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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Also, as a former board member at a synagogue, I just want to point out that no congregation will deny you membership if you cannot pay. Some congregations do make it difficult and ask for "proof" of your income/expenses but many are getting away from that as it is extremely humiliating for the congregants and causes many to resign their membership rather than ask for relief. At my synagogue, we have done away with this and anyone needing relief just needs to call the executive director and she tells them to pay what they can afford -- no questions asked.

Another trend is that some places are moving away from a "dues model" (i.e. saying that you must pay $3,000/per year (as an example) to be a member) and moving to an annual pledge model (similar to what a pp mentioned). This is definitely the wave of the future as many young families cannot afford the high dues but want to be affiliated with a congregation. Of course, a lot of places are already effectively on that model already because they allow people with financial difficulty to pay what they can afford. But if they give everyone the option to pay less, they may lose revenue (i.e., people who can pay the $3,000 but aren't really engaged in synagogue life may decide to pay less than $3,000 because they have the option). In order to meet the payroll/keep the building running, the synagogues need those people to pay their full share. But if they are fully engaged, they should want to contribute more. It's a circle.[/quote]

My old shul tried to move away from the dues model and fell to pieces.  
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