janet, supporting members pay their dues once a year in the amount of $24.00, no monthly deductions. there are a few perks that come with the subscription. for me it was mostly the increased number of pms i could receive and the larger avi that convinced me to become a supporting member

unfortunately, the larger avi fell by the wayside with the switch to xenforo and admin decided on the mood button as a consolation prize

i could do without the supporting member badge myself but there are lots of folks who feel otherwise