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Action Please By: June 1, 1998

To: Members & Affiliates
From: National Office
Date: April 21, 1998
Subject: MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Reference: MU 98-9

Did you know that. . .

AMSA's leadership has established the long-term goal of doubling our public agency membership in five years.

AMSA's 1998 budget anticipates approximately $50,000 in new member dues.

In recent months AMSA has eliminated the distinction between its "Member" and "Associate Member" categories -- and now offers all public wastewater treatment agencies the status of full voting Member. The Association has also streamlined its dues structure to allow even the smallest of communities to afford membership. All of these changes position AMSA to grow in size and clout as it works to effectively represent the interest of POTWs nationwide, but we need you!

Our future success in addressing issues affecting all municipalities at the Environmental Protection Agency and on Capitol Hill is dependent on the support of POTWs nationwide. We need representation in every state and every Congressional district to ensure that our voice is heard and our message is received. Regulatory initiatives continue to be undertaken daily that directly impact you and your operations. Additionally, the environmental leaders from both houses of Congress have stated their intention to reauthorize the Clean Water Act next year. It is essential that new legislative and regulatory initiatives focus on watersheds, strengthen -- and make enforceable -- controls on nonpoint sources and acknowledge the enormous contributions POTWs have made in the water quality of the rivers, lakes and streams, nationwide. Without these key elements, POTWs and other point sources will continue to be held largely responsible for water pollution and cities and municipalities nationwide will be faced with spending significant amounts of money for limited environmental improvement.

New public agency members of AMSA will serve to strengthen our active coalition of like-minded agencies, working together to ensure a future clean water program that includes scientifically based, technically sound and cost-effective legislation and regulations that address all sources of impairment to our nation's watersheds.

This month, AMSA began implementation of a comprehensive Membership Development Campaign - aimed at laying the groundwork to achieve both its short-term 1998 new member goal and its five year goal of increasing membership from 180 member agencies in January 1998, to 360 in December 2002. The Campaign is based on the philosophy that the most effective way for AMSA to recruit new public agencies members is through personal contact. This contact can occur in many places -- through direct initiation, at national, state and regional meetings and conferences, and informally through word of mouth or in follow up to inquiries at the National Office. It can also take many forms. Some possible scenarios include the following:

Board Member è Potential Member
Member è Potential Member
Staff Member è Potential Member
and even. . .
Potential Member è Potential Member
AMSA's membership development campaign is built around the premise that with a comprehensive strategy, effective tools, and all of us participating -- we will meet our membership development goals. The Campaign's implementation strategy consists of four key components to be undertaken simultaneously. They reflect an approach to membership development that is comprehensive and pervasive throughout the Association's organizational structure. It strives to involve each of us -- Board members, committee leaders, member agencies and National Office staff -- in a concerted effort to increase AMSA's membership. The key components are as follows:
Component I:Outreach to State and Regional Organizations
Component II:Outreach to Cities/Agencies with POTWs of 5 mgd or Greater
Component III:Targeted Outreach to States and Congressional Districts without AMSA Members
Component IV:Outreach via Competitiveness/Other Workshops

The pages which follow provide additional information regarding each of these components and specific suggestion regarding how you, as an AMSA member, can help. As an expression of appreciation for your support we are pleased to offer you a "buy one, get one free" incentive for your agency's attendance at future AMSA forums and conferences. If you sponsor a new public agency member, we will provide two registrations at an upcoming conference of your choice for the single attendee registration fee.

Please join our efforts to "grow" AMSA today. Thank you in advance for your support.

AMSA's Membership Development Campaign
Component 1: Outreach to State and Regional Organizations
Across this country there are numerous state-level "AMSAs". They exist in Texas in the form of the Texas Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (TAMSA), in Virginia as VAMWA, the Virginia Association of Metropolitan Wastewater Agencies, in Oregon as the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies (OACWA) and in many other states under a variety of monikers. Although these organizations are not "officially" a part of, or sanctioned by, AMSA, we work closely with them through the AMSA members in their state. Additionally, member associations of the Water Environment Federation meet regionally throughout the year -- and AMSA, of late, has begun increased outreach at the regional level as evidenced by the October 1997 meeting of POTWs in Region IV to discuss sanitary sewer overflow policy and enforcement issues.

Component I of AMSA Membership Development Campaign focuses on outreach through these state and regional organizations. It will take the form of AMSA member è nonmember POTW, as well as an organized effort to secure opportunities for AMSA leaders and the key National Office staff to present information and represent the benefits of membership in AMSA.

How you can help. . .
The National Office is currently compiling a comprehensive list of the meetings of these state and regional organizations, as well as considering separate AMSA-led regional meetings, in Region I and Region VIII, in particular. Please contact AMSA's Deputy Executive Director, Paula Dannenfeldt at the National Office with information regarding your state "AMSA" - or future meetings you're aware of. Paula can be reached at 202/833-4654 or pdannenfeldt@amsa-cleanwater.org.

Component II: Outreach to Cities/Agencies with POTWs of 5 mgd or Greater
The National Office has compiled and confirmed contacts/addresses/phone/fax/e-mail for approximately 800 agencies that manage POTWs of 5 mgd or greater. Outreach to these agencies has begun in the form of the attached correspondence (Attachment A). Drafting and design of AMSA's new membership development brochure is underway, with availability anticipated this summer. The brochure will be yet another tool to support our efforts.

How you can help. . .
Follow up to AMSA's initial correspondence (via mail and phone) is critical and neighboring AMSA member agencies are being called upon to join the recruitment effort. Please review the attached list of potential AMSA member agencies (Attachment C - listed alphabetically by city and state). This list contains a targeted group of approximately 200 potential members. Please call or write those in your state/region as soon as possible, but no later than June 1, to encourage them to consider membership. If they have specific questions that you cannot answer, please refer them to Paula Dannenfeldt at the National Office.

Component III: Targeted Outreach to States and Congressional Districts without AMSA Members
AMSA is currently without members in the following nine states: Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Delaware, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Additionally, we lack members in numerous Congressional districts. Targeted emphasis is being placed on this group of potential members as we implement our membership development strategy. Our goal will be to ensure that AMSA grows not only in number of members, but in political clout as well.

How you can help. . .
In an effort to identify Congressional districts where AMSA is unrepresented, the National Office forwarded a Special Edition FaxAlert to the membership on February 25th requesting the zip codes served by each member agency. This information will allow us, by process of elimination, to identify districts where we have no members. Many of you responded to this FaxAlert, and we express our thanks. If you have not yet responded, you will soon receive a follow-up fax. If you have not already done so, please respond to the follow-up fax and provide AMSA will the zip codes to which your agency issues bills.

Component IV: Outreach via Competitiveness/Other Workshops
Nonmember agencies do attend AMSA conferences. Outreach planned for the upcoming Competitiveness Workshops, the AMSA/AMWA Legal Affairs Seminar and AMSA's Public Affairs Seminar, all in 1998, will include utilization of our newly developed list of potential member agencies. This outreach, combined with the regional locations of the Competitiveness Workshops will afford AMSA an excellent opportunity to put its "best foot forward" to numerous nonmember agencies and for attending staff and members to encourage others to join the Association.

How you can help. . .
Encourage nonmember public agencies in your state or region to attend upcoming AMSA workshops and conferences. At future conferences, encourage any nonmembers you meet to join AMSA. Registration material for all upcoming AMSA meetings is being forwarded to our potential member list. Additional information regarding future meetings can be found on AMSA's web site.

Again, thank you for your support of this important initiative. If there is any way that we can help you help us, please don't hesitate to contact the National Office.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A - Content of the personalized membership development letters sent by AMSA to potential member agencies

Attachment B - Application form and dues information

Attachment C- Potential member list with addresses and telephone numbers (Please contact AMSA's National Office at 202/833-AMSA for a copy of this document)