Dual members pay £23.60 to their second WI. There is no pro-rata rate for dual membership and the set fee is payable at any time during the year.  

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What does my membership include? 

We are pleased that we are continuing to offer a full programme of meetings and sub-group activities virtually, and these will resume in person when it is safe to do so. Your membership includes: 

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• 11 monthly meetings per year  

• Access to our sub-groups including: Bookish Broads, Parenting

• One-off activities and socials throughout the year 

• Access to our virtual networks including the private Manchester WI members’ Facebook group and sub-group specific messaging groups 

• Regular copies of WI Life, the national WI magazine through the post  

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Where does my membership go? 

Your membership fee is split into three parts:  

• National Federation of WIs (NFWI) – £13.10 

• Lancashire Federation of WIs (LFWI) – £11.30

• Manchester WI – £23.60 

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The NFWI and LFWI components contribute towards the running of the WI more widely at national and regional levels. The remaining 49% is used by us to cover the costs of running Manchester WI. Some of the things we spend your money on include: 

• Venue hire 

• Speakers and activity instructors 

• Insurance 

• Other member perks, such as the Christmas mailer you received last year 

• Investing in merchandise to support our bursary fund which all members can apply to 

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I only want to attend some of your events. Do you offer a reduced membership or pay as you go? 

Unfortunately, we are only able to offer one type of membership at the moment. You are free to attend as many or as few events as you like so we would encourage you to look at our events page to see if you think our programme of events and sub-groups will suit you and be good value for money.  

 

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Why do some of your events cost extra on top of my membership? 

In addition to our extensive regular programme of events, we also organise one-off events and workshops throughout the year. Some of these incur additional costs to pay for instructors and resources e.g. Christmas wreath making, earring making, sports and leisure classes. These are hugely popular with our members but entirely optional and any additional costs are always made clear. 

 

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I want to take a break from Manchester WI and re-join later in the year. Will I pay the pro rata rate if I re-join? 

If you have been a member of any WI in 2023, full membership of Manchester WI will cost you £48 in 2024/25 regardless of when in the year you renew your membership. Only new members (someone who hasn’t been a member of any WI in the 2023 membership year) are eligible for the pro rata rates.  

 

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I don’t want to re-join Manchester WI in 2024/25. How do I cancel my membership? 

All memberships will automatically expire on 31st March 2024 so you don’t need to worry about your membership auto-renewing. If you wish to unsubscribe from our newsletter please click the unsubscribe button on the mailer or email us at manchesterwi@gmail.com 

 

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Can I try Manchester WI before I commit to a membership? 

When we meet in person, we welcome guests to try a few meetings at a suggested voluntary donation of £5 a meeting. However, to keep all our virtual events safe and secure, we have temporarily restricted our online events to members only. This means we know exactly who everyone is. The downside of this is that it can be hard to imagine if Manchester WI is for you. We would recommend looking at our website and social media to see what events we offer and the type of WI we are. If you have any questions or want to chat to a committee member about their experience, please get in touch with us!  

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Some other WIs are cheaper – what more do I get with a Manchester WI membership? 

Overall, we feel Manchester WI has – and will continue to – offer outstanding value for money for all of our members. Many of you say the thing you love the most about us is the variety of events we offer and the calibre of speakers we are able to attract. Rather than have to restrict this offer, we would rather be in a healthy financial position so we can continue to be the Manchester WI you know and love – and evolve even more in the coming year.  

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How can I get more information about Manchester WI’s financial position and how my membership fees are spent? 

We want to be as open as possible about our financial position and as a charity have certain obligations around this. Our annual financial position is presented every May at our Annual General Meeting (AGM).  If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us and our committee will gladly answer these! 

 

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We welcome carers, interpreters and personal assistants who are supporting a member at no extra cost. Just let us know who they are at manchesterwi@gmail.com or on your event registration form so we know to expect them.  

 

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Do you offer discounted memberships for those of us on a low income or in receipt of benefits or other support? 

This is something we would love to be able to do but unfortunately aren’t able to at the moment due to rules at a national level. We know the membership fee creates a financial barrier that prevents some women from joining or renewing their memberships. We are continuing to engage with NFWI to lobby for reform of the membership model, including subsidised memberships and bursaries. If you are struggling to afford your membership fee please contact us in confidence so we can chat about your options.