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A request for comment on a proposed
automated payment system
Greetings and best wishes for the New Year!
Evergreen Soaring is well on the way to setting up an automatic payment system, and here is the background and reasoning behind it. The purpose of this post is to gauge the level of interest and to get your feedback on the different options so that the final system works to the best level of satisfaction for the most participants. There is no plan to mandate the use of this by any member, but there might be mandatory use by new members (we lose a lot of money to people who join and never pay) or by members who consistently pay very late (another way we lose money). Please see below, mandatory use is one of the questions we need answered. The cost of this to you may also be a question. As far as we know there isn't a cost, please let us know if you think your bank will charge you.
The current system costs a lot of money in printing, postage, posting the bank deposits, and taking the checks to the bank. Right now we pay for all of that and it is not cheap. In addition there is a tremendous lag time from the date of the tow to the money being deposited, which ties up a lot of money in cash flow.
The goal of the automatic payment system is to save money in costs and to reduce the 'billing lag'. It is proposed to work like this:
1. On or about the 15th of each month participants would receive either an email or a mailed letter with their current billing.
2. On or about the 25th of each month participants would have the funds automatically withdrawn from the designated account.
3. If the participant feels the amounts were wrong or had questions about the billing, the process can be stopped or modified until 4PM the day before the withdrawal. Evergreen Soaring controls the process and making these changes is quick and painless. This means you would have at least seven days to receive and comment on your bill, and if you requested the process could be stopped.
There are positives and negatives to the users of this system.
Negatives: We plan on moving to a monthly from a bi-monthly cycle. That means the bills will be 1/2 as much but also will reduce your cash 'float'. The amount of the billing will vary from month to month. If you need to have a consistent amount billed every month this system may not work for you. Or, it might be possible for the Dues and Glider Fees to be billed each month automatically and the Tow Fees billed every other month, as they are now. You might be billed for a large Tow Fee, not notice, and the automatic withdrawal is rejected with a non-sufficient funds fee which you would have to pay.
Positives: A lot less effort, no stamp or check needed. More consistent cash flow; no big bill every other month
QUESTIONS:
1. Are you willing to receive the billing by email and not by postal letter, even if we stay with the manual billing?
2. Are you interested in participating in the automated billing process?
3. Do you think that new members should be required to participate in the automated billing process?
4. Do you think that people who consistently pay very late should be required to participate in the automated billing process?
5. Are there negatives or positives that you think should be communicated to all the members?
6. Would you like an option to pay just the Dues and Glider Fees using this automated system, and then pay the Tow Fee by sending a check in the mail?
7. Are you concerned that you might overdraw your account if you use this system?
8. Are there concerns about this, not raised by this post, which you feel should be communicated to everyone in the club?
Please let us know your feedback. The best way for us is to send an email to:
Or you can write an email to you favorite Board member. In addition, this will be posted to KAWO Soaring and discussed there.
Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to your comments and questions.
Brian Hood