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Key Contact Program
The concept of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Key Contact Program
is simple. A cadre
of volunteers, working under the supervision of the Membership
Committee, supplement and extend the efforts of the SAA professional
staff. Approximately sixty volunteers work with members at the grass roots
level, in their state or province, welcoming new members, contacting
members who have chosen not to renew their membership, and assisting the
Society in soliciting new members. This personalized means of contacting
and soliciting members, in cooperation with the ongoing efforts of the national
office, provides a stronger multi-level approach to our membership initiatives.
The program was modeled on similar successful programs used by a number of
regional archival organizations and ancillary professional organizations (e.g.,
the Organization of American Historians). SAA Council approved the Key Contact
Program in February 1996 after strong endorsements by former
SAA staff member Debra Mills Nolan and Leon Miller, former chair of the Membership
Committee and the person who introduced the concept to the committee. The following
spring the Membership Committee identified volunteers from throughout the organization
and implemented the program. The volunteers represent the 50 states of the
United States, 10 provinces of Canada, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico.
Key contact representatives have three major functions:
- they welcome new
members to SAA from their assigned region;
- they contact every person in their
region who has not renewed their membership and encourage them to renew;
and
- the key contacts work with the national office to identify and
solicit new members for SAA.
Methods for communicating to new and non-renewing
members
may include a formal letter, an e-mail message, a telephone call, and/or
face-to-face solicitations. The approach a key contact utilizes is entirely
one of personal
choice. Key contacts should bear in mind that their efforts should
supplement those of the national office. Therefore, the national office will
continue
all of its normal activities regarding the welcoming of new members
to the Society and continue its procedures to secure membership renewals. The
results
of the Key Contact Program are to bring a personal touch to our membership
that brings us closer to our members.
The key contact representatives typically serve for three years. They are
recommended by members of the Membership Committee and must be members in good
standing of SAA, either as individual members or through institutional
membership.
Three times each year key contacts receive a list of new and a list of non-renewing
members for their state from the SAA office. The information on these lists
typically includes the name, mailing address, telephone number(s), and e-mail
address of the individuals. Using this information, each representative
contacts the new and non-renewing members on their lists. Those representatives
who elect to e-mail or telephone their assigned individuals are asked to any
positive or negative comments received.
After key contact representatives have completed their contacts, they
draft a brief report to their district representative confirming that they
have completed their efforts, outlining any comments they received from both
new and non-renewing members. This report is submitted no later than
three weeks after receiving a key contact mailing. The information that is
reported to the district representative is then combined with other key contact
reports and given to the Membership Committee chair, who then uses this information,
and an analysis of membership statistical trends, to generate a final report
outlining the
outcomes of that specific key contact mailing. This report is forwarded to
the entire Membership Committee, to all of the key contacts, and to SAA's Executive
Director.
See also:
Key Contact Program FAQs
Key Contact Program Representatives
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