Tag Archives: NMS

Non-Member Surcharge Wording Changes

02 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Law and Policy, Official Notices

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The Money Changer and His Wife - Marinus van ReymerswaeleFrom the Seneschal and Exchequer’s offices:

Greetings from Mercedes and Ignatia,

We recently attended the Known World Kingdom Exchequer and Seneschal Symposium in Trimaris where the Society Exchequer announced a change in the wording of event announcements. Many people do not like the way that the non-member surcharge has had to be listed in event announcements as it is a bit off-putting. Society recently related an alternate method for listing the fees to address this.  In the East Kingdom, an event fee will now be referred to in announcements as the REGISTRATION FEE, it should no longer be referred to as a gate fee, site fee, door fee or entry fee in announcements or event calendars.

It is important that all Seneschals, Exchequers and Autocrats comply with this new wording on all event announcement, including ones on platforms other than the Eastkingdom.org calendar. The EK Calendar is being updated to reflect this language.
A discount for minors must be listed or you will be required to collect NMS from non-member minors.  A discount on any ‘group/category of adults’ does not avoid the NMS fee requirement if that person is not a member.  In addition, you may NOT ‘comp’ any non-member to attend an event, ever. This includes paying the NMS out of group funds.  The non-member fees will still be referred to as Non-member surcharges outside of the announcements and will still continue to be reported as NMS.   Feast Fees and/or Day Board Fees are still listed separately.

Below are examples of how you may list your event registration fees so that you can avoid the NMS wording that people find distasteful.  For the purposes of the example below X=$10, which represents the cost of the event fee per person (prior to any NMS amount).
Event Registration Fees Pricing:
1.    Adult(18+):    $X+5=  $15  Member:   $X=  $10      Minor(<18): $X-.50=   $9.50
OR
2.    Non-member:    $X+5=  $15  Member:   $X=  $10      Minor(<18): $X-.50=   $9.50
OR
3.    Registration Fee: $X+5=  $15  Minor(<18): $X-5-.50=   $9.50
Adult Members receive a $5.00 discount on the registration fee with proof of membership. ($10)
OR
4.  I am sure someone will come up with another option for stating the fee structure for an event.

Remember these are only examples – the ‘minor’ prices are normally broken into several categories for most groups.

In Service,
Maestra Ignacia la Ciega,
East Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer
exchequer@eastkingdom.org

and

Mercedes Vera de Calafia
East Kingdom Seneschal
seneschal@eastkingdom.org

BoD Looks at Changing NMS Language

29 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Law and Policy

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By Leonete D’Angely

During the SCA Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, October 27, the Society Treasurer asked for a policy interpretation on a loophole in the Non-Member Surcharge. Groups had contacted her regarding a practice of not charging site fees to non-members, so that they could benefit from the policy that those who are not charged a site fee do not have to pay the NMS. (Point 4 of the NMS language, see below for full text) These groups were, in effect, charging members to be at their event, but not charging non-members.

Mark Faulcon, BoD member and Ombudsman to the East, pointed out that this would be a self-correcting problem, that groups would run out of money if they continued to do this. Society President Tom Hughes cut in with, “Non-members create an increased liability for site use that the SCA has to pay for.  It transfers the burden of risk to paid members.  Non-members really have to pay the NMS.” He was adamant that the loophole be closed somehow.
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