Today, October First, we start our second annual POCA Membership Drive. Even if you don’t become a member, it means a lot to us that you know why we’re doing it and what it means for everyone. And, if you do decide to be a member, here’s your link.
We want more people to have safe affordable acupuncture. So we’re asking you to help. More members mean more support for cost-effective acupuncture. More members means a better, stronger co-op. More members in your community means a stronger clinic as well!
These are not abstract ideas. POCA has now given 3 micro-loans to start-up clinics. The first one was to Guelph Community Acupuncture in Ontario, Canada, which is now thriving. The second is to Grass Valley Community Acupuncture in GV, California, which is opening this fall. The third micro-loan has not been disbursed yet, but is a partnership in an acu-underserved area in the Midwest.
So, help us seed our fourth clinic via POCA micro-loan. 300 new memberships @ $25 = $7500, the amount of a start-up micro-loan. If we can generate just ONE new member from each existing clinic, we’ll have enough revenue to provide one more start-up loan. If we can come up with TWO members per clinic, that’s TWO loans. Imagine, that’s like building new clinics with your own hands!
And, look at all these requests we’re getting for clinics all over the continent. Our main problem to date to getting clinics going whenever they’re needed is a serious shortage of punks (as was written about in this blog last year). But, the other major way your membership is going to help is by open the doors to, POCATech, the community acupuncture school we’ve been planning for two years.So in a few years, we’ll graduate punks from a low-cost school, be able to provide low-cost (currently 4%) loans, and voila! Unlimited expansion!
And hey, it’s not just for the benefit of POCA. There are some serious benefits for members. Three free treatment cards to give out to friends and family, free treatment for your birthday, paperwork fee waived at all POCA clinics so you don’t have to pay extra for acupuncture when you go on vacation (although you do still have to fill out new paperwork!). And most of all, being a member of the POCA family, being able to volunteer to help in clinics or in POCA, getting the monthly newsletter, participating in the forums, and sometimes even POCA-Members-only specials at clinics. It’s fun to be a part of POCA
So, go on over to the sign-up page at poca.com, or ask at the clinic anytime. We’ll have some POCA volunteers (David, Arjan) in the front office at select times during the week to answer questions and help you sign up.
