiyear Senior memberships going from
16.8% to 26.6% of the total. Overall, Senior membership revenue during
this period in 2008 was $9184, compared to $5135 in 2007.
CHESS LIFE CIRCULATION
During the first three weeks of December, in the three major
categories that include a monthly hard copy Chess Life (Regular,
Senior, Young Adult), 830 memberships with hard copy magazine were
received, compared to 214 without the magazine, or 79.5% with the
magazine. Youth memberships with bimonthly paper Chess Life declined
from 263 to 106, but most Life and Sustaining members are expected to
choose the paper magazine after they receive their letter giving them
a choice, which should go out soon. So overall, I expect that not
counting Scholastic (who receive Chess Life for Kids if choosing a
paper magazine), over 80% of our members will receive the paper Chess
Life. It should also be noted that those choosing the "Regular"
options with online only magazine will receive a bimonthly 16 page
bulletin (for Regular Scholastic, the bulletin will be sent every four
months).
Bill Goichberg
In a message dated 12/24/2008 9:48:26 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
Mike Nolan has just released statistics regarding trends ever
since the Goichberg "New Plan" went into effect, under which only
"Premium" USCF Members will get Chess Life magazine.
In advocating his "New Plan", President Goichberg estimated
that 80% would sign up for the premium membership and only 20% would
take the no-magazine-membership.
However, the statistics thus far have been the opposite. So
far in every membership category except for adults, more than 70% of
all new and renewing members are taking the no magazine choice.
President Goichberg calls this a great success. Here is an
exact quote from President Goichberg.
"The Young Adult, Youth, and Scholastic numbers look great,
with 2186 total memberships compared to 1868 during the same time last
year, even though the net we retain per member just increased. Maybe
two weeks isn't enough of a sample to get excited about, though.
"Bill Goichberg"
When Goichberg says that "numbers look great", he means that
more members are joining and we get to keep more of their money
because we do not have to send them Chess Life magazine. However, past
experience shows that members who do not receive a magazine do not
renew. Therefore the slight increase in memberships so far under the
new plan will be more than offset by the fact that few of them will
rejoin. In addition, it is likely that many those who are joining as
"regular members" now do not realize that they will not be receiving
Chess Life magazine, and will be angry and feel cheated with the
magazine fails to arrive.
Here are the statistics released by Mike Nolan:
"We now have two full weeks of data since the higher rates for
premium
scholastic, youth and young adult memberships went into effect
on December
1st. (The premium adult rate goes from $41 to $42 on January
1st, but I
don't see that as having a major impact.)
Here's a summary of the memberships processed in the last two
weeks:
Type Total Premium Family Regular
Adult 480 310 (64.6%) 30 ( 6.2%) 140
(29.1%)
Young Adult 329 91 (27.7%) 56 (17.0%) 182
(55.3%)
Youth 326 95 (29.1%) 21
(70.9%)
Scholastic 1531 403 (26.3%) 1129
(73.7%)
By way of comparison, in the first two weeks of December 2007
we sold a
total of 476 adult memberships, 247 young adult memberships,
326
youth memberships and 1295 scholastic memberships.
--
Mike Nolan
Sam Sloan
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