Actually. One day in the Chicago area and another day downstate.
One day provided by the Chicago Chapter and the other day provided by the State chapter.
Hope this helps.
Cost: Chicago NACHI Chapter members…25.00
NACHI members..................................... 50.00
Non NACHI Members…$100.00
You are charging NACHI members more than Chicago NACHI Chapter members?
This is not right, Will. NACHI is providing the education…it should have the same price for all members.
Why?
If NACHI members in the (close to area of chapter 30 miles) of the chapter find no reason to belong or participate in our chapter but expect all the benefits of our chapters hard work in promoting and organizing education events or advertising events then they should not expect to reap all benefits as members!
Sorry, but I drive 1/1-2 hours to get to the chapter meeting hopefully on time. Spend a LOT of my own time and money on the phones and expect NOTHING in return, maybe a bit of praise.
I feel sorry for all those members who don’t have a chapter nearby within 75 miles and spend big $$$ on non-NACHI expen$ive education .
We are super cheap eitherway for NACHI members that are NOT chapter members. 6 hour state licensed course for 50 bucks…:o Try and find that elsewhere…
Chicago chapter education coordinator
This is pure, unadulterated bull$hit.
You are taking a trainer - paid for by NACHI - to provide the training.
You are using your website and this one - both paid for by NACHI, to advertise.
Hey, Nick…how about charging the Chicago Chapter to use this message board to advertise their programs?
The Water Well Sampling Course is being submitted for Illinois CEUs. I think the CATS folks from Canada are doing the same with their programs.
All of them will be offered free of charge in St. Louis to all NACHI members (with the exception of members of Chicago NACHI, who will pay $99). Non-members are $100.
…but not sorry enough to refrain from gouging them on your NACHI-provided (free to your chapter) training course, though.
Not to cast aspersions or get sarcastic, but I simply asked a question.
My thoughts are this.
This is a NACHI course taught by a NACHI educator. All NACHI members should benefit the same.
If this were A Chicago NACHI course, taught by a Chicago NACHI instructor, a private Chicago chapter meeting could be held for chapter members only and any amount could be charged as agreed upon by the chapter members.
Because this is a NACHI course, paid for by a NACHI instructor, in truth, all NACHI members are paying a portion of the cost. To charge them more seems over the top to me.
I apologize for my “over the top” heartfelt response, but that B.S. as to how their hard work in advertising must be passed on to other NACHI members really got to me.
It’s just wrong.
How about it, Chicago. Maybe an across the board member price is in order, here…ya think?
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Jim B. I have been trying to call you for the better part of 3 weeks to discuss this and other topics with you. You never answer your phone (pretty silly for a home inspector
). Are you avoiding me? We used to talk. -
There are benifits to being a Chapter member. Those benefits cost money (from the Chapter). Aren’t we allowed to collect money to pay for those?
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Until Gerry’s course, all the state approved (reguired to keep our license) CE courses were written and developed within our Chapter. The additional money from charging non-Chapter NACHI members did not go into anyone’s pocket. It all went to the Chapter.
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There have been a number of marketing events (home shows, Realtor presentations, first time home buyers seminars, IAR (Illinois Association of Realtors) conventions) that were advertised on this board that were setup and (in one case paid for, in part by ME, PERSONALLY) where non-Chapter members (and in one case, someone who was not even a NACHI member) just “showed up” because “Nick said so” and tried to completely take over the event for their own company. That is no right.
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I think the real questions is this. Is there an added benifit, an added value to paying a small ($50 per year) Chapter membership fee (tax deductable, mine you) and getting value for that price above and beyond what NACHI provides. NACHI is national, but it is always the troops on the ground that have to do the actual work.
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PLEASE NOTE: This is not to blow my own horn. It is merely verifiable fact.
I have written 4 CE courses for NACHI and given them to NACHI, under NACHI copyright, two of which have been given state licenses in Illinois (and also sent to National for disbursment to other states and areas) for free. I have never received a dime (or even a penny) from NACHI for this. I have actually refused payment. The most I have ever received from NACHI (besides the obvious benefits available to all members) is two NACHI shirts. I have vene paid my own way to NACHI education events (out of state, the second one over) out of my own pocket (gas, hotel, event fees) to teach courses. I am not a “great guy” or anything. I am only a guy who does what he says and works to follow up on what he says. I have had offers to take these courses and make money teaching them (from NACHI and from other associations) but for now (at least until my term as Chapter President is over) I will not do so. I try to live by my word and by doing home inspections.
If that messes anyone up, call me and talk to me. I ain’t trying to mess with your rice bowl, just doing what I think is right.
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If anyone has a problem with me, as I have said many times before, give me a call. That is why I list (signature) my cell and office (really, my basement office in my house) phone numbers.
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These prices were proposed, discussed and voted on by our Chapter members, as is required by incorporation rules and laws.
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I will bring these concerns up to our Executive board and the membership for their consideration. I have talked to Blaine and he poses some good questions of which I was not aware of before. Maybe the Chapter did not have the full story when the voted on this.
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Jim B. I am looking forward to seeing the courses you could write for state approved CE to help NACHI. THis is not a slam, but a request to raise the bar.
This is what NACHI has done and, hopefully, will continue to do.
Thanks for reading my post. Hope this helps;
Not free. It costs the Chapter 22.50 per head for the room and food. We are trying to get that down.
So our Chapter makes $2.50 a head for NACHI Chapter members. Does that cover the printing cost? Does that cover the cost of the projector? Does that cover the screen and mics and other costs that the hotel provides?
No.
In fact, anyone in our Chapter has FREE use of the projector and laptop and PowerPoint Presentations (all of which were paid for my ME, personally, out of my own pocket). Is that a benefit? Is that value added.
Please remember that we live in a large metropolitan area with high costs and long distances and very heavy presence by other associations.
Please, understand the facts on the ground before you criticize. :mrgreen:
Jim;
Our Chapter web site (www.NACHIChicago.org) is owned and paid for by our Chapter. Check out the hosting company (GoDaddy.com). Nick was kind enough to allow us to buy the dmian name and create it, update it and host it ourselves.
As I said before, please call me. You have a misunderstanding of the facts at issue.
Hope this helps;
Will,
I have already apologized for my knee-jerk response to the bs about the need for NACHI members who don’t belong to your chapter to pay your advertising expenses. It was a rude way of stating how I really feel. My apology is limited to the way I expressed how I feel…not for how I feel.
It is wrong for you to charge more for NACHI members outside of your chapter for training that is provided by the National Association.
I sincerely hope that, in protest, none of those who you would charge the extra fee attend your event.
Jim;
Apology accepted, and not really necessary.
More important, what is the problem that needs to be addressed and what is the solution?
The questions are these:
- What is the reason, the added value, for a NACHI member to also be a member of a NACHI Chapter?
- Does Chapter membership provide additional value to the inspector? There is a NACHI requiremement to attend at least one Chapter meeting a month. Is that all there is to Chapter membership?
- There are plenty of NACHI members, in our area, that gain from NACHI membership. That is fine and good. But, our Chapter has raised the visability of NACHI in our area greatly. It used to be that most Realtors believed (and referred, based upon that belief) that membership in the other association was the same thing as being licensed. Through the great efforts of our Chapter, we have changed that. NACHI now has at least equal stature in this area with the other association. That took work. Volunteer work. But, there were still costs (copying, printing, web site, time off to hit over 300 different open houses and give over 120 different Real Estate office presentations, marketing NACHI (and not any one given member). Who pays for those costs? The Chapter, with funds derived from the membership dues ($50.00 per year).
- The NACHI members who are not Chapter members have gained added value and are doing much better in this market because of this. Yet, they have not paid the $50.00 to the Chapter. That is OK. Brothers serving brothers. Yet, they expect to show up to a very expensive IAR convention and walk right in and take over and benifit from a Chapter funded event (at least in part). Is that fair to the NACHI members who are also Chapter members who have chipped in their dollars and their time and effort? This reminds me of the guy who sits on the bench for the whole season, only to get up in the last game and make one stinkin’ touch down and, suddenly, they are the STAR. Just not fair to the whole team, wouldn’t you say.
- You live in a state that does not require state approved CE just to keep your license. Sure, NACHI BB education is great and raises the bar. BUT, I am much more concerned with keeping my license than keeping my “certification”. With a certification, I can keep posting on this board. With a license, I can actually, legally, inspect! A big difference, and on that is not fully understood by those inspectors in non-license states. Not ragging, just explaining.
- If you, in your state have no CE courses, big deal. You still can work (legally). In licensed states, you cannot work. There in is the difference. What difference does marketing make if you cannot, legally, do inspections.
- In a mostly rural area like yours, large (and expensive marketing) makes no difference. Around here, with almost 3,300 licensed inspectors (the majority of whom belong to no association) it is everything. That marketing simply costs money. When our Chapter markets NACHI, every NACHI member benifits, even the ones who don’t pay for it, contribute towards it, help work for it or put in their time to support it (or to even attend the stinkin’ meetings).
- As the only NACHI Chapter in the state (until recently), I would bet you (and this is a challange) that the majority of the NACHI members in the 8 county Chicagoland area have not attended a single NACHI Chapter meeting in the last (almost) two years. That means that they have not met their NACHI requirements for membership. I have the records and statistics and I can prove it. Do you, currently, keep track of these things. If not, who does in your area?
- I am not going to do anything with these records but, I ask you, Jim. Should they be drummed out of NACHI, according to the written, published and clear rules, for this.
- Simply put. In our area, given our local conditions and state requirements and state laws and NACHI rules, our Chapter is trying to make a difference.
Agreement is not important. Clarity and understanding is very important.
I ask again. Call me, or answer the phone when I call you.
Are you interested in solving the problem, or are you “just posting”?
Will,
You posted your scheduled event.
You posted your intent to charge 100% more for NACHI members outside of your area to attend you event than NACHI members who happen to belong to your chapter.
I posted my objection to it. I find nothing in any of your subsequent posted attempts to justify this to be of merit or that I care to spend the time to personally discuss. I still think it is wrong.
Chapters act autonomous of the national association. Accordingly, you are within your legal rights to commit this injustice…but it is still wrong.
I hope you will have a change of heart and do the right thing by giving all NACHI members access to NACHI funded resources at the same price…not because you have to, but because it is the right thing to do.
If your chapter has costs, allow all NACHI members in attendance to share in them, equally.
Hope
Hope thisn helps;
Your argument, that being a* licensed state* somehow requires this inequity in the cover charge, is absurd.
I also note that the same class is being held in Belleville, IL which is more than 4 hours from Chicago - and there is still a 100% increase in admission fees for NACHI members who are not in your chapter. What in the PHIC is this all about?
Why don’t you just rename your chapter “NA$HI”, Will?
Simple as this, you don’t like it, don’t come. Even our non-chapter education fee is much more than reasonable.
Back when our chapter was founded, we were operating hand to mouth. Expenses were more than income. We were BROKE.
We had two choices. Institute a chapter membership (which was approved by the powers that be at national) or fold the chapter and concede the field to A$HI.
Ok. So now we have a chapter membership. How do we convince people to join? Make it worth their time.
It was proposed and voted on, which is the proper way to make these decisions, to institute a higher fee for non-members to encourage them to join. (Even though we’ve waived the non-member fee for people traveling to training from out of the Chicago area)
It’s this simple, you don’t want to join, don’t. But until you are funding the chapters functions, I also don’t give a #$%# what you think about the prices NACHI-Chicago charges.
When NACHI-National is paying the freight, they can set whatever fees they like. When NACHI-Chicago is paying the freight, so can they.