CORA’s membership fees have not changed in over 15 years. In 2019, CORA will be increasing its fees for adults and clubs. Here’s why.
CORA was founded to help develop the sport of outrigger canoe racing in Canada. As the sport has grown, CORA’s membership numbers and associated revenues have grown as well. In 2018, CORA reached the point where GST collection and remittance is required. Adding to this new cost, we also incur additional transaction charges as more memberships are paid for online. Online registration is crucial for the organization to maintain an accurate membership database and collect fees in an efficient and timely manner.
CORA does not take this fee increase lightly. As a volunteer organization with no employees we take pride in investing your annual member contributions with care. In fact, CORA returns most of its revenue directly back to members and clubs in the form of grants for education, trailer subsidies to transport canoes to races, grants for clubs to maintain, repair and acquire equipment, as well as support for its members to attend international and world championship events. Finally, CORA’s largest annual expense is insurance, which supports paddlers and clubs by providing liability coverage at no additional cost to our members.
In 2019, annual memberships for adults will increase from $25 to $30, day memberships from $10 to $15 and club memberships from $140 to $150. To encourage more youth participation in the sport, there will be no increases for junior paddlers (under 19); these will remain at $10 for annual junior memberships and $5 for one-day junior memberships.
Please watch for the online member renewal link in your email inbox in December. When it arrives, know that your annual fees are being invested in racing and training opportunities for outrigger paddlers across Canada, as well as insurance and infrastructure support for the clubs we call home.