70 members have not paid their membership fees for the year. When the FSA website was launched many existing members registered on the website without needing to set up further payments because they still had a few months before their membership for the year expired. Over the last few months these members’ membership has lapsed. The majority, over 200, have renewed their membership but, as I say, 70 have not.

Reminders have been sent out regularly but we believe that there may be a number of reasons why people have not renewed. People are busy, email addresses don’t always get updated by members and so they don’t receive the reminders, some people have expressed concern about having to use the on-line payment gateways (paying by credit/debit card or PayPal), and I’m sure that a handful of people simply don’t want to renew for various reasons (people change jobs etc). I know that many people do not realise that they have lapsed because I am regularly contacted by people who find that they can log in but who are no longer able to access the members only area (in theory they should have received renewal reminders by email).

The FSA operates on something of a shoestring budget and the membership fees of 70 members represents lost revenue of between £1,750 and £2,100, depending on how they pay. This may not sound like much but it does affect our cash flow.

We have taken steps to remove any perceived barriers to paying the membership fee by introducing options to pay by cheque, BACS, or by invoicing. These are explained in the email below that has been sent to all lapsed members.

IF YOU CAN NOT ACCESS THE MEMBERS ONLY SECTION OF THE WEBSITE PLEASE GET IN CONTACT WITH OUR ADMIN – enquiries@forestschoolassociation.org.

Dear FSA Member,

Your membership of the FSA has expired and it is time to renew. If you have logged into the website recently but been unable to access the member only areas then this is why.

Following feedback from members we have added three more routes to renewing your membership – cheque, BACS and by invoicing. We hope that you find this useful, particularly those members whose employer pays the membership fee. You can still renew using your credit/debit card or through PayPal if you wish.

To renew your membership and pay your membership fees please first log into the website using your username and password and then go to

www.forestschoolassociation.org/membership-renewal/

We should be grateful if you could renew within 1 week. Your account will be automatically deleted after 2 weeks. If this happens you are more than welcome to join again, it just means that you will need to re-register on the website as a new member.

If you set up membership renewal with automatic annual payments you will enjoy seamless membership in future, help us to reduce our administration costs, and enjoy a £5 discount each year.

You are welcome to pay your membership fees at any point during the year, and by any method, before your membership expires to enjoy continuous membership.

With best wishes,

Forest School Association