>1) How much do you charge per meeting and per year?

I don't organize the Seattle sig, but I do attend. It's right across the courtyard in Building 40, after all. :-)

>2) Do you provide drinks or food? Free or pay?

Ours is unusual in that the famed Microsoft drink cooler is around the corner. I've never attended any other sig meeting that had food or drink that one didn't pay for, though.

>3) Besides meeting dues, what else do you do to fund raise?

What does a sig need funds for? Surely one can find a place that will let your group meet for free. Mass mailings are somewhat obsolete in that everyone who would attend has email.

>4) What do you use group funds for? Buying speakers dinners?

I'll regret saying this, but no one needs to buy me dinner, as I'd have to eat anyway. My motives are probably different than most other speakers, though. I'm doing it mainly to be kind of a goodwill ambassador for MSFT. Can't you just get everyone to toss in a few dollars on an ad hoc basis to pay for a speaker's dinner?