Proposed Amendments to NIRSA’s Bylaws 

In 2018, the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) stopped tracking a CPI for Portland, Oregon, which is specifically referenced in the bylaws as the CPI Index NIRSA must use when considering dues increases. As a result, NIRSA member dues cannot be modified without a change to the language of the Dues and Assessments section of the bylaws.

• NIRSA’s history of dues increases over the last 10 years.
• How our peer associations manage dues increases in the Bylaws.
• The dollar impact of the various percentages proposed.
• The effects of rounding to the nearest whole dollar vs. rounding down in all cases.
• The pros and cons of tying the parameter to the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
• Parameters the members might be comfortable with to allow the Board to make decisions on behalf of the membership.

Historically, indexes have been unpredictable, limited the Leadership to plan strategically, and in some instances the maximum was chosen just because of the irregularity.  In addition, the relevant index numbers were announced after the annual budget process and also prevented multi-year budgeting and strategic plan implementation.

The Board considered numerous factors, including member feedback solicited through the regional conferences, some state workshops, a webinar, and an online feedback submission form. The Board and Finance Committee considered options in the 0-5% range, taking into consideration the impact on the operating budget, NIRSA’s ability to deliver high quality and timely products and services, and the impact on Members.  Additionally, many Members who attended the Town Hall at the 2019 Annual Conference indicated they would support a 0-3.5% range as long as it eliminated any reference to CPI.

The Board initially solicited feedback from Members on a 0-3.5% range.  This range balanced NIRSA’s needs to continue to produce high quality and timely member benefits through time with a reasonable parameter Members could plan on when designing their own budgets. There was a variety of feedback about the rationale for this range.

After hearing member feedback through regional conferences, some state workshops, a webinar, an online feedback submission form, and taking into consideration that seven out of the past 10 years have seen dues increases below 3.0%, the Board reduced the range to 0-3%. While this may reduce the Board’s ability to be as nimble, the Board still has the option to present a vote to Members for a larger increase if needed.

2002. At the time, the Association was experiencing a significant financial challenge due to over-reliance on so-called ‘soft money’ or sponsorship money. To put the Association on more stable footing, the members voted on a 23% increase for professionals, a 13% increase for students, and a 50-75% increase for institutions (depending on enrollment); the institutional increase was implemented over a three year period.

Yes, since at least 1997, the Bylaws have provided authority to the Board of Directors to implement dues increases within a parameter. Increases in excess of the parameter requires a Member vote.

For over two decades, dues increases were tied to the Consumer Price Index for Portland, Oregon (CPI-Portland). For the past 10 years the change in this index has ranged from 0–3.9%.

When CPI-Portland was low or 0% it put pressure on other fees (primarily registration fees) to make up the difference since NIRSA’s costs (salaries & benefits, event expenses, travel, building maintenance, software, etc.) don’t necessarily track with the consumer price indexes.

With a fixed range to work within, the Finance Committee can develop multi-year budgets for the Board for better planning. A known range, rather than an unpredictable index, allows the Board to be more nimble and better respond to emerging Member needs.

Annually, the NIRSA Board and NIRSA Finance Committee consider a variety of factors and inputs. They review trends and strategic plans in NIRSA’s three main revenue sources: dues, education events, and sponsorship/exposition. They consider the financial environment that members are operating in. They consider trends in the overall economy and in higher education. They consider the strategic plan, strategic priorities, member benefits, the cost of education offerings, administration, and overhead. Dues increases are considered in the context of all of these factors and as such, may also be lower than 3%.

The Association has a long-standing strategy to increase dues and fees by a little each year, rather than surprise Members with periodic and larger increases. This provides a more stable structure for Members and NIRSA.

Amounts below are based on professionals and students from member institutions. To illustrate impact on institutional dues, two of the ten enrollment categories were selected.

In 2019 staffing was restructured resulting in a 1.175 reduction in FTE. Additionally, travel for networking, advocacy, the NIRSA Board and the Member Network was reduced.

In the recently approved 2020 operating budget, the Finance Committee and staff worked together to make choices to balance the budget. Because expenses are increasing at a faster rate than revenue, decisions were made to cut benefits for NIRSA Staff, reduce staff travel for advocacy and networking, and eliminate staff professional development other than local opportunities. Sales and business development travel was also reduced.

Increases in membership dues allow NIRSA to keep pace with the rising costs for programs, products, services, resources, etc. NIRSA, as an association, has to provide its own IT support, HR support, building maintenance, etc., and is unable to rely on other entities to provide that support. To help provide consistent and quality member services, association management best practices recommend smaller regular dues increases as opposed to larger increases that are sporadic or inconsistent.

• Curate content and research for the profession to stay informed of best practices and emerging trends.
• Facilitate networking among students and professionals
• Advocate for the profession – within Higher Education and legislatively
• Provide an avenue for recognizing achievements within the profession
• Coordinate Extramural and Sport Club Tournaments
• Provide a job board for campus recreation professionals and employers looking for similar talent
• Assist campus recreation departments in generating revenue through campus activations

Professional and Student members enjoy the following benefits:

• Online networking and access to resources in NIRSA Connect
• Access to research and benchmarking tools
• The Recreational Sports Journal
• Timely legislative and policy updates
• Eligibility to present at NIRSA education events
• Eligibility for NIRSA Awards
• Eligibility for NIRSA Foundation Scholarships
• Eligibility to grow competencies though NIRSA leadership positions
• Discounts from our partners
• Discounts on NIRSA education events and resources

Institutional Members enjoy the following benefits:

• Early access to all NIRSA research reports
• Full access to all NIRSA benchmarking tools
• Discounts on NIRSA custom benchmarking reports
• Discounts on bluefishjobs.com job postings
• First consideration for NIRSA media coverage
• Eligibility for NIRSA Awards
• Free access to the CAS Standards for Collegiate Recreation and Health Promotions
• Discounts on NIRSA education and sport events
• Discounts on NIRSA resources
• One free individual membership

NIRSA has three primary drivers of revenue in the operating budget: dues, registration fees and exposition/sponsorship. The mix of these revenue sources are considered each year in the budget process. Limitations on one revenue source shifts revenue expectations to other sources or requires decreases in expenses.

Dues increases generally take effect on July 1 each year.

Members have indicated that they didn’t understand the rationale for the proposal and wanted more of an opportunity for input. The Board worked with the Bylaws Committee and Member Network in spring 2019 to create significantly enhanced communication and feedback pathways. This included regional conference presentations, some state workshop presentations, a webinar (live and recorded) and an online feedback submission form.

As a result of this feedback process, the Board in consultation with the Bylaws Committee, Finance Committee and Member Network decided to lower the cap to 3.0%. This adjustment balances the nimbleness of Board decision-making with the financial realities being experienced by many members.

Through attendance at the regional and state events, webinar participants and views, and use of the online feedback form, around 500 members engaged in this process and many provided feedback through these forums.

NIRSA leaders present a “NIRSA Financial Year in Review” every spring.  Recently, this has been presented as a webinar in March.

When NIRSA created the Assembly as part of the Governance Transition in 2009, language was created to describe what the Assembly was and did. At the time, the word “national” implied a broad reach for professionals and students in the collegiate recreation profession. When NIRSA adopted its six strategic values in 2012, one of which was “Global Perspectives,” the Global Perspectives Commission and other leaders in the Association recognized that the word “national” could be interpreted as limited to attendees only from the United States.

Yes, as a nod to our growing outreach to Canada and other professional and institutional members and nonmembers from countries outside of the United States, NIRSA instituted a series of changes between 2012-2014 that included:

• Changing “National Student Leader” to “NIRSA Student Leader”
• Changing “NIRSA National Center” to “NIRSA Headquarters”
• Where appropriate, changing the word “National” to “NIRSA” (National School of Recreational Sports Management” to the “NIRSA School of Collegiate Recreation”).

Removing the word “national” from the description of the Assembly created an opportunity to incorporate the broader role of the Assembly. Based on the current work of the Assembly as the “Think Tank for the Profession” and being open to both members and non-members, the Assembly recommended that the definition of the Assembly in the Bylaws, specifically reflect its role within the profession of collegiate recreation.