Membership Fees Are Changing!

Sorry for the headline, but I agonized over how to title this, for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to hear about a cost increase and I sure do respect that. So, I lifted some wording that I see regularly included with one of my favourite utility bills (another weak attempt at humour). Whenever I see “changing” I know for sure it doesn’t mean that costs are going down!

And so I deliver this news while gritting my teeth, but the fact of the matter is, the CMAO’s costs aren’t going down either. Yes, our main funding sources are via grants and the generosity of Slaight Music, but those applications we fill out are heavily justified specific expenditures that qualify under the funders’ criteria. To keep this family on the road, we still incur a fair amount of costs that may not qualify, but are nonetheless essential. As CMAO Members, you can see the breakdown on the Financial Statements we issue at each AGM and I hope you will agree that our governance principles are prudent.

So here’s the news: As of January 1^st, 2017, the annual fee for Regular membership will be $50; Corporate membership: $125. For information and definitions of the levels of membership, please see the CMAO Bylaws here: https://www.cmaontario.ca/about-cmao/bylaws/

I’ll be bold and state that this is still a crazy good deal.

We have not changed the fee structure for CMAO membership since 2011. It’s worth noting that, even with the impending increase, a CMAO membership is far less costly than the majority of other industry associations and I am proud to say that we offer some pretty impressive benefits for this low fee. For more information on those benefits, please see here:
https://www.cmaontario.ca/why-become-a-member/

The Membership Committee is always exploring ways to increase the value of your membership and hope to announce more benefits soon. We are very open to ideas, so if you have some connections or suggestions, please email us at: info@cmaontario.ca

I hope you will agree that when our CMAO family gathers each year, we can all sense the deep pride that our community carries, and that a CMAO membership is well worth the cost.

We thank you for your ongoing support!

Brian Allen

Secretary, CMAO Board of Directors
Chair, CMAO Membership Committee