SEPTEMBER 2022
WPA's Rupert Appeals to Delinquent Members: "We Need Your Help"
WPA is calling upon the support of all members in ensuring that membership dues are paid in a timely fashion. While WPA receives prompt payment from around 80% of members, there is typically a 20% share of members which is late in payment. This situation results in the pallet industry’s friendliest association having to expend considerable resources on following up with unpaid members.
“Our fiscal year starts on July 1, and that’s when we send out the current year invoices,” explained Ralph Rupert, WPA president. “As of today, we are still close to $18,000 unpaid. That’s over 30 companies that haven’t paid.”
While some members still think of WPA in terms of putting on the WPA Annual Meeting, he noted that WPA increasingly offers valuable services to members year-round, including webinars, Master Learning Groups, and more.
“The drain on our resources of resending invoices, reaching out and calling people - we feel like we have become bill collectors,” Rupert continued. “And it shouldn't be so. WPA does a lot of great work and, you know, it shouldn't be.” As a result, the WPA Board has voted that any unpaid members after November 1 will be moved to a non-member category. As a result, they would have to pay the non-member fee to attend the Annual Meeting.
Rupert is quick to acknowledge that job positions and emails can change over time, and that invoices can fall through the tracks. However, a little attention and understanding can go a long way.
“Please help us by making sure we have the right contact,” Rupert said. “We love our members and we just want to be the most friendly Association in the country. But being a bill collector, and being the friendly Association, it's hard to use those two terms in the same sentence.”
If you have not yet renewed your WPA membership, why not take a moment and renew it now at this link: https://members.westernpallet.org/join
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