Increased Fees

7 December 2009

Dear Members,

As-salaam Alaykum

It is hoped that this letter reaches you in the best of health.
At our national AGM in June 2008, held in Leicester, an item was discussed in relation to DBWS UK main society membership fees. In summary, the life membership was voted to be increased from £500 to £5,000 and annual membership from £5 to £30. Individual branches have already conveyed this information and this letter is by way of formal confirmation.

Please find below the different grades of membership for clarification:
1) Full Adult Membership
Administration fee for new members (£2 Adults / £5 Children). Annual subscription: £30.

2) Adult Life membership
Administration fee (£2). Life membership fee: £5,000

3) Junior membership (12 and 17)
Administration fee (£2). Annual subscription: £5 (does not hold voting rights)

Notes:
Subscription to branches – The amount is determined by the individual branches
Constitution – Within Rules, Section 5, it states that if no fees are paid within 90 days the individual is no longer a member. Please ensure that you pay your fees on time.
Therefore, individual branch subscriptions for the financial year 2009/ 10, are:

Branch	Fees
Birmingham	£80
Leicester	£380
London	£55

Anyone is entitled to be a member of the DBWS as a subscriber to the branch or main society. Those members who are subscribers to the branch must pay their full membership fees to their branch, which will pass on their contribution on to the main society. Anyone who doesn’t subscribe to a branch and is a member of the main society must send it directly to the Treasurer of the main society.
The issue of subscription fees was discussed by the Management Committee last year. They made a study and after due deliberations decided to increase the fees as listed above. Although it was a big increase they felt it was justified on the following grounds.

1. There has been no increase in fees for thirty years. In the past we have had to rely very heavily on donations but these have begun to decrease.
2. Compared to some other societies similar to ours, our fees are a small fraction of theirs, particularly in comparison to the larger Jamaat.
3. Even though it is a step change the level of subscription fees is very modest by today’s standards and is very affordable. In cases of genuine hardship we will of course try to find a solution.
4. Most of all, paying a membership fee shows a level of commitment to the society. Those who appreciate and agree with the aims of our society should not have any problem with this increase.

Please note that constitutionally, everyone is obliged to pay the full branch subscription – whether they want to be a member of the main society or not. If, they choose not to be a member of the main society, their full subscription will be kept by the branch but the individual will not have any member benefits including voting rights.

Our community events are open for anyone irrespective of their membership status. However, only the paid up members will have the right to vote at the general meetings, and only they are eligible to stand for election as office bearers. Paid members are also entitled to significant discounts at ticketed events. We plan to introduce other services which will only be available to paid members.

On a separate note, we would like to clarify the position in terms of the name of our society. The official name currently is “Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society”.
However, as we are part of a global reformist movement, it was felt that the word “Reformist” should appear in our name to give us a clearer identity. It would also align us with other Reformist groups within the Dawoodi Bohra community globally. This change of name has already been approved at an AGM and it is now that we are beginning the exercise of identifying what needs to be changed.
Until this process is completed the name will continue to be ‘Dawoodi Bohra Welfare Society’, though once all formalities have been completed, we will of course notify you.

We, the managing committee, would like to thank all the members for their support and allowing us to better serve the community and pursue our movement with a united front, nationally and globally. If you have any suggestions or comments, we would welcome your contribution.

Kind regards,

Faisal Tayebjee
Secretary, DBWS