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Nursing Associations Module
Strengthening an Association
| Helpful Resources | |
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Resource Library 2: Strengthening an Association |
- Recruiting members
- Developing member benefits (access to goods and services)
- Investing dues to promote long-term growth
- Mentoring the next generation of nurses
- Holding conferences
- Utilizing US faculty resources
For basic suggestions on how to promote the start-up of your association, click here.
Once your association is established and you have a core group of members, keep in mind that core group is an excellent source of free promotion and advertising—encourage them to recruit their friends and colleagues.
Other suggestions to build your membership base include:
- Developing and distributing print resources, such as a brochure or flyer that describes the organization.
- Developing and maintaining a Web site that can be used to further your cause, as well as recruit new members.
- Formally encouraging your members to tell others about the association and its benefits.
- Sponsoring training courses and conferences that are open to all nurses and using the opportunity to explain to attendees the benefits of membership.
You may consider developing member benefits, such as access to the group’s library of resources, discounts on nursing uniforms or supplies, or discounted rates for training courses and conferences.
3. Investing dues to promote long-term growth
When developing an annual budget, you may consider setting aside a portion of your revenue from member dues for investment in resources, such as books, teaching supplies, or computers. Or, you may choose to invest the money in a bank as a fund to cover any future budget shortfalls.
4. Mentoring the next generation of nurses
Your association may consider setting up a mentoring program that pairs younger nurses with more established professionals. This not only benefits the individual nurses, but also helps foster collaboration among members to strengthen the organization.
5. Holding conferences
| Additional Reading | |
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First AIHA Cross-Regional Nursing Conference, 1998 |
Conferences provide a great opportunity to gather the membership together and talk about topics of interest and disseminate information, as well as network with like-minded professionals. It also gives members the opportunity to meet the association’s leadership and gain a better understanding of the goals of the organization and the progress that is being made toward reaching those goals.
Planning and funding a conference are large tasks, so you may want to form a conference planning committee that consists of Board members, other members, and perhaps representatives from the Ministry of Health, or even an international nursing association. The committee can divide up responsibilities such as: securing funding, planning the agenda, booking the facilities, inviting the members and guests, and staffing the event.
6. Utilizing international resources
International nursing associations, such as the International Council of Nurses, can provide assistance to nascent nursing associations. Nursing associations in other countries—particularly countries where such associations have a long history of strong work such as the United States and many European nations—are also potential sources of advice and assistance. AIHA and other international health organizations can serve as a resource for connecting you to assistance from other countries.
Read news articles about AIHA's Nursing Associations program.
