AALEP INTRODUCES NEW OPEN MEMBERSHIP MODEL

Like most professional associations AALEP competes for resources for individual memberships with other organizations at EU and member state level. Today everyone is demanding a return on their membership investment. Many associations like to trumpet their benefit as networking opportunities or a listing in their directory. But what professional people are looking for are outcome-based membership benefits i.e. business contacts that can result in new business opportunities. When people join an association or renew their memberships they want that money to pay for access not just for a directory listing. Second, they want the association to help them solve problems.

Convinced that a membership-focused association is one that has a growing membership and high retention and participation rates, AALEP is taking the unique step to eliminate individual memberships by maintaining institutional memberships but opening up FREE individual membership enrolment to any individual at a member institution.

Under AALEP new membership model, member institutions * i.e. legal persons will pay dues but up to 10 professionals at those institutions will be able to join as individual members for free. Annual dues for member institutions have been set at a flat rate of € 4000. For individual members who are not affiliated with member institutions, annual dues are set at € 500 per year.

AALEP holds the view that engaging more members will increase knowledge sharing, networking and generate new ideas for the development of the profession.

AALEP views open membership as a key strategy for encouraging more institutions to join and thereby offering a different kind of value for increasing participation in the association's work and goals.  Furthermore, open membership will provide a new power when engaging in advocacy efforts vis-à-vis EU institutions. By having many more institutional and individual memebrs; advocacy programmes (whatever their nature) at both EU and member state level will be more visible to lawmakers since AALEP will represent diverse groups that make up the public policy advocacy community in Europe.

Of course engaging more members does not by itself resolve the strategic challenges facing the public policy advocacy sector. But AALEP believes it will create more collaboration and energy along with an environment that encourages fresh approaches and increased interest in share problems.

* Member Institutions

1. Law Firms
2. Professional Consultancies
3. Companies and Groups
4. Trade Unions
5. Trade, Business and Professional Associations
6. Non-Governmental Organisations
7. Academic and Research Institutions
8. Think Tanks
9. Local, Regional and Municipal Authorities
10. Public or Mixed Entities