Another take on GLO sororities?

[sageofages]

I posted this on the "Red Hat Society" thread, but since it was so old, I don't think anyone was taking a look at it...and I thought it was worthy of hashing around for a bit.


My mom is very active in the Red Hat Society and she loves it. I have encouraged her as I have seen it as a great sorority.

So today she calls me to ask questions about why she can't find Red Hat stickers etc anywhere and asked "are they licensing this". I did some quick online research and sure enough, they do. I can understand this as there is a need to protect Image, Brand etc.

A little more RESEARCH and now I am being bothered by what I am finding. RHS is NOT a non-for-profit organization. It was founded by two friends and it is a HUGE privately held corporation with one helluva marketing plan. They do NOT reveal their revenues and there is "national membership fees". There is no membership governance...and the worst part to me "the founder is the Queen Bee Mother". ::shiver::

Editted to add: I forgot to mention....they pay NO royalties to Jennifer Joseph the author of the poem that their "society is founded upon and Jennifer Joseph will not let them publish the poem in anyway. She detests the RHS and regrets her poem now.

I am not going to tell my mom about this because I think it would just frost her behind to no end to realize this.

I recently became acquainted with the "Blue Thong Society" for younger, hip women (who thing RHS is old fogey) until I realized VERY QUICKLY (before learning RHS is for-profit) that it was to the benefit of the three founders.

How do you all feel about such organizations? They start out fulfilling a altruistic need for comradery and socializing, but end up making their "founders" quite wealthy all in the guise of "social fun" without really mentioning the "private" for-profit part of it.