Notice: I apologize upfront for the length of this message. However, it is important that you read all of it.
Subject: OVWG Fee Changes
During its meeting of June 22, 2026, the Board of Directors of the OVWG approved fee increases for the annual membership and the monthly demonstration meeting. As of January 1, 2027, the membership fee will increase from $40.00 to $60.00 per year. The monthly demonstration meeting fee will increase from $15.00 to $20.00, starting with the October 2026 meeting. Other fees will remain unchanged at this time. This decision was made after careful consideration and comparison of fees being charged by other AAW chapters and services/benefits provided by those chapters. The outcome was that very few chapters (less than 10 of over 300) offer benefits such as our Learning Center. The fees now being charged for OVWG membership are far less than what is often expected by new members. The Board also approved options for a five year membership for $250.00 and a lifetime membership for $1,000.00.
Why a fee increase?
The financial condition of the OVWG is strong. The current balance of our accounts totals about $150,000. However, it is the job of the Board to plan for the future, a challenging endeavor under the best of circumstances. We must be prepared for any unforeseeable events that might affect our financial future in a negative manner. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic could have dealt a devastating blow to the Guild if we had not had a solid financial footing. We can never be sure that other such events will not occur. Another issue that we have to consider is the stability of the Kennedy Height Arts Center (our landlord). While they seem to be solid they, like many arts organizations, have experienced the loss of some grant funds during the past year. There is no reason for us to believe that they will not continue to be successful. Nevertheless, the Board would be shirking its duties if it didn't begin to consider other options for the home of the OVWG. This could include the purchase of our own facility. Such a direction places more emphasis on the need to continue to build our cash reserves. To help you better understand the thinking of the Board I want to give you some information about Guild expenses and income.
Deficit Spending!
Each year the Guild spends more money on operation of the Learning Center and monthly demonstration meetings than it takes in from membership fees, meeting fees, and classes. We normally experience a deficit of $10,000 to $12,000 per year. We have been able to do this because of the money we make off of the Symposium. Symposium 2025 provided us with a profit of about $35,000. This seems like a considerable amount of money (not as much as in past symposia), but it is not a source that we can continue to be assured of. I will come back to the Symposium at a later point, but first I want to talk about our finances without it being a factor.
The Cost of Facilities!
The Board feels strongly that we need to develop an income stream that pays for all expenses as we go. In other words we should not spend more money than we make. The fee changes we have just made will not entirely do that, but they will move us closer to that goal while weaning us off of our dependency on the Symposium. So what are our annual needs? I just signed a three year lease agreement with the Kennedy Heights Arts Center for Studio 9 - the Learning Center. During the first year of the lease, we will pay a monthly fee of $842.00 plus a utility fee of approximately $50.00 per month. This will total almost $900.00 per month or approximately $10,800 per year. Each additional year of the agreement includes a 2% increase. I also signed a facility rental contract for use of the KHAC Lindner Annex Center for the next turning year. This will cost us $440.00 for each of our monthly demonstration meetings - a total of $3,080 for the period of October 2026 to May of 2027. So, rent for the next year will cost us close to $14,000.
The Cost of Professional Demonstrators!
Professional demonstrators are always expensive. They normally cost considerably more than we take in from meeting fees and class registrations. A daily rate of about $700 is the norm and some are higher. If we have a demonstrator on Saturday who then teaches classes on Sunday and Monday, we pay $2,100.00. On top of that we have to pay for travel and food. Occasionally we have to pay for lodging, but in most cases the visitor will be housed by an OVWG member at no cost to the Guild other than food. From January 1, 2026, to May 17, 2026, we had four professional turners visit for monthly meetings and classes. Total expenses incurred with these four individuals totaled $10,828 for an average of $2,707 each. We have one additional pro scheduled for the year so the total is likely to be about $13,500.
Learning Center Operations:
The cost of operating the Learning Center is not cheap. In addition to rent and utilities we have to maintain equipment, replace aging equipment, replace worn out and missing tools, and provide day to day supplies that are used in the Learning Center. Although it is not usually required in full, the Vice President of Facilities and Equipment has an allowance of $500.00 per month to spend on Learning Center needs. During 2025 we replaced all eight of the Jet 1221 lathes. Fortunately, members and friends of OVWG paid for six. Insurance (three policies) cost us a bit over $1,500.00 per year. With all of the above considered, cash flow for 2026 from January 1, through May 17, was running a deficit of $9,891.66.
The Symposium:
A few years after the OVWG was founded in 1988, some of the founding members decided that they should initiate a biennial woodturning symposium. This was a rather risky undertaking since it required an outlay of funds to get underway and there was no assurance that people would attend. Fortunately, one of the members put up the funds to get started and the rest is history. This was one of the first of the regional symposia and people came from all around the Midwest. The funds earned from these symposia helped the OVWG to grow its membership and its banking accounts. These funds enabled the opening of the Learning Center in September of 2015. Since this approach has worked so well why should we be concerned about the future financial health of the organization? The answer is simple. Change comes to everything - the OVWG Symposium included. At the beginning there was little if any competition from other regional symposia. Now there are several others who try to attract many of the same people we would like to have.
The Future of the Symposium:
Planning for Symposium 2027 is well under way. The facility at Higher Ground Conference and Retreat Center has been reserved (October 29 - 31, 2027) and five professional turners have already signed contracts. Doug Glessner is again, with the assistance of Dean Devin, working hard to make it an outstanding event. However, the administration at Higher Ground has indicated that we will not be welcomed back after 2027. Their focus has changed in a direction that does not include us. This means that if we are to continue to have biennial symposia we will have to find another locale. This is likely to mean a hotel in the Greater Cincinnati area where lodging and food is likely to be much more expensive. With this we also lose the ability to make money off of lodging and food as we have done at Higher Ground. This generated a good portion of our income from each symposium. Competition from other regional symposia and online class offerings have contributed to smaller numbers of people attending our symposium in recent years. The Board feels that this will continue.
The Future of the OVWG?
There is no reason to believe that the OVWG will not continue to be a strong, successful, woodturning organization. However, to assure this the Board believes that we must carefully examine the way we do business and look at new approaches that might help to insure success. We need to be able to pay as we go without depending on the Symposium and we must consider what a world without an OVWG Symposium would look like. We must also be farsighted in looking at how we might be able to generate enough capital to purchase and maintain our own facility. I hope that you understand the need for these fee increases and that you will work with the Board as we look for ways to secure the future of the OVWG.
If you have ideas on how we can continue to improve the operation of the Guild feel free to share your thoughts with me or one of the other members of the Board. I also hope that you will consider serving on a committee and/or running for a position on the Board when the opportunity arises.
Jerry Warner
President, OVWG
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