Over the last couple of years, EENC has been digging deeply into better understanding the needs of our community and what people are looking for when they become a member of EENC. In 2019, we partnered with researchers from NC State University on a membership survey. In 2020, a team went further, participating in a seven month membership boot camp led by a specialty consultant, along with our partners in the Southeastern EE Alliance.
EENC's Membership Chair Elise Tellez, President Amy Renfranz, and Executive Director Lauren Pyle met regularly from January to July for coaching with the consultant and reflection/analysis assignments. This team reviewed everything from historic trends in EENC's membership records, to the needs and return on investment we're offering our members, to trends impacting our field, to a detailed mapping project of how the benefits we provide are meeting our members needs. The final product: a proposal to completely revise EENC's member levels and benefits to better support our community!
We shared an overview at the annual membership meeting during the conference, and are actively working to get everything ready to implement everything January 1. Here are a few things you can look forward to:
More clearly defined benefits for you, including: discounts on EENC events, conferences, workshops, and logo items at events, access to exclusive online resources such as webinar and training recordings, exclusive opportunities for financial support like mini-grants and eligibility for fiscal sponsorship, and the option to opt in for a discounted Green Teacher subscription.
A new discounted membership for people in the first three years in the field of Environmental Education - whether you're just out of college or making a career change later on.
A new tiered structure for organizational memberships. This will make it easier to provide more of your staff with individual benefits - plus get access to some new benefits to support you at the organizational level, like the opportunity to request a letter of support from EENC for grant projects or proposals and site preference for EENC-hosted workshops and networking events in your area.
We're looking forward to sharing all the details with you in January! We are so grateful for everyone who has provided feedback and insight along the way. And if there's ever anything we can do to better support you as a member, please let us know!
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