ARRL membership loss about 10,000 during 2016 -2017.

2017 ended with 159,070 members — 735 members ahead of the year-end goal. This represents a loss of 3.05% or 5,000 members for the year. ARRL Membership Manager Diane Petrilli, KB1RNF, says that the loss of members is occurring in the exact fashion that was forecasted due to the 2016 dues increase, and notes, “We continue to realize additional income from the dues increase. As with all previous increases in dues in ARRL’s history, membership is forecast to continue to decline in 2018 (2.0% loss is forecast). The decline should begin to flatten out in 2019/20.” As was the case in 2016, membership in 2017 came in slightly above forecast. Diane Petrilli says that test mailings to new hams in mid-June, and fully converted for all new ham mailings mid-October, are likely responsible for the variance at year end. Multiple tests for the new ham mailings are scheduled for 2018. Data for 2017 indicates that 6% of all new hams have already joined ARRL by the time their license is issued or are otherwise unsolicitable. Annual dues pay for the education, advocacy, and outreach ARRL provides to all members and to Amateur Radio as a whole, including things like sending ARRL representatives to Washington, DC, to educate lawmakers about the Amateur Radio Parity Act; partnership with disaster relief organizations; Logbook of The World — a digital logging program that makes confirming Amateur Radio contacts easier and more efficient than ever; the Education & Technology Program, and more.