<p>(sorry if there is another thread on this...I did a search but...)</p>
<p>I am looking for insight on the benefits of joining the Alumni Association (especially as a lifetime member). I received the offer in the Permit to Report package for the option of having the $400-$500 taken out of my pay over my years at the Academy. I am having a hard time finding out the benefits of joining, but the fact that over 99% of mids join this way is a compelling fact for me.</p>
<p>Is this something that I should definitely join? What are some of the benefits later in life?</p>
<p>Well, there is the camraderie and the inclusion on all the mailing lists. Alumni Association members also get access to all sorts of interesting USNA-related goodies (rocking chairs, wall clocks, etc.) if you happen to be into that sort of thing.</p>
<p>The most tangible benefit is the subscription to Shipmate, the USNAAA monthly magazine, which has all the gouge in it.</p>
<p>I never even thought of the money that was taken out of my paycheck. It was painless. I graduated and suddenly I discovered I was already a life member.</p>
<p>My question to those who wonder whether to join or not is, if you've made such a commitment to a place, why would you NOT join the Alumni association? "Money" seems pretty shallow to me.</p>
<p>Lifetime members can shop at the Mid Store! Besides, Z's right, you never see the money so you don't miss it and since it happens over the course of the four years, it's not a huge amount at one time. I would suggest you do it. You'll get Proceedings and Shipmate (the USNA Alumni Magazine) too.</p>
<p>The cost of membership in USNAAA shouldn't be an issue. The funds are taken out of your "funny money" account while you are a midshipman -- that is money that you never see anyway. It is much easier to pay for the lifetime membership while a midshipman than after you graduate. After graduation, you will have a lot of other living expenses that will consume your fat O-1 paycheck.</p>
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Lifetime members can shop at the Mid Store!
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<p>I'd forgotten about that. </p>
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You'll get Proceedings....
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<p>Not Proceedings. That's the magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute which, despite being headquartered in Annapolis (or at least it was), is a different entity from the USNAAA.</p>
<p>BTW, I look at folks who don't sign up for the USNAAA the same way as those who go through USNA and choose not to get a ring. Like, WHY are you even here? :confused:</p>
<p>It doesn't sound as if the Alumni Association is doing a very good advertising job selling itself to the Brigade. It is "why we are here" and so much more than Shipmate and knick-knacks. I would argue that it is much more important than the "R"ing.</p>
<p>The Association is your voice, as an alumni, to the Academy.</p>
<p>It is the administrator of all non-appropriated funds for the Academy. With almost 200 million in assets and an annual budget approaching 50 million, going mainly to athletic facilities and the Foundation. Almost 100 midshipmen enter the Academy annually due to the Alumni Association Foundation. The next time you are in Alumni Hall or Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, thank the Alumni Association. Our Class, via the Alumni Association, is in the middle of a fund raiser to renovate the Chapel. </p>
<p>The Ring is a selfish little knick-knack. The Alumni Association is your guarantee that the Academy is there for future generations just as it was there for you. GA is correct. It is funny money. And a lot cheaper than it will be the day after you graduate. You owe it to the Academy. Join now.</p>
<p>And Shipmate is the only piece of mail that I recieve that I routinely read between the mail box and the house.</p>
<p>Before I get blasted, non-appropriated money mostly comes from Mid Store, etc. and supports MWR. The term I should have used is Alumni and corporate contributions.</p>
<p>USNA69 you opened it up and I will get blasted for this....</p>
<p>Our Midshipmen enjoy some of the best facilities and EC programming in the country. I can tell you mine has benefited directly (as a Plebe) from money made available from the foundation to a program he participates in.</p>
<p>You do not need to be a member of the Alumni Association to give money to the Foundation. There is no good reason why a parent of a midshipmen does not give some money to the Foundation...none of us are paying tuition...even if it is a small donation, the Foundation needs 100% support from Alumni members, parents and Faculty/staff. When approaching Corporations for contributions one of the first things corporations and charitable foundations want to know if what percentage of your membership and those directly receiving benefits are giving. Do your part when approached by the foundation in the fall. </p>
<p>We all brag about the things our mids are doing, like Glee Club, Orchestra, Drum and Bugle, every club and intramural sport program, the varsity sports, all of the EC Clubs....remember, it is not yours or your neighbors tax dollars that are providing for that experience. It is money raised by the Alumni Association and Foundation.</p>
<p>If you do not feel that the time is right as a Plebe to Be to join the Alumni Association as a life member, then at least plan on it as a graduation gift to yourself or to your newly commissioned officer.</p>
<p>Thanks! That really cleared things up for me. I was having a hard time finding what they were all about. 500 seemed like alot for some coupons and subscription to a magazine, so I knew there had to more to it than that.</p>