Membership Committee

Chaired by Al Ramsay, the membership committee’s prime directive is to ensure that Nova Scotia’s environmental workforce actively attracts local, national, and international business.

In keeping with the ESANS Strategic Plan 2009 - 2014, all activities and initiatives to be developed, organized, and/or conducted by the membership committee in the upcoming fiscal year are intended to increase awareness of ESANS, encourage participation, attract new members, solidify relations with existing members, publicly acknowledge members who exhibit exemplary environmental industry stewardship and enhancement, and facilitate productive interaction of environmental industry related human and social capital.

The committee has undertaken a review of the ESANS membership structure and is considering ways to offer more services to the membership, develop levels of membership to increase the numbers, and allow for more active involvement by members. The membership committee is focussed on realizing an increase in membership from industry, academic, government, and environmental service providing sectors.



ESANS has set a goal to increase the membership
from approximately 120, to 210 by the end of 2010.

ESANS aims to create an organizational culture which provides opportunities for active involvement and support of all members, and to establish long-term revenue reserves to be able to sustain the organization and assure stable funding for projects. ESANS is also focusing on establishing operating procedures for committee succession planning to ensure continuation and continuity.


Rationale

The activities and initiatives engaged by the membership committee during the past fiscal period have served to engage ESANS' core membership and generate interest from several environmentally related industry sectors, including but not limited to, eco-tourism, agriculture & fisheries, forestry, academia, sustainable infrastructure and energy, mining, and government.

In keeping with the ESANS Strategic Plan 2009 – 2014 and the results of the recent Membership Survey, ESANS intends to increase the membership through continuing and enhancing services. Revenue generated through these efforts will help to assist in the association’s ongoing goal of financial sustainability.


Recent Accomplishments

Accomplishments during the 2009-2010 fiscal year included:

  • Membership increase during the year included 33 new members consisting of companies, individuals, associations and academic faculties
  • Membership drive in March 2008 attracted 6 new companies and 5 individuals and provided incentives for existing members to recruit new members
  • Enhancement of on-line accessibility to membership profiles and updating process
  • Emphasis on providing web-based promotion for participants of ESANS events which has served to increase event participation
  • Implementation of membership rate structure to entice potential members to join at key times of the year
  • A full and successful membership appreciation golf tournament was organized and conducted in June 2008.
    See the event details by clicking here...

Planned Activities 2008 - 2009

Initiatives and activities planned by the membership committee during the 2008-2009 fiscal year include:

  • Member appreciation - Networking winter curling bonspiel (February 2009) and summer golf tournament (June 2009). Focus at these events will be to integrate ways to facilitate networking and interaction among participants from all industry sectors represented. A directed invitation will be extended to members of associated associations that have synergies with ESANS member services
  • Investigate, coordinate, and implement a suite of new benefit offerings (i.e. financial, insurance, discounts, etc.) to add additional value to ESANS memberships
  • Develop and implement a sponsorship grid and advertising opportunity grid to provide enhanced promotional opportunities for members
  • Develop special campaigns to attract members affiliated with several environmental related industry sectors, including but not limited to, eco-tourism, agriculture & fisheries, forestry, academia, sustainable infrastructure and energy, mining, and government
  • Creation of a system to evaluate and rank member participation in the environmental industry and recognize exemplary members with annual Member Awards. ESANS Environmental Awards to be presented at an AGM Dinner or Gala Event Dinner
  • ESANS will request that all corporate members submit a comprehensive list of company email addresses so that members can maximize the value of memberships by ensuring that all employees & associates receive the most current information available from ESANS. At present each member organization only has a few contacts and ESANS is not certain that environmental industry information reaching those parties is being adequately disseminated

Expected Outcomes

At the forefront of all membership committee efforts is the goal of acquiring 210 members by the end of 2010, and the means for this will be solidifying the core membership base of environmental service providers upon which to welcome new members from several other industry sectors.

Outcomes of the 2008-2009 membership committee actions will build on ESANS’ position as “voice of the environmental industry sector” and to continue providing a networking, information, and knowledge platform to facilitate the stimulation of social and economic prosperity of those in the environmental industry.

ESANS believes that development of a solid and interactive membership will serve to create a business climate that attracts investors and encourages local businesses to start and grow in ways that support sustainable competitiveness.