Membership Fee Review - What's Changing and Why?

Over the past year the Committee has carried out a full review of our membership structure and fees.

Our aim has been simple: to ensure that membership remains fair, transparent, and good value for everyone, while also giving the Club the financial stability it needs for the future.

Why We Reviewed the Fees

A number of issues had built up over time:

• Previous fee increases were applied as a flat percentage across all categories, without a clear link to the Club's actual running costs.
• Knowledge of how the original fee structure was created had been lost as committee roles changed.
• Craft registration and berthing fees were confusing for members, difficult to administer, and not consistently enforceable.
• Family memberships had grown significantly and now represent the majority of members, but the cost per person was much lower than individual memberships.
• Some membership categories no longer reflected how the Club operates or what is best for members and the sport.
• Most importantly, the Club needs to grow its revenue to support the development of the clubhouse, while still offering excellent value.

At the same time, GMSC continues to benefit from owning its site unlike many local clubs that lease their facilities which keeps our running costs lower. Even so, our membership rates had become noticeably lower than comparable clubs, despite offering greater access and flexibility.

How We Approached the Review

To create a fair and sustainable structure, the Committee took a fresh, evidencebased approach:

1. Understanding the true cost of running the Club

We calculated the essential annual "running costs" the cost of simply opening the gate each year, regardless of how much activity takes place.
For 2024, this figure was £37,000.

2. Ensuring every member contributes fairly

All members benefit from access to the site, so all members should contribute to these core running costs.
With 841 listed members in 2024, this means each member should contribute at least £43 per year.

3. Reflecting different levels of access and privilege

Members who enjoy additional privileges such as lake use should contribute proportionally more to cover the extra costs associated with those privileges.

4. Creating a repeatable, transparent process

This new method gives the Club a clear, consistent way to set fees in future years.
If running costs or membership numbers change significantly, the calculation can be updated easily and fairly.

What This Means for 2026

The Committee has updated the membership categories and set new rates for the 2026 season using this new process.

These rates ensure:

• Fair contribution from all members
• A clearer and more logical structure
• Better alignment with the true cost of running the Club
• A sustainable financial base to support future clubhouse development
• Continued excellent value when benchmarked with other local sailing clubs

A full comparison of the 2026 renewal rates versus the current season is shown below.