Personal Message from Founder
"6 Cents a Day - Is that truly too much to ask?"
Why We Ask For a Subscription Donation
Every now and then I get a letter from someone that just stops me dead in my tracks, causing me to scratch my head and ask myself, “What on earth can this person be thinking?” I recently received such a letter. Truth be told, I haven’t had one like this in quite some time. For that I can be very grateful, I suppose. It shows me that by and large, people are right-thinking, and do understand. I believe this is called 'being adult.’
Basically, the letter writer wanted to know “How dare you [meaning, we] ask for some type of ‘admission fee?” She felt incensed, as if by the very nature of her disease she should be afforded compensation for it. Her words and tone caused me to feel that she felt as if we owed her something somehow, just because we exist! Nothing could be any further from the truth.
It just boggles my mind at times like this how some people do not stop to think of the reason for us asking for some sort of donation/dues/subscription fee. Is there truly anyone on this planet who owns a computer, and has to pay for internet provider service, that doesn’t understand that this wonderful age of technology, and indeed just being alive on this planet these days, costs money? Why on earth would anyone expect it to be any different for a non-profit organization, which by the way, the government looks upon as a business and treats it as such? Of course we have to pay for this website and all of the things that go on behind the scenes that make a business run! Why would anyone think that just because they have a painful, disabling ailment that something as important as our services/assistance/support should be free? It wasn’t free for the Founder of this organization, nor was it free for the many volunteers over the past 15 years that contributed of their time, resources and yes, even money. Just getting the non profit status approval cost just over $4,000, which was donated by the Founder, and which was spent on, including but not limited to, application fees, legal fees, and web site production, web site hosting service, phone service, and office space. I haven’t even touched on donations in kind re: physical work on behalf of an expert computer technician, business admin duties, office help, computers, office equipment, office supplies, and the efforts of a Board of Directors located in several different states.
When I was first diagnosed a full 16 years ago, there was not one agency, web site, group, or gathering in the entire world that offered knowledge, help, or support in dealing with AVN. In all, I found just 5 web sites that marginally talked about AVN, with each one of them being a sports injury orthopedic private practice or group. Over the next several years I managed to bring together a group of people that started out very small in number and grew to a monstrous size within just a comparably short time. Having gotten my start on AOL’s Better Health Community as a volunteer Community Leader and chat host of the world's very first support group for victims of AVN, I saw that I was really onto something – and I haven’t stopped or looked back since.
From AOL we moved out onto the Web and over the years had sites on XOOM, ICQ, MSN, and eventually Yahoo, where we remained for nearly 10 years. Eventually outgrowing even Yahoo Groups' capabilities, our massive Association moved out on to our own in 2009, after a monumental undertaking of having our web site designed and created by professionals -- which cost us a pretty penny! Our new site offers things Yahoo never could, and as we continue to offer our help, support, knowledge and love, we remain the world’s first and still premiere support group for AVN sufferers, by AVN sufferers, an honor we hold very dear. Our membership spans the globe, with our first year at our new web site welcoming nearly 1,000,000 visitors/page views over-all.
So, yes, if anyone else is wondering why we feel we must ask for a subscription donation, we believe it is not only right and fair, but totally necessary. We need to keep this organization going, not only for all of our 1,000+ members but for all those yet to come who will one day get hit with AVN. We need to get a research project with HSS underway that will perhaps one day unlock some of the mysteries of AVN. We need to show the world that AVN exists, that it can be very life-changing and disruptive, but that there is also a way back from AVN and that it does not have to mean the end of life as it was once known or lived. As we meet and then come together to discuss our concerns, hopes, and fears, we are the largest gathering of AVN patients in the world who can use a site in safety from hackers, spammers, lurkers, internet disruptions, etc., No free group on the Web can offer the safety and peace of mind that we all enjoy with our safe and secure site. With more than 4,500 new messages on our boards and an informational library that just keeps on growing and growing (it was already more than 3 gigabytes when we first opened our new site two years ago!),and a chat room that never closes, and that allows us to ‘talk’ with each other in real time, plus an informational database on doctors we have seen and been treated by, and even a database that catalogs many of the procedures and treatments we have undergone, our site is a total bargain at just $20 to join. Over the course of one year, that is just a little less than 6 cents per day, and what else can you buy for 6 cents a day that will give you so much? Yes, it just boggles my mind sometimes: People will spend nearly $10 per pack of cigarettes, or upwards of $15 for a 12-pack of beer, or at least $20 per person in a restaurant, or even $20 for two for a trip to the movies (that’s without refreshments!),but when asked to please chip in and help a worthy organization to keep going, they become resentful.
I hope I’ve helped to answer any questions you may have had re: our subscription fee, and if this article isn’t enough, please feel free to write to me, anytime and I’ll gladly share even more details with you. Always remember, too, that if you need to join us but just do not have the money at this time, we will not turn you away. All you need to do is to write and tell us what’s going on and that you need us, and we will gladly accept you into our group. You can pay what you can, when you can and that’s fine with us.
Now, what could be fairer than that?
The ON/AVN Support Group Int’l Association –
“The support system for AVN patients, by AVN patients.”
