I think member numbers are assigned in numeric sequence. Hypothetically, if a new member is assigned number 5274 it would seem to indicate that since 1993, when the PGCA was first formed, we have lost 4,000 members in those twenty years. This is quite normal in any association, club, or organization of this age. Recently we have gained (and kept) more members each year than we have lost. Some people join the PGCA simply to be able to buy a research letter cheaper than not joining - after they get their letter they simply allow their membership to lapse. The good thing is that a larger number of new members like what they get with a membership and renew when they are reminded by Mary as their renewal date draws near.
John Dunkle and Mary Bowes can certainly explain it better than I but this my understanding of how it works.
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