Membership Strategies:

Case Study Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society - Western Division

The Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society - Western Division (“The Society”) has consistently maintained a strong membership. Membership is open to all disciplines, including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, doctors of pharmacy, long-term care workers and all who are interested in the health and well being of older adults. In order to remain successful, membership retention and recruitment are a main focus of the Society.

The following items support the Society's goal to achieve maximum and constant membership growth.

• Clinical Update in Geriatric Medicine - Jointly sponsored by the Society, this highly successful, AGS-award winning conference continues to attract national and international speakers and has grown significantly since its inception in 1992. The course offers in-depth lectures which address special topics and provides breakout sessions focusing on a broad array of conditions found in older adults. Members are entitled to a discount when registering for the conference. Following the course, the registration list is obtained and a recruitment letter and membership application is sent to non-members. In 2008, the course reached a record breaking number of 420 participants.
• Fall Business Program - This evening program, held each November, provides members a clinical review and update of common problems affecting the elderly. The program consists of a dinner and presentation and is complimentary to members. It is an effective recruitment initiative as Board members are asked to bring at least one resident or colleague. In addition, members are encouraged to bring a guest. The guest fee and/or resident fee of $40.00 and $20.00, respectively, is applied to a year of membership the following year.
• David C. Martin Award - To encourage medical students to pursue a career in the field of geriatrics, the Society sponsors the David C. Martin Award. The award was established to help medical students defray the cost of attending the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society by awarding recipients an honorarium of up to $1,500.00 to attend the American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting. (To date, the Society has awarded approximately $40,000.00 to area medical students.) A student who submits an abstract is sent membership information along with an application. The award submittals have grown yearly, with 11 submittals in 2008. The award promotes membership recruitment and retention of medical students.
• Resident Recruitment Initiative - Established in the summer of 2008, the Society actively focused on recruiting residents. A list of all internal medicine and family medicine residency programs in the Society’s area was compiled. Up to 3 residents from each program were offered free membership for the length of their residency. The timing of the outreach also allows residents to take advantage of attending the Fall Program. An additional recruitment tool (approved by the Board in January 2009) is to provide each new resident-member a copy of the Geriatrics at Your Fingertips, compliments of AGS.
• Website and Newsletter - The Society’s website is an excellent resource which provides members and potential members with information on programs and issues related to geriatrics on a local and state level. Individuals interested in becoming a member can easily do so by taking advantage of the on-line application when visiting the site. The newsletter, which is published in September and January, provides members with information on upcoming educational programs, Board initiatives, annual report information, "members in the news" items, and other timely information. The newsletter also is a friendly reminder to members when dues are to be submitted. In addition, an application for membership can be found in the newsletter for those who wish to recruit a colleague.