AILA Annual Conference Buddy System

Do you remember your first AILA Annual Conference and how overwhelming it could be?

AILA’s Membership Engagement Committee has developed an Annual Conference “Buddy System” to help member attendees get the most out of their first Annual Conference, and we need your help to make this inaugural program a success!

Can you please assist us?

The Membership Engagement Committee

As opposed to new members, whose needs are more within the purview of the New Members Division, AILA’s Membership Engagement Committee is focused on “mid-tenure” AILA members — those who have been members for more than two or three years but who are not yet “veterans.”

Our objective is:

• to enhance their membership experience,
• to make it more likely that over time they will increase their participation in and involvement with AILA activities and other members, and,
• to increase the likelihood that such members will continue their AILA membership.

The Need for a “Buddy System”

To the extent a member feels connected to AILA and to his or her fellow AILA members — as friends and professional “family” — that member may be more inclined to continue AILA membership, and be willing to become more involved with AILA activities, at either the chapter and/or national level.

Because the Annual Conference is so large, unless one can regularly attend local chapter meetings, mid-tenured, first-time attendees are unlikely to know many people at the conference. Consequently, they are unlikely to have much, if any, personal interaction with other members at the conference, particularly those who are or have been active participants in AILA at either the national or chapter level.

If, on the other hand, the member is easily and comfortably able to get to know a group of similar Annual Conference attendees, both from his or her home chapter and other chapters, as well as a few AILA members who are actively involved in the organization, they are less likely to feel at loose ends and as though he/she were on his/her own during the four days of the conference, and more likely to begin to feel a greater sense of connection to the AILA community.

The “Buddy System”

The Membership Engagement Committee is looking for AILA members who have attended three or more Annual Conferences , who are or have been actively involved in AILA activities at the national or chapter level, and would be willing serve as “camp counselors,” who can offer members advice on how to get the most out of their first Annual Conference. This includes:

• Reaching out to a group of up to 10 to 15* first-time member attendees before the conference to introduce themselves and set up a time to meet at the Annual Conference,
• Facilitating the exchange of contact information among the group of first-time member attendees,
• Hosting an informal get-together on Wednesday or Thursday at the conference,
• If necessary, offering advice on which sessions may be the most beneficial for first-time member attendees,
• Adding other activities as they see fit and/or that fits their schedule, including connecting with other first-time member attendee groups.

The group of first-time attendees would be made of up members who have had little to no involvement in AILA activities at the national or chapter level with a desire to get to know other members of our community and would appreciate help in navigating their first Annual Conference.

The Benefits of the Buddy System

At the end of the conference each member of a group:

• would personally know 10 or more other similar members,
• would personally know an AILA member who is already actively involved in AILA, and
• to the extent a BOG member got together with the group at some point, would personally know someone in the AILA leadership.

In addition, the camp counselors will have come to be aware of members who either are interested in getting more involved in AILA, or who could be persuaded to become more involved in AILA, and will have some sense of how the talents and interests of those members might best be employed to the benefit of the organization.

We’re looking forward to getting this new program off the ground and making it a success by enhancing the Annual Conference experience for first-time member attendees and showing off the collegial attitude of our AILA community!

*Final group number will depend on the number of camp counselors who participate and the number of first-time member attendees who sign up.