I have yet another update on my Nation Audubon Society membership saga. It started back in mid-January when I was charged right away, didn't receive any materials until a few weeks later, and as of yet I still haven't received a copy of the magazine.
All along I've suspected that national membership does not cover my local chapter membership (which happens to be Massachusetts) because there is such a high discrepancy in membership dues ($20 vs. $44).
I decided to get on the phone Monday, as I posted, spoke with a very nice woman from the national office and then waited to hear back from my local chapter. Then I got a call on Tuesday explaining that the National Audubon Society is not affiliated with the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
So now I have a national membership that offers me no value (except for the magazine) and I have to start from scratch in getting a MassAudubon membership. I hate to complain so much, especially when I know the funds I've donated still go to a good cause, but it's a little frustrating because this information is not disclosed on the website.
Hopefully I can be of help to other Mass residents interested in joinging the Audubon Society and not knowing where to start! My advice—go directly to the MassAudubon Website.
Too bad you had to learn that lesson the hard way.-At least the money you donated went to a decent casue.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great book that will help clarify the relationships between all of the Audubon societies and how they came to be: A World of Watchers, by Joseph Kastner. It's out of print but you can still find copies at libraries and (used) at Amazon.com.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live, there is an independent Audubon society (called Audubon Naturalist) and also a local chapter of National Audubon. Both are very worthwhile groups.