I'm in PA so your mileage may vary. Dues that our members pay are split between our state council and national TU. Our Chapter gets little from our member's dues, just a percentage of new members that we recruit. All the mail pleading for donations comes from national, not our chapter. Our chapter is a real, 100% volunteer, in it for the cause, "grass roots" organization. Please don't belittle the efforts of groups like ours. We make a real difference in the streams that you take for granted. We raise money to support our efforts through grants and a single, annual fund raising event.