Conducting a Membership Campaign

 

1

AER International Overview

O The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) develops and promotes professional excellence through support of those who provide services to people with visual impairments.

O AER is the only international membership organization dedicated to rendering all possible support and assistance to the professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults.

2

Current AER Membership

O Approximately 4,000 (peak was 5,200 in 2008)• Primarily U.S. & Canada• Others: England, Scotland, Ireland,

Germany, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Bermuda, Israel, New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore

O Largest chapters• Texas, Northeast, New York, Penn-Del, Illinois,

Michigan, Arizona, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Northern California, Kentucky, North Carolina

3

Membership TypesO Regular Member ($170/year) - A full-voting membership open

to anyone living in the U.S. or Canada, and includes all AER periodicals.

O International Member ($170/year) - A voting membership open to persons living outside the U.S. or Canada, and includes all AER periodicals.

O Same Residential Household Member ($143/year) - A voting membership open to an additional member residing in the same residential household as a current Regular AER member.

O Retired Member ($93/year) - A voting membership for anyone who has retired from a career in the field and includes all AER periodicals.

4

Membership Types (cont.)O Support/Clerical Member ($93/year) - A voting membership

category for individuals who are working in positions of paraprofessional or clerical support, and includes AER periodicals.

O Student Member ($93/year) - A full-voting membership open to students in the U.S. or Canada, and includes all AER periodicals.

O Transition Member ($139/year) – Upon graduation, current student members are eligible for a one-year Transition Member category, which provides the same member benefits as the Regular Member category.

O Associate Member ($93/year) - A non-voting membership category for anyone who is not employed in the field or who is preparing for employment in the field. Includes AER Report only.

Note: AER Board voted to raise member rates every two years by a small percentage.

5

AER International Office

O Staff of four, one vacant positionO Membership database

• Contact and payment information on current members, lapsed members, prospects

• Continuing education creditsO Annual Recruitment Campaign(s)

• In 2014 – Spring / Fall marketing effort targeting lapsed members

6

Recruitment Steps: Who, What, When, Where, and How?

O Who will you target?O What will you offer as an incentive to join?O When will you stage your recruitment

campaign?O Where will you talk to potential members?O What means will you use to contact

potential members?

7

Who: Audience?O International/Central Office

• Chapter lists from conferences• Lapsed members• Internet research• Member recommendations• Direct inquiries

O Chapters• Lapsed member list from AER office• Prospects by state/province• Chapter member co-workers• Students, retirees, agency administrators

8

What: Benefits?O Professional development and networking

opportunities

• Chapter conferences and meetings are considered to be the most valuable benefit of AER membership

• International Conference (and other educational meetings) provide continuing education benefits

9

What: Benefits?O Interest-specific divisions

• AER has 15 interest-specific divisions that connect specialists

• Most of these divisions have listservs for individualized discussions

O Publications• AER Report• Journal of Visual Impairment and

Blindness from AFB • AER Viewpoint - Weekly newsletter • Books

10

What: Benefits?O Professional Development

• AER Knowledge Center• AER Job Exchange• Mangold Distance Education Webinar Series• Chapter/International/Division Events

O Other• Awards• Scholarships• Liability insurance• Shop.com, travel discounts• Many chapters offer special incentives

11

When and Where?O Annual chapter conferenceO International or division conferenceO Staff meetingsO Other vision-related conferences,

workshops, an meetingsO Other local event

12

How?O AER International & Chapters

• Telemarketing• E-mail• Direct mail• Direct calling

O Chapters• One-on-one at meetings, etc.

13

Chapter Leadership Web Page

O http://leadership.aerbvi.org/chapter_leaders.htm

14