Benefits of NIRSA Associate Membership
Interested in getting your brand in front of the people who make purchasing decisions for campus recreation facilities and programs across North America? NIRSA associate membership is your answer! Make the most of associate membership by taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities.
Who should join?
Campus recreation professionals positively influence the lives of millions of students through recreational sports, fitness activities, health promotion, and wellbeing support. Associate membership in NIRSA is available to organizations, companies, or groups whose commercial products, programs, or services are of value to campus recreation professionals or departments.
Becoming NIRSA associate member is the best first step for getting your company’s products or services in front of decision makers and influencers in the field of campus recreation. Want to connect with individual recreation professionals? Specific campus communities? College or university students across North America? Other leading companies connected to college and university recreation? The NIRSA network can help you achieve your business goals!
How will your organization benefit?
NIRSA is a membership association committed to providing the best professional development offerings, the best networking opportunities, and the best resources for professionals working in college and university recreation. Founded in 1950, the association network has grown to comprise more than 4,000 individuals working on more than 900 institutions of higher learning spread across North America and even around the world. In addition to our influential individual and institutional members, NIRSA also counts ~175 leading businesses as associate members and we’d love to welcome you into the NIRSA family.
NIRSA is a leader in higher education and we are advocates for the advancement of recreation, sport, and wellbeing.
Associate membership is an invaluable first step toward getting your business in front of the people you want to reach to grow because NIRSA members love to share ideas and evolve promising practices with one another. Please read about our 2018-2021 Strategic Plan to find out more.
Connect with leaders in collegiate recreation through NIRSA’s online member directory
- Targeting filters help you find the right point of contact among NIRSA’s network of 4,000+ members
Search, monitor, or contribute to NIRSA’s discussion and resource libraries through the NIRSA Connect social network
The NIRSA Buyers Guide includes an entry for all associate members and features a direct link to your company’s website
Prime location assignments are reserved for associate member exhibitors at the Campus Rec & Wellness Expo during the NIRSA Annual Conference
Your company (and a link to its website) will be introduced and welcomed to the NIRSA membership in the monthly New Members celebration post when you join
Associate members have an opportunity to publish relevant updates about their company in the NIRSA news platform (NIRSA does not allow associate members to solicit products or services through this avenue)
Opportunities to partner with the NIRSA Foundation to provide named, corporate scholarships or research support
Preferred status is given to associate members for RFPs submitted related to NIRSA events, including the NIRSA Championship Series, the NIRSA Annual Conference, and NIRSA Institutes
Authorized use of the associate member logo
Curated association news through subscription to the NIRSA Know (e-newsletter)
Access to NIRSA’s research and assessment data including:
- Facility Construction and Renovation reports
- 108 colleges and universities are currently involved in facility construction, expansion, and/or renovation projects between 2016-2020
- Almost $2 billion dollars in NIRSA-member capital projects are underway
- $1.834 billion in projects include new construction, renovations, and expansions
- 6,515,075 square feet of construction projects from 2016-2020
- Median project size: 70,500 square feet
- The full report is available to all NIRSA members
- Publications about emerging trends in campus recreation
- Data about the benefits of collegiate recreation participation
- The NIRSA Institutional Data Set
- Fee-based access to custom reports using data from the IDS
- Facility Construction and Renovation reports
Eligibility to participate in NIRSA’s Discounts & Rewards program for members
Eligibility to submit proposals for educational sessions or sponsored sessions at NIRSA professional development events
Eligibility to submit proposals for the Fitness Forum at the NIRSA Annual Conference
Eligibility to participate in NIRSA member surveys and access to NIRSA surveys
Eligibility to apply for applicable NIRSA awards
Eligibility to apply for select NIRSA volunteer leadership positions
Eligibility to apply for the professional registry credential
Discounted exhibit space at the NIRSA Campus Rec & Wellness Expo
Discounted exhibit space at NIRSA professional development events
Discounted posting fees on the Bluefishjobs.com online jobs board
Access to NIRSA’s Discounts & Rewards program for personal or professional use
Discounted access to NIRSA mailing lists

Associate Membership Rates
Effective January 1, 2018
1 Year
2 Years
3 Years
Get the most out of NIRSA’s reach
If you have any questions about NIRSA associate membership, please contact NIRSA Sales & Expo Coordinator Emerson Helbling.