It depends on what you mean by "By definition what are the regionals fee real purposes".

If you mean the official, legal purpose the answer is that there is no defined purpose unless your regional by-laws state one. for example your by-laws could state that regional dues will be used for the following purposes only: newsletter, website, parties, meeting sites. which would mean that the money could not be used for other purposes.

but more likely the by-laws do not state a "use it only for this and nothing else" rule. in most regions there is an executive committee with responsibility for the money. and they usually vote on a budget and approve expenses. Sometimes (ahem) there will be a region where the regional executive thinks he knows everything and will demand veto power on all spending. then you can have a bit of a power struggle. I'd bet most regional by-laws are not written well enough to do more than provide guidance and regions pretty much do what they have been doing for years by consensus. It's not until $40k disappears that a region takes a hard look at its by-laws.

so if you are a member wondering where your $250 is going, the answer is to look at the region by-laws and see what is allowed. Pprobably it goes into a general pot of money used for whatever the region needs money for and used as the regional executive committee sees fit. If you don't like it there is probably a process to change your regional by-laws. and/or you can elect new officers.

If you are an officer of the region then the answer is to look at your by-laws and see what they allow you to do. Chances are you can do anything you want and ethics are your only limit. IE, you can't buy yourself a new car and if you use it for strippers you have to share.

I tend to agree with what Travis said earlier. I think it is better to have the lowest regional dues possible and get as many people in the room. And then work from there. I realize that with a small group that needs startup capital this is not always possible. But I think limiting your membership to only those who really really really care already is not a good idea. You really need to bring in as many people as possible and then get them involved. Not the other way around.

jim