Editor’s note: this is the third post in a series on AIHA’s strategic plan. The previous posts are “Where in the World Are We with Our Strategic Plan?” and “Tending Our Content.”

Our next installment of where we are with the current strategic plan focuses on strategic focus area #2—to remain a sustainable, viable organization, AIHA must identify and provide value-added offerings targeted to the needs of specific member segments.

Recognizing the fact that not all members are created equal, we offer various membership categories that speak to the unique needs of students, young professionals, retirees, and internationally-based professionals and practitioners. Dues rates vary based on relevance of offerings (for example, international constituents likely do not benefit from our U.S.-centric government relations program) and income differentials. (As an aside, the AIHA Board is proposing to simplify the number of membership categories, which will require membership approval of bylaws amendments. Refer to part 1 of our FAQ document to learn more).

Examples of recent new program offerings include:

• A new online community platform called Catalyst, which launched on January 19th and will provide a virtual “room” for volunteer groups, working groups, local sections, and other project teams to exchange best practices. (Note: the full benefits of Catalyst are limited to members of AIHA national.)
• Development and aggressive promotion of various grassroots outreach programs (IH Heroes, Safety Matters​) to raise awareness about the importance of teen worker safety and, more broadly, the value our profession contributes to society.

What’s ahead in 2018? Here are a few examples:

• Build-out of the Catalyst online community.
• Dialogue and consensus on our path forward for a new Virtual Local Section tailored to constituents, including our growing international membership, not currently served by a regional section, and for local section members who wish to add on to their current LS membership.
• Extension of the PAL (Personal AIHce Liaison) program beyond the conference to the general membership, in which seasoned members are paired up with new members needing assistance navigating AIHA.
• A renewed focus on our student members—we’ve completed phone surveys of close to half the student local section faculty advisors and are now serving the students themselves to understand how we can enhance their membership.
• Building out our new Women in IH community.
• Offering significantly discounted rates on select publications and new e-learning courses most relevant to developing economies.
• Understanding the unique technical educational needs of IH practitioners (technicians) and EHS generalists, with the intent of providing resources to help them grow in their careers.

Stay tuned for our next installment on the AIHA Strategic Plan. As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me​.