Hello. My name’s Christopher Day. I’m a stenographer over in New York City, and though I personally go unaffected by a CEU cost increase, I wanted to break down a little of what I read, and what I think about it. Before I do all that, I’m going to start by personally thanking anybody reading this, be it a board member, a staff member, or some other person involved in the organization. The organization is important to the health and power of the profession, and the organization has the power to be impactful in the everyday lives and certainly the everyday thoughts of stenographers.
More or less, I read that there is a base fee, and a new per-attendee fee. The base fee went from 225 to 500 for first-time events and 250 for subsequent events. The attendee fee is 5 a person for the first 50, 10 a person for attendee 51 to 100, and 20 a person for attendee 101+. The current model really punishes smaller presenters, and I think a flat per-attendee fee of $20 for a first event and $10 for a second event is in spirit with the model as it is currently. If you do the math, and I did, the mode average for events ranging from 1 to 200 people is about $20 per person for first events and $10 per person for second events, and the vast bulk of the money made in any sizable event is from the attendee fee and not the base fee. By eliminating all the extra language in the pricing I feel you will make members feel much more secure and trusting, and I feel that’s what should be done.
I’ve learned a lot about general organizational structure, and I know that the machine doesn’t run on magic, but I also know that how things are presented can make a big impact on how they’re received, and I believe an increase in the CEU pricing structure can be warmly received if it’s just put a little bit differently. Please consider this idea, and consider implementing a flat, per-attendee fee. I can’t claim to know everything, but the math averages out to those $20 and $10 prices respectively, and respectfully, if that’s the average, that’s likely what NCRA would be making anyway under the current price structure.
Thanks for taking the time to hear me out. Though some will be unhappy with any increase in cost, I do believe that the majority of the buzz has been from the fact that readers read it as a $750 increase in cost as opposed to a $20 per person increase in cost, and I do believe that can be adequately addressed.