Involving Associates in Local Chapter Activities 

  • Different Members have different motivations for being involved, and often in addition to personal motivation it is to improve the image of the risk management profession. Associates of the Society bring their own unique set of skills and experience to the table. This experience can be a great benefit to your local chapter, so it is important to learn how to best serve this segment of your membership.
  • The Associates of the Society are professionals and are looking for ways to educate themselves and network with others in the industry, just like RIMS Deputy Members.Consider hosting an event or two during the course of the year that is used as a networking event for both Associate and Deputy Members. This can be done at a purely Social Meeting, but can also be a Golf Outing that mixes Associates and Deputy members on teams, or a panel discussion to talk about Client and Broker relations.
  • If you are not sure what your Associate members are looking for out of your meetings, ask them!Consider a survey of Associate members to better determine how your chapter could provide more value for this growing group. You should find out what motivates members so that they stay interested and involved. Associates of the Society are often motivated by:
    • Feeling that they are valued by the organization and making a contribution.
    • Opportunities to learn new skills or gain education about issues that interest them.
    • Networking with the risk professionals in your local marketplace.
  • Associates are a great source of new volunteers for the chapter. Consider asking some of your more involved Associate members to act as Board advisors or committee members. Although they are not able to hold a Board officer position, Associates are extremely important to the ongoing success of the chapter.
  • Inviting Associates to your meetings leads to a stronger more vital chapter with better-attended meetings, access to speakers for future events, access to possible sponsors for the chapter, etc.
  • If there is still some resistance to having Associates attend all meetings, consider hosting a closed meeting for Deputy Members only once or twice a year. In order to accommodate the unique needs of the deputy members, the chapter does have the option of holding closed meetings in which only Deputy Members can participate. However, RIMS recommends that you limit the number of these types of meetings. If your chapter does decide to host any closed meetings, please make sure that the Associate Members are informed in advance of joining.
  • As the chapter sets up pricing for their events, consider offering discounts to the Associate members as well as the Deputy Members. Have a set member fee apply to all categories of membership. This will also ease your own chapter’s administration.
  • Information from the chapter including your Web site should be inclusive of all member types. Review your communication pieces to make sure that they do not refer to only deputy members. For example, instead of using the words Risk Managers, use the term Risk Management Professionals.
  • Identify Associate Members at your meetings and make sure to welcome them and thank them for attending.
  • If your local chapter offers sponsorship opportunities for events, give priority to those potential sponsors who are already members of RIMS.
  • Encourage meeting participants to mingle with both Deputy and Associate members. The local chapter meetings offer your members the unique opportunity to meet peers and industry partners to discuss issues and learn from one another.
  • Encourage local members to participate in the RIMS Speakers Bureau. This is a great opportunity for our Associate members to get exposure to all of our members.

Related Links

Join Our Mailing List Go