Growing the Society by Members, for Members By Zoe Deol, MD, FACS
2019
During the last five years, AVLS has evolved its structure, leadership, and resources to adapt to our ever-changing times and position the organization for success in the future. These changes, some planned, some in response to mitigating circumstances, allowed AVLS to expand its reach, recruit new members, and engage existing members. Through the development of successful leadership, decisionmaking, and programming, we have gained the necessary momentum that will bring success.
1460
2020 1525
2021 1580
2022 1630
From 2020 to 2022, we have seen an increase in female membership from 26% to 32%, Vascular Surgeons rising from 20% to 29%, Family/ General Practice members increasing from 14% to 18%, and an overall increase in residents/ fellows from 17 to 236 total members.
MEMBERSHIP TRENDS AVLS’s success is dependent on its membership. Each year offers not only the challenge of retaining members but also recruiting new ones. Recruitment efforts have focused heavily on non-member attendee conversions from Annual Congress, AVLS live courses, and general promotions to our various prospect lists. Over the last five years, membership recruitment expanded through outlets and new programming, including new outreach efforts through outside society conferences, ads in external vein publications, and new lead retrieval through online educational offerings.
Beginning in January 2022, AVLS launched a quarterly member referral program highlighting a new incentive each quarter. These incentives include gift cards, renewal discounts, Annual Congress discounts, AVLS store products, special raffles, and non-AVLS merchandise. This program is promoted via email and social media and includes highlighting new members in the Member Connection newsletter. Refer a member at www.myavls.org/refer.
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
While member retention slowed due to COVID-19, AVLS continues to grow its membership by meeting or surpassing our annual recruitment numbers for the past three years.
Through a series of Committee restructuring decisions led by the Member Standing Committee, AVLS increased production and efficiency of its Membership volunteers. In 2021, the Membership Recruitment, Membership 9
