# state/association dues??



## rainesridgefarm

Beesource members I need your help. The IL State beekeepers association is looking at raising dues from $6 to whatever. I have been tasked to find out what othere states are doing to determine if we can do more programs by charging higher dues. Can you let me know what some of you pay in your state or local association and how many meetings you have? At this point we have two main meetings a year but not much else.

Thanks
Phillip


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## Focus on Bees

I've not been to any state meetings, so I don't know what the dues are. In our local club, the dues are $3.00 a year. hope this helps


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## Michael Palmer

I'm the Pres of the Vermont Beekeepers Association. We charge $15. 

For years we struggled to save enough money for a speaker at out 2 annual meetings. Then we changed our focus, from two good ole boy meetings...where we talked about the most gruesome methods for killing bears, etc...to an educational association, dedicated to helping the hobby/sideline beekeepers with thier management. What a difference! We now have more than $10,000 in the bank, and never charge for anything. We have a whole series of workshops, and can afford the best speakers. While we never have a banquet type meal at out meetings, we do have an awsome pot luck, which in my opinion is way more fun.

Check out our website at: www.vtbeekeepers.org


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## iddee

State dues....$15.00
County dues...$10.00
Total...$25.00

State... http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/

County... http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org/

County forum... http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org/forum/


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## shawnwri

Ohio State Beekeepers Association:
Quarterly newsletter
Discounted admission to OSBA events
Discounted subscriptions to American Bee Journal & Bee Culture
Satisfaction for supporting beekeeping in Ohio!


______ $15.00 for senior/student membership for one year
______ $20.00 for individual membership for one year
______ $25.00 for family membership for one year
______ $160.00 for a life time membership.


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## Panhandle Bee man

Florida

State dues $15.00 per year, Life Time membership is available for a hive of bees/Supers etc.. Florida State beekeepers maintains 3 apiaries, and sell the honey, they also buy honey at wholesale price from members, and sell the honey at the Florida State Fair. We have one major convention in the fall, the site rotates around the state, lots of speakers (usually the best in the business), and a banquet were awards are given. Most of the large east coast migratory beekeepers show up, along with hobbiests. During the convention coffe breaks are sponsored by various businesses (Dadants, Mann Lake, regional bobcat dealers, etc..)
They are also trying to get a late spring/summer meeting going, however that is struggling. The State Board of managers has a meeting usually quarterly, The state board is made up of a representative from each of the local orginizations, recently it has become a confernce call, anyone can listen in, only the board of managers can participate. 
http://www.floridabeekeepers.org/

Local dues are set by the local organization, my club is $15 per year. Meetings are monthly again set by the local club, speakers vary, mostly expierienced beekeepers talk about a subject, sometimes the state inspector gives a presentation. My club is lucky as Lawrence Cutts is a member of the club, also the State president is a member. We have Commericial beekeepers, sideliners, and hobby beekeepers. Issues get looked at from all angles. # meetings a year are purely social, we have a cookout where the club buys burgers buns etc.. and everyone brings a dish to pass, a fall fish fry everyone brings a dish to pass, one of beekeepers is a fisherman, and brings fresh mullet and cooks it at the meeting. And the December meeting is held at a local buffet resturant, and is pay as you go. Some good things about having a diverse group, is that a couple of the commericial beekeepers will let members know when they are ordering equipment, and you can add to their order (usually boxes are budget grade, frames are either peirco, or commericial grade). And I haven't had to pay for shipping yet, but I get the equipment at the big boy cost. One of the commericial beekeepers raises his own queens, and members can get queen cells really cheap, at a time of the year when the only place to get queens from is Hawaii. So it is a well spent $15.


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## Okiebee

Oklahoma State Beekeepers Association Membership Dues

Individual membership, one year, $15.00 (one vote)
Family membership, one year, $20.00 (two votes)


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## huggy

Maine here... local (2-county) association, which is considered a subchapter of the state association, is $15 for family, or $10 for single beek. Lifetime memberships are 12x the normal fees. 

State association dues are also annual, which are or used to be required if in a subchapter, is $15/single, $22.50/family, $180 lifetime/single, $270 lifetime/family. I think they are lifting/have lifted the requirement that we pay for both, but I'm not sure.

More info at http://www.mainebeekeepers.org .


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## kc in wv

West Virginia Beekeepers Association dues are;
Annual dues in the WVBA for membership-at-large is $7.00. 
Membership through affiliation with a local association is $6.00.

WVBA sponsors a one-day spring meeting, and a two day fall meeting. These meetings give WV beekeepers access to nationally recognized speakers from industry and academia. Prior to each meeting WVBA members receive an informative newsletter which outlines the state meeting program and provides critical information and news from around the state. 

Each member association has a seat on the board of directors that meets quarterly.

My local association dues are $6.00 also


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## notaclue

Arkansas Beekeepers Association with a yearly meeting in October.

$ 5.00 Associate
No Bees 
$10.00 Hobbyist
1 - 25 Colonies 
$25.00 Sideliner
26 - 299 Colonies 
$75.00 Commercial
300+ Colonies 


Then dues to two local associations with monthly meetings and yearly (normally) training workshops.


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## danno1800

*WV dues*

KC is exectly correct. I am Treasurer of a local bee club in WV. http://cabellwaynebeekeepers.googlepages.com/
We charge $12/year. We keep $6 and $6 goes to the State Association. One of the ways we've kept dues from rising is to go to email delivery of the newsletter we send out 6 times a year. We have about 50 members and almost half of them agreed to receive the newsletter that way. This saves us substantial $$ on printing and postage every year. I feel that, over time, almost all our members will have email & we should be able to save a lot more money with electronic delivery. 
I hope that helps you! -Danno



kc in wv said:


> West Virginia Beekeepers Association dues are;
> Annual dues in the WVBA for membership-at-large is $7.00.
> Membership through affiliation with a local association is $6.00.
> 
> WVBA sponsors a one-day spring meeting, and a two day fall meeting. These meetings give WV beekeepers access to nationally recognized speakers from industry and academia. Prior to each meeting WVBA members receive an informative newsletter which outlines the state meeting program and provides critical information and news from around the state.
> 
> Each member association has a seat on the board of directors that meets quarterly.
> 
> My local association dues are $6.00 also


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## EKW

We belong to two or three area associations. Dues range from $3-5/year. None of them offer a lot of activites, and the dues basically cover the cost of newslettters. Our State asociation hosts an annual convention which is well done- good speakers, and i think they get a pretty good turnout.

Because the closest local association is almost 1 1/2 hurs from where we live, we are starting up a new association closer to home. Our first meeting is this month. Dues will be -

$5 student (1 vote)
$10 adult (1 vote)
$15 family (2 votes)

Membership benefits will include-
Subscription to newletters- hopefully electronic;
Access to the association library which currently consists of 80+ books, around 8 videos, 
and almost 100 years' worth of Gleanings and American Bee Journal magazines;
Use of extracting equipment, ranging from a 3-frame manual extractor to a small honey 
house with Cowan uncapper, sump tank, and two 32 frame radial extractors;
Discount on subscription prices to ABJ and Bee Culture;
Discounts through group purchases on equipment, package bees, queens, jars, etc.;
Eight regular meetings per year, with a program/workshop and/or guest speaker at each 
meeting; 
Association apiary with demonstration hives. These will be used for educational purposes, 
and in addition, the honey from these hives will be sold and the profits used to fund 
association activities. We will also be adding some "alternative" hives for 
demonstration, such as KTBH, Long Hive, etc.
Use of portable observation hive;
Access to the association website, which will include free classified advertising for 
members;
Opportunity to sell members' honey at one of two county fairs which currently do not have
honey shows or beekeeping exhibits. We will also be sponsoring a honey/beekeeping 
competition at both fairs, which will be open to non-members as well as 
members. Eventually we will have booths at other events as well, such as the annual 
Wildlife and Conservation Expo, etc. where members can also sell their honey.
Student members will have the opportunity to compete for a Youth Beekeeping Scolarship.
And, of course, mentoring by experienced beekeepers, and hopefully some fun socializing!

That is all we have planned at the moment, though I expect we will evolve as the group grows and we see where the members' interest lies and what our needs/interests are.
Hopefully, we will have enough to offer to justify the higher dues.


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## indypartridge

There are TWO state associations in Indiana (politics - Grrrr!).

Indiana State Beekeepers Assoc:
$10.00 single
$15.00 family
$10.00 senior
Four meetings per year, quarterly newsletter.

Indiana Beekeepers Assoc
$15.00 single
$20.00 family
Three or four meetings per year, quarterly newsletter.

Between the two associations, we have a Honey Queen, Honey Princess, Young Beekeeper program, beekeeping school, mentoring, etc.


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## SL Tx

It sounds almost backwards to be raising dues without some idea of what more money is needed for. Various amounts of state dues pay for varying programs...so you get pretty long winded answers when you asked for a simple number. "Whatcha gonna do..how much does it cost" makes more cents to me. The answer may well be to leave the dues alone and do less.


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## rainesridgefarm

That is the problem we do not do anything now. Two meetings a year and no queen program, no young beekeeper program, no marketing, If dues are to low compared to other states that are doing more then the market supports it. So the answers I am getting are what I want. 

thanks for all the help


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## berkshire bee

*MA*

Massachusetts is 2 meetings
$15 individual
$20 family
$25 organization/ 1 vote


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## rainesridgefarm

thank you for all your help. Any one else have any dues


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