Club votes to raise dues by $2 per month for most members in 2024
National Press Club members attending the General Membership Meeting on Friday, Oct. 20, voted to increase annual dues by $2 per month for most members.
Under the plan, annual dues for journalists and communicators would rise by $24 in 2024. A $1-per-month increase, or $12 annually, would apply to young members, retirees and spousal members. The policy was approved by a voice vote of the approximately 50 people in attendance, with one dissent.
The Club Board earlier in the week advanced a proposal to the Club’s general membership that would increase dues by $2 per month for journalists and communicators and $1 per month for young members. That proposal was amended during the GMM to limit the increase to $1 per month for retirees and spousal members as well.
Club President Eileen O’Reilly said the dues hike is required to help the Club keep pace with inflation. Next year will mark the second in a row for a Club dues increase. O’Reilly said bumping up dues will not become an annual occurrence.
She said the Club is increasing services to members. For instance, the Reliable Source is scheduled to expand dinner service to five days a week beginning next month. In the second quarter next year, free breakfast will return. Free coffee in the afternoon is again available.
“We’re doing a lot here,” O’Reilly said. “We want you all to feel supported and happy.”
Saugy's first GMM
In his first appearance at a GMM, Club Executive Director Didier Saugy said new lunch and dinner menus as well as a new wine list will be rolled out next month when the Reliable Source extends dinner service.
Saugy, who took over as executive director in June following the retirement of Bill McCarren, said a cooked breakfast option will be available when free breakfasts return next year. He has installed a new coffee machine in the Reliable Source, and he plans to upgrade kitchen equipment. New programs being developed include chef tables and cooking classes.
It’s part of an effort to add value for members. The goal is “making sure the 14th floor is our calling card for the Club,” said Saugy, who previously was general manager of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong.
Former Club President Myron Belkind praised Saugy’s ubiquitous presence at the Club in his first four months on the job. He said he has seen Saugy meeting with members and staff “at all hours. I’m very impressed.”
Club in-person activity rebounds
One of O’Reilly’s goals is to revive in-person presence at the Club following the COVID-19 pandemic. She reported that all 16 Club teams have been active, and highlighted several recent luncheons, Newsmakers and other events.
“Boy, have we been successful” in bringing people back to the Club, O’Reilly said.
She emphasized the Club’s continued press freedom efforts on behalf of Austin Tice, Evan Gershkovich and Emilio Gutierrez Soto, a Mexican reporter who was recently granted asylum in the United States.
The Club is sponsoring the Run for Austin Virtual 5K race on Saturday, Nov. 18, to support Tice, a freelance journalist being held in Syria, and Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter being detained in Russia. Participants in the Washington area are invited to attend a pancake breakfast at the Club on race day. There is a fee. Register online for the race and the pancake breakfast.
Another of O’Reilly’s objectives is to address the growing threat of news deserts, where local papers have disappeared and underserved communities lack news coverage.
“We should be at the forefront of these types of discussions that impact our journalism industry but also impact every American,” O’Reilly said. “Without great journalism and storytelling, people cannot make informed decisions or know what’s actually happening in their neighborhood and nation.”
O’Reilly also announced that she is launching a task force on attracting young members and diverse communities to the Club.
“I want every journalist and communicator to feel welcome and that they belong in the Club as soon as they walk through the door,” she said.
During the Q&A portion of the GMM, two former Club presidents, Jonathan Salant and Alan Bjerga, expressed concern about the Club’s annual Family Holiday Party being held on a weeknight, Wednesday, Dec. 20, instead of the traditional Saturday morning.
Salant and Bjerga said the timing of the event would discourage families from attending. O’Reilly said the Club wanted to try a new time slot and that the event already has a large number of reservations.
Club reports strong finances
The Club is on track to attain an operating profit of just under $1 million this year, Treasurer Mike Balsamo reported. Next year’s budget projects a profit, which would mark the third year in a row the Club has been in the black. Revenue has been over budget the past four out of five months while costs have been well contained.
Membership decreases
Club membership has fallen about 7% from a year ago to about 2,500 members, Membership Secretary Poonam Sharma reported. The Club has 1,284 journalist members, a decrease of 53 since the May GMM. There are 1,065 communicator members, an increase of 23 since the May GMM. The number of young members is 276, down 47 since May.