Whoa! What's wrong with this picture? Without MEC Members there would be no MEC. Members, of course, are those who purchase an annual membership in the MEC. A MEC Membership costs a minimum of $1 a year, but we ask that people give $20 a year or more if they can afford it. The funds derived from memberships constitute the bulk of the MEC's operating budget. Without this membership support, there simply would not be a MEC.
At this point in time, the MEC needs members more than it has ever needed them before. This is because the work load at the MEC and the services offered by the MEC have grown much faster than the membership support base of the Center. Currently at the Center, the phones, the computers, the copier, the desks and the space inside the building are maxed out. The all volunteer staff is also stretched pretty thin. It is obvious that the Center needs to grow in order to keep up. We need more phone lines, computers, desks and space to work in. More importantly, it is not possible to imagine that an all volunteer staff can continue to deal effectively with an ever increasing work load. The Center needs some paid staff if it is to go confidently into the future.
All this is possible and, in fact, very much in reach. But it is not possible if people don't even know that they can be MEC Members. So, why are we telling you? If you're getting this newsletter, chances are you are already a MEC Member. Well, the point is, you probably know a lot of people who aren't. And we need your help to reach them. People need to know that it is possible for them to be a member of the MEC. And they might even be interested to know that they get certain benefits from being a member.
The most obvious benefit of membership is that membership assures that there will be a MEC, doing its work for our environment and for all of us day after day, all year long. Membership also entitles you to vote in MEC elections and to thereby determine who sits on the MEC Board of Directors. Of course, only members may run for the Board. Membership means that you will receive the MEC Newsletter. MEC membership entitles you to bank at the Mendo-Lake Credit Union. And last but not least, membership just may enable you to save on the price of admission to certain special events. It's worth it! So, please tell your friends. Thanks!
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited