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Strategies for Group Memberships. PRESENTATION TO THE INFORMS BOARD. Informs Membership Committee. Aug 7, 2006. AGENDA. Introduction & Motivation Group Membership Tell-a-Friend Campaign Corporate Membership Memberships in Developing Countries. MOTIVATION.
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Strategies for Group Memberships PRESENTATION TO THE INFORMS BOARD Informs Membership Committee Aug 7, 2006
AGENDA • Introduction & Motivation • Group Membership • Tell-a-Friend Campaign • Corporate Membership • Memberships in Developing Countries
MOTIVATION • New ways to stimulate and expand our membership base • Possible new revenue streams • Greater exposure to wider audience • Provide more options to our current members
Group Memberships Exploring the possibility of an Informs Group Membership
GROUP DISCOUNT ON MEMBERSHIP • Multiple members join concurrently as part of an organization • Goal = increase membership without hurting revenue • Offer group rate to each institution to overcome… • Concern about cost • Negligence
PROCESS TO EVALUATE • Identify key questions and possible answers • Collect data • Informal survey • Survey to ACORD Members • Create simple spreadsheet model of impact on membership and revenue
GROUP MEMBERSHIP ANALYSIS • Assumptions: • Gross Margin 75% • Discount applied to: • Membership • Subdivisions • Publications • Annual Meeting • Practice Meeting • See attached spreadsheet model for details
RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATION • Group Memberships may not be a feasible option for INFORMS • Academic Departments Chairs have not request the ability to sign up their departments
Tell-a-Friend Campaign “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?”Abraham Lincoln
Tell-a-Friend Campaign • When current INFORMS members renew their membership, they can sign up a new member at the same time.
Tell-a-Friend Incentive Options • Single vs. multi-year options • Smaller incentive for 1-year membership; larger for 2-3 year signup • Allows conference networking and journal familiarity to take root • Discounts • First __ months free access to PubsOnline – low cost, sink the hook • Joint memberships with other professional organizations • IIE, APICS, ASA, etc. • Reduce total membership cost, increase joint revenue AREN'T WE MISSING THE BASIC DISCOUNT HERE?
Tell-a-Friend Incentive Options (con’t) • Chapters to run local drives • Boost chapter fees to fund activities • ASA example: http://www.amstat.org/membership/cgm/index.cfm • Prize drawing • Referrer’s name in hat for each new member • Fewer, significant prizes to create buzz, without large total cost • Ex: Conference fee waived, conference airfare for sig other, etc. • Ex: “Science of Better” coffee cup for all referrers • See attached rough-cut model for “ability to incent”
RECOMMENDATION Tell-a-Friend Prize Drawing Option
Corporate Memberships Exploring the possibility of an Informs Corporate Membership July 7, 2005
PROPOSAL Explore the possibility a Corporate Membership option for INFORMS membership
Value Proposition To INFORMS: • Increased revenue • Increased awareness of the society at a corporate level • Greater Membership Options for members • Greater recognition of the profession To the Corporation: • Greater visibility within the Informs community • Access to Informs resources and expertise • Ease of membership application/payment • Collaboration Opportunities
INFORMS Current Company Membership Top 20 Companies (by number of members)
Possible Corporate Membership • Included # of Memberships into the society • Additional discounts for subsequent members • Hard copy of all journals/access to pubs online? • Logo on promotional material or website • Special Event for Corporate Members • Discount at conferences • Discount on publications • Roundtable Membership: • $1500/year • Separate conference and reception • One Informs Membership Included • Membership in CPMS • $100 discount for conference fees • No other discounts/memberships
Other Societies Offering Corporate Memberships Benchmark report of Other Societies (click icon to open, in non-viewer mode)
Memberships in Developing Nations Exploring the possibility of an Informs Corporate Membership July 7, 2005
Memberships for Developing Nations Should INFORMS institute some form of low cost electronic-only membership for people from countries that are identified in some way as developing nations?
INFORMS Membership Committee July 20, 2006
Membership Committee Members Susan AlbinProfessor and Director of the Graduate Program in the Department of Industrial Engineering, Rutgers University Richard Barr Chair, Dept. of Engineering Management, Information and Systems, Southern Methodist University John Neale Director of Research, Optiant Inc. Anne Robinson, ChairManufacturing Manager, Demand Planning, Cisco Systems, Inc. Jim Williams Operations Research Mgr, Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods
Membership Committee Members Jacquie JohnsDirector of Finance and Member Services, INFORMS Barry ListDirector of Marketing and Public Relations, INFORMS Bob ShieldsMembership Services Manager, INFORMS Rick RosenthalProfessor of Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School