With the new membership year upon us, I would like to update you on steps taken by the NLN.ON Board that we hope will encourage you to once again become affiliated with our Interest Group. We certainly realize that things are difficult these day and many of you have only limited dollars available to support numerous affiliation opportunities. The NLN.ON has worked since 1977 to provide nursing leaders with a variety of professional benefits as well as our annual leadership conference and we would like to have your active re-affiliation.
Historically nurse leaders have had the opportunity to join the NLN.ON in tandem with their membership in the RNAO and if this is you preferred choice we certainly encourage this to continue. The membership year for RNAO begins November 1st and runs to October 31st 2017 – click here to join through RNAO.
Over the past year NLN.ON board members have been approached by NLN.ON members (past and present) to explore the option of a new membership category that would allow Registered Nurses who are not member of RNAO to join NLN.ON. This required an amendment to our existing by-laws. After considerable discussion between board members and further discussion with NLN.ON membership at our 2016 AGM last March, it was decided that we would reach out to our members and share the details of a proposed by-law amendment introducing a new “sustaining membership category”. It was further decided that we would offer our members the option to vote for or against this new category.
Why would the NLN.ON consider this? A key factor has been a five year decline in the numbers of RN’s joining our interest group. This has resulted in a decline in membership fee, and to some extent, a decline in conference registration numbers. Both of these outcomes provide less revenue to support our continuing activities.
On Friday, September 23, 2016 NLN.ON members were invited to participate in a Special Member’s Meeting where they were asked to cast their vote for or against a new “sustaining membership category. Voting took place “in-person” or via Proxy. A two thirds majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy was required to successfully pass the amendment, and in fact a two thirds majority of votes were in favour of the by-law amendment to add the new “Sustaining Member” category.
This sustaining member category will be initiated beginning in 2017 and the membership year will run from January 1st to December 31st, 2017. We are now very pleased to announce that you can join as an NLN.ON “Sustaining Member” directly through the NLN.ON website by accessing our online payment portal. Click here . Please note as a Sustaining Member you will receive all the benefits extended to our members including special discounted registration fees to our annual conference as well as all of the communications that are sent out from the NLN.ON office.
NLN.ON continues to support and encourage active membership in both RNAO and NLN.ON. Over the coming year the NLN.ON Board looks forward to working proactively with all interested nursing leaders to advance the issues facing our profession through proactive, collective dialogue with the RNAO on matters impacting the profession.
We look forward to many of our non-renewed or lapsed members becoming a member of NLN.ON once again and we thank those who have already renewed their membership for 2017.
Sincerely
Judy Shearer
President NLN.ON