Larry Garfield wrote:
The application is for permanent members; those that make up the general assembly and have voting powers on some actions and have regular meetings and so forth. Applications have to be approved by the current permanent members.
Paid membership is open to anyone, and gets you a badge you can put on your web site along with the warm-and-fuzzy feeling of supporting Drupal. (I think Kieran mentioned the other day that the DA has some 11,000 EUR for server hardware now thanks to memberships.) If you've not yet signed up for paid membership, remember to do so!
IMO, the main difference is what you want to do for the Assocation and thus the community. Paid membership is effectively support via donation; you get to talk about your membership and have a badge, and support the community that way. Permanent members 'get' voting privileges, but it's a job. Permanent members are ambassadors to the community and are expected to fulfil various roles and actively pursue community goals. It's less of a job than being a board member, in that Permanent Members don't have specific roles, but permanent members are expected to be quite active in the Association, both internally and externally. It's also the job of the PMs to actively ensure that the Board of Directors is acting appropriately. So while Permanent members don't pay fifty Euros a year for the privilege of voting, they make up for that money in time and energy spent.