Red Hat Society seeks to get in the black
Publication: The Orange County Register (California)
The financially strapped Red Hat Society is appealing to its more than 500,000 worldwide members to start paying $20 in annual dues to keep the women's no-agenda organization afloat.
CEO Debra Granich said the Fullerton-based company has e-mailed an SOS -- Save Our Society -- plea
to 28,000 chapters in 25 countries explaining how the company's events, products and memberships have been impacted by the worsening global economy."We learned you can't run a club without membership dues, so we're developing a new business model to survive and thrive," Granich said.
The social group, founded 10 years ago by Fullerton resident Sue Ellen Cooper, offers women approaching age 50 and beyond a reason to gather in an inclusive, warm-spirited playgroup.
Effective Dec. 1, individual Red Hatters must pay $20 yearly to the headquarters while chapters will continue to be assessed $39 annually with money donated by the members.
The member benefits include full access to the society Web site, a discount on society products and eligibility to attend all society events. In the near future, optional discounts will be offered by thousands of North American businesses including theaters and restaurants, Granich said.
Chapter dues, which have been collected all along, ensure registration, chapter materials and access to online chapter management tools.
Granich said 18,158 of the 28,448 chapters paid dues this year. The funds came from the "Queen" leader and from "Purple Perk" members seeking discounts.
To cut expenses, the organization will vacate its retail store in downtown Fullerton on Tuesday. The society's signature red-and-purple merchandise will then be sold online at www.redhatsociety.com from the company warehouse at 431 S. Acacia Ave.
Granich said city officials have offered to help keep a retail division in Fullerton if the Acacia property could be re-zoned to allow retail sales.
The society's mission to celebrate middle age and beyond fits the bill for Vicki Marshall of Whittier, who joined two friends Wednesday to shop for bargains at the store closure sale.
Marshall, 92, said she would be alone and never go out and have fun if it weren't for her chapter, which regularly visits restaurants and theaters.
"There's always somebody to telephone, someone to keep in touch," Marshall said. "Paying $20 in annual dues is worth it."
Her friend, Doris Bonneville, 80, who bought a "Biker Babe" Society-endorsed jacket, agreed.
"It's so sad the store is closing. But we still have our chapters where a lot of ladies can have fun later in life," Bonneville said.
Granich reminded members in the e-mail's closing remarks, "The fate of the Red Hat Society rests in your satin-gloved hands."
Doris Bonneville, left, shows off her "Biker Babe" jacket to Red Hat Society pals Ann Smith, center, and Vicki Marshall at the society's retail store sale in Fullerton.
