The Affiliate classification was added to increase membership and participation of employees of the larger firms and has been a good membership building tool. I will vote to retain this membership classification. As I read the motion, the reason is that it will “streamline” membership management by the staff. Making it easier for the staff is not the point, making it easier on the members is what we have staff hired to do.
When the Affiliate program was initially created, we anticipated the program would provide 2 Affiliates for each Consultant/Industry member. In actuality, the program has only provided half of that, for 1700 Consultant members only 30% are Affiliates (in 2023, this number actually shrank to 25%). This, coupled with the confusion for members in finding a sponsor or shifting their membership if either’s employment changes, was the catalyst for the board’s proposal to end this program, clearing a path for IIBEC to explore more effective incentive programs for membership going forward.
Wearing my Canadian hat, Canadian members are already paying a premium for membership due to exchange rates of more than 1.4x U.S. rates. Any direct member cost benefit, such as the Affiliate category, should be available, unless all Consultant rates are reduced proportionately. Our Company has four Consultant Affiliates and has benefited by the small difference in fees ($70 U.S.) and this change may force companies to reconsider adding other members if rates continue to remain high and increase. If the Consultant rate is reduced, then I will consider supporting such a change. Note that 25% of 1,700 members = 425 members, not a small number of our total membership. Doing the math, a break even point for all Consultant member’s dues should be around $510 U.S. (not $530).
The intent of this amendment is not to just eliminate potential discounts for a portion of future new members, but to provide a more straightforward catalogue of membership classifications and to provide an opening to explore more effective membership incentives as the organization grows. It’s important to note that Affiliate members who have joined prior to January 1, 2024 will see no change in their membership rates. To provide clarification, across the US and Canada, in 2023, 18.6% of all new members were classified as Affiliates (either Consultant or Industry), in Canada specifically, these numbers averaged around 35% (rather than the anticipated 66%). While we recognize the premium imposed by exchange rates on international members, we continue to improve access to membership benefits so that our international members can recognize the full and increasing value of their membership.
