Like other healthcare organizations, many of the National Society for Histotechnology’s 3,000 members were affected by COVID-19 when elective surgeries were put on hold and shelter-in-place orders were announced. NSH cancelled two important training meetings and transitioned its in-person annual meeting to a virtual event.
Cynthia Simpson, M.Ed, CAE, NSH’s manager for member services and a member of ASAE’s Membership Professionals Advisory Council, noted that NSH incentivized attendees by recording all the sessions and providing 30 days of access so participants could complete programs and earn critical continuing-education units (CEUs). In addition, the success of this transition provided support for a larger initiative to provide members expanded access to virtual education programs.
Back in 2019, NSH engaged Avenue M Group to survey its members with a goal of increasing value to drive membership growth, and then recommending new membership models. Access to histology-specific education was important, and many members asked what could be done to assist them in obtaining and retaining skills needed for recertification and professional development. Sharon Kneebone, CAE, NSH executive director and the NSH membership chair, collaborated with others to determine the feasibility of providing an expanded level of offerings, the pricing for these offerings, and how that might be packaged.
Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.