Association Headquarters

Taking Membership and Fundraising to New Heights

When the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) first became a partner of Association Headquarters in 2002, membership was low and the organization was greatly in need of outside funding.  Dedicated to advancing the science and practice of pediatric transplantation worldwide, IPTA wanted to raise its profile to attract more members and gain greater financial support from pharmaceutical companies.
With AH’s help, IPTA created a membership recruitment and retention campaign followed by a program aimed at getting annual financial support. As a result of the membership campaign, the number of members tripled in only five years, rising from the 225 in 2002 to 640 in 2007.

Since the annual fundraising campaign began in 2004, average annual support has reached $200,000. Prior to the campaign, IPTA brought in $300,000 in meeting support. That means the campaign resulted in a 25% increase in outside funding over a two-year period.

Recruitment and Retention
The membership campaign included forming a membership committee; promoting the meeting by contacting non-member colleagues; and serving groups that related directly or indirectly to the industry through advertisements, e-mails, and computer lists. 

Additionally, the campaign included generating lists of meetings at the following locations:
• Where it would be appropriate to place membership and upcoming meeting flyers and applications
• Where the association wished to have a physical presence to recruit members and register people for an upcoming IPTA meeting

The campaign also consisted of making lists of societies where IPTA could obtain access to membership lists.  Using the membership lists, the association could target individuals with a known pediatric interest or adult and pediatric interests. 

Active Management
“This was a truly cooperative project where staff had a critical role in guiding volunteers to achieve a successful result,” said Dr. Steve Webber, IPTA 2006 President. “The growth of our membership is important in moving IPTA’s mission forward. AH’s team has played a significant role in this project, and we look forward to continuing this campaign with AH’s active management.”

A 25-Percent Hike in Funding
AH’s “active management” also played a crucial role in IPTA’s fundraising efforts. Prior to our involvement, pharmaceutical companies had been providing IPTA with support for its Congress every other year.  Unfortunately, this left the association in a financial crisis of sorts in the intervening years.

To eliminate that problem, AH put together a plan with IPTA, asking pharmaceutical companies to support the association annually by providing money for all society programs, rather then just the bi-annual Congress. These programs include IPTA’s publications (i.e., its journal and textbook), website development, and discounted memberships for underserved areas.