if there are no members is there a need for an organizationan and with out benifits...why be a member?
I think there is a very big question here which has been asked several times and still needs to be answered: What is the "business" of the KCBS? Before you answer, look at a parallel: What is the "business" of your local gas utility company? They provide natural gas to your home or business and charge you for it. Are they in the business of being plumbers? Generally no, though they may have a few on hand for customers who don't have their own plumber. Are they in the business of HVAC and appliance sales, installation, and service? Again, no, though some such companies do participate in those services to supplement the main line business. My main point is that they may do things "on the side," but the companies' main business is what they do and brings in their income even if there are side businesses available.
So I return to the KCBS. What is their main "business?" It is sanctioning BBQ competitions. Part of that is providing a rules, juding, and scoring system to the competition, and part is providing a program for training and certifying judges to go along with that system. As a NPO, they should be able to pay their bills and stay afloat through that main business from sanctioning fees, CBJ/TC training fees, and CBJ/TC membership dues.
So the question comes up constantly, should I as a team pay a membership fee to be in the KCBS? Is the KCBS in the business of providing me with a service? I would say "no" they are not, because they provide a service to the contest organizer, and I already pay the contest organizer. Do they provide a service to CBJs and TCs? Yes, but they pay the KCBS to receive that service and then volunteer their time to the organizer. It all comes down to a constantly battled question of should I join KCBS or not as a team? Does the KCBS provide me with anything for that membership, or am I paying for what the KCBS provides me by entering a compeition and paying the entry fee? The extra bennefits are nice, but they are a side issue really. Just because you wanted to support your local gas company overpaid to buy your heater from them, doesn't mean I should feel obligated to do the same. What are they going to provide me for the extra money, especially in this economy?
All this said, I think there is a very good reason for cooks to join the KCBS should they choose, and it has nothing to do with gaining bennefit from the KCBS as some have stated: Because of how the CBJ/TC program is setup, they must be current members to receive their bennefits, and then they have the right to vote and be heard. Cooks can receive their bennefit without paying, but then don't get a vote. In order to prevent the KCBS from being run completely by judges and organizers (Yes, I think that would be a bad thing), cooks should be members so that their voices can be heard. That's my opinion, but I reserve the right to change it.
Here's the thing though, this is moot in the context of my post. All I was trying to say is that even if you aren't a member that doesn't mean that your entry into a comp doesn't help fill the coffers of the KCBS and MMA. Argue the rest until the cows come home, but I don't think you can refute that statement.
Thanks,
dmp
