Membership Reimagined
I am writing to let you know of a very significant and positive step that CMTUK has taken to broaden
our network of support, reach more people affected by CMT than ever before and crucially remove
any barriers to those seeking our help.
From 1st October 2023, the start of CMT Awareness month in the UK, CMTUK will move from a
subscription-based membership ‘fee’ to a discretionary donation based charity. It will no longer be a
mandatory cost to join.
Instead, we have removed the mandatory fee and replaced this with a suggested annual donation for
your membership. Details of which can be found in the Q&A document below.
We are confident that those members who can and have contributed by membership fee will continue
to donate in the new framework. However, crucially those who simply cannot afford to join will now be
able to access all services free of charge.
We are not a membership club, we are a critical support line for those who need it the most and we
believe this significant step in our history is morally the right thing to do.
The Board of Trustees have not taken this decision lightly and have examined all outcomes including
those financial, and are confident those who can give more, will give more and our reach will broaden
in turn.
Please examine the Q&A page below for more details. We thank you for your ongoing support and
look forward to your positive and inclusive next chapter of our history.
Membership Reimagined
CMTUK: Membership Reimagined: Q&A
We hope our letter above sets out clearly the decision to move from a subscription-based membership fee to
a donation funded charity, serving those affected by CMT without the mandatory cost burden. If you have any
questions or concerns about this, do please ask: as ever you can email us at enquiries@cmt.org.uk or
telephone the office on 01202 474203. That said, we hope the following will address some of your questions.
Q1. What changes are being introduced?
From 1st October 2023 CMTUK will no longer require a mandatory annual membership fee. We will ask
members to donate a recommended/suggested donation very similar to that of your membership format. Our
hope and expectation is that our members will continue their ongoing support by donating the suggested
minimum amount, and that some members who are able to contribute more in support of CMTUK will do. The
effect we hope will instil a culture of support for all whilst maintaining our membership income.
Q2. Why are we making these changes?
We are not a membership “club”, we are a critical support line for those who need it the most and we believe
this significant step in our history. We believe morally it is the right thing to do. We appreciate it will be a very
small minority but those who simply could not afford to join will be able to access all our services and support
they need free of charge*.
Q3. Are we still a “membership” based organisation?
Yes absolutely. We think of ourselves as a community and we need to keep in touch with you! Whether it be
to send your copy of e-Comment, to advise you of CMT events nationally or in your area, we believe retaining
membership status, irrespective of fee, is critical in our members feeling part of something, feeling supported.
Being member based ensures we look after your personal data, and identifying you as a member steers us to
do that.
Q4. Will this impact on CMTUK’s finances?
Yes it will but we believe for the better. Of course there is a consideration of CMTUK’s finances with this new
framework. Ultimately we cannot operate without donations to cover membership and our hope is that our
members continue to contribute as a minimum the suggested amount in Q8. However, as we all know, CMT
can affect anybody regardless of income. We will be helping those who cannot afford to be members – they
could not contribute financially anyway but will get support.
We hope we will encourage more donations than the current membership brings in. This will enable CMTUK to
support more people, and a membership that will have more individuals within the (over 120) types of CMT
and related conditions such as GAN and HNPP.
Your board has considered and discussed this proposal and it was agreed unanimously in March 2023 to bring
it to, the AGM on 21st April 2023, where the vast majority of our members agreed that this proposal should
pass and be implemented.
Q5. Are there any cost benefits to the proposal?
Yes. While we need to maintain the membership database, this will also reduce the staff time currently used to
process subscription payments (and send reminders!). This time will be utilised to maintain and grow the
existing services that CMTUK offers.
We encourage you to “Gift Aid” your donations (see below).
Q6. Is CMTUK pursuing funding from other sources?
Yes, always! As the new membership model comes into effect on 1st October 2023, we will be looking to grow
the membership of the charity and to include membership for friends and family.
As ever, as a charity we will continue to build on our fundraising activities and will be working to offer more
support for those who wish to take part in fundraising for us.
Q7. What do the changes mean for me?
There will be no changes to the way your membership works or the services you can access as a member. To
confirm: the only change will be that CMTUK will no longer request an annual membership fee from
you. Instead, CMTUK would ask that all members make the donation they can afford, to help the charity to
continue its support of those across the UK with CMT. We ask that, if you pay sufficient income tax at the
standard rate, you Gift Aid your donation so that CMTUK can also recover some of the tax paid through HMRC:
for every £80 you give, they give the £20 tax you paid to us (so CMTUK gets £100 in total). Changing to an
option to donate allows you to have more control on how much and how often you donate: maybe monthly
rather than annually would be better for you.
Q8. What is the recommended donation?
Last year’s subscription was £27, a sustainable amount is needed from donation based membership and we
believe that £30 is a reasonable minimum donation to request. That said, any donations page (we use Enthuse) may encourage you to give more, and we of course are requesting that you give what you can.
Q9. So how do I donate?
If you are already a donor as well as a subscriber – thank you! All we ask is that you review your donation in
the light of this letter. Do let us know if you make a change, so we may express our thanks for your ongoing
support.
If you do not have a donation set up yet, there are a number of options.
For a one-off donation you may choose to go to the Donations page or Enthuse, please use your membership number as the reference.
If you pay by direct debit, please let us know how much we should debit you in future (or ask for a new direct
debit form).
If you have been paying your subscription by bank standing order then you may choose to review what you
pay and leave the standing order in place. Alternatively, you might set up an alternative or a new standing
order for an annual or a monthly amount.
Or, of course, you may simply make a BACS transfer to our account. In this case, please contact the office so
we can ensure we have your contact details for membership and again, to allow us to thank you.
We hope this answers many questions, but as above, if you have any questions or concerns about this, do
please ask: as ever you can email us at enquiries@cmt.org.uk or telephone the office at 01202 474203. Your
feedback really is valuable to us and will help as we share more information with you in due course.
from your CMTUK Board
*Overseas members (anyone whose address is not in the United Kingdom) who receive information and ComMenT through the post system may be asked to cover the additional costs incurred.