The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Year-End Membership Drive for Delta Caucus Dues, November-December, 2014

Posted on November 19, 2014 at 03:34 PM

We are completing our membership drive for the year 2014, and over the closing weeks of the year in November and December, 2014 we would request annual membership dues in the amounts of $25, $50 or $100. Our activities are expanding and the budget has to expand along with them.

This is now a requirement for our members who wish to be fully supportive and active in the Delta Grassroots Caucus advocacy for the eight-state region’s community and economic development, and the only request is just $25 once each calendar year. This is a very small figure but if everybody contributes it will add up to a lot.

We only have about six weeks left in calendar year 2014, and our budget is based entirely on voluntary donations in the form of sponsorships, registration fees at major conferences and annual membership dues.

We are steadily increasing the number of annual membership dues we collect each year, but we still have a problem that many people do not send in their dues. We are sure this is just a result of not focusing on the dues, mistakenly thinking they are not important, or perhaps not knowing about the requirement of just $25 a year. That’s great for those who can send in $50 or $100, but the minimal requirement is for everybody to send in at least $25.

Our advocacy work for community and economic development focuses on the region from southern Illinois and Missouri through western Kentucky and Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and down to New Orleans and then east to the Alabama Black Belt-a vast area of more than 10 million people.

Key issues for the remainder of 2014 and 2015 will include job creation/economic recovery, education and workforce development, women and children’s issues and support for the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings initiative for full participation of women and girls, renewable energy, hunger and nutrition, health care for underserved areas including support for Arkansas’ innovative private option health care plan, transportation, housing, broadband expansion and other infrastructure, the USDA rural development, agriculture and nutrition programs, Delta heritage tourism (including the pending bill to allow the historic steamboat the Delta Queen to resume her travels on the Mississippi), and other vital regional issues.

Please make out the dues contribution for 2014 over the next six weeks of the calendar year in the amount of $25, $50 or $100, with the check made out to “Delta Caucus,” and mail to:

Delta Caucus

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

Large potential pool of small contributors over the eight states: We have had over 3,000 people who have had some involvement with the Delta Cauus over the years, more than 700 people in our data base who have had some significant involvement with the Delta Caucus at some point, and about 350 who are active on a regular basis. But the vast majority, unfortunately, do not pay their dues. It would be a huge plus for our budget if everybody would contribute at least $25.

For medium-sized nonprofits, businesses, chambers of commerce, smaller banks, we would suggest $50 in dues.

For larger universities, colleges, foundations, corporations, other larger organizations we would suggest $100, although some generously give $150 or $200 for dues; and some generous individuals give the higher amounts.

But the main point is that if we could ever get all 700 active partners to contribute at least $25 once a year, it would add up to a very large amount of money-approximately $20,000.

Many people have concluded that $25 or $50 is such a small amount that “How could it possibly make a difference so why should I bother?” The statistics above demonstrate that we have the potential to raise much more funding through membership dues-so your small donation adds up.

As Edmund Burke famously said about encouraging many people to each contribute a small amount working toward a collective goal:

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.”

Vital importance of having a major part of the budget coming from many small to medium-sized contributions: Our policy is that while we will accept some sponsorships, a major part of our budget will always consist of smaller contributions in the form of either registration fees and membership dues, because we will not become dependent and beholden to a small number of wealthy interests who could then pressure us to run the organization according to their bidding as opposed to the broader interests of the region as a hold.

We are expanding our activities and the budget needs to grow along with the overall expansion of the Delta grassroots coalition outreach and advocacy.

We stretch our dollars a long way and that kind of annual membership dues would enable us to to continue our expansion.

If you don’t recall whether you have sent in your dues, just reply to this email or call (202) 360-6347 and we will look that up for you. Most people have not paid their dues as of Nov. 19, 2014.

Thanks very much-Delta Caucus board of directors (202) 360-6347