2000 Membership Committee Report

Over the past year, the Membership Committee developed several new initiatives for encouraging additional involvement in AFS. The first is a Mentorship Program, designed to pair students or entry-level biologists with more experienced professionals. An integral part of the Mentorship Program includes encouragement of AFS activity. The second initiative is a Sponsorship Program where current members pay the dues of students or new biologists as a way to expose them to AFS participation and hopefully get them excited about the benefits of future AFS membership. This has the added feature of providing additional income to the Society. It is anticipated that implementation of these programs would be most effective at the Chapter level. Outlines of both programs were posted on the web site, distributed by e-mail to every WD AFS Chapter president and Chapter Membership Committee Chair, and published in the Tributary. 

Because potential Membership Sponsors may need additional incentive to pay dues for their sponsees, the Membership Committee also drafted a letter to AFS Director Gus Rassam and President Christine Moffitt, to tell them of the new Sponsorship Program and request consideration of a special, one-time AFS dues level for “sponsored” memberships. This topic was apparently discussed at the Parent Society mid-year Governing Board meeting, but has not yet been resolved.