Top 10 BDPA Chapters (Membership, December 2014)

The lifeblood of any nonprofit association is its membership.  BDPA membership grew by 23% in 2014.   December 2014 marked the first time in a year that our membership total declined.  However, it is likely that the growth will continue in 2014 under the leadership of National BDPA VP-Membership Management Mildred Allen.  She works with local, regional and national leaders to provide a value proposition to members (and potential members) with robust BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

Beverly Moore

One of the largest membership moves in December came from our BDPA Detroit chapter (president, Beverly Moore).  The chapter grew by over 66% in the past year to become the 8th largest chapter in the nation.  The chapter effectively used its monthly program meetings to introduce itself to the community. 

We believe in the management maxim -- you get what you measure.  Let us assess the numbers in order to honor those local BDPA chapters who are demonstrating success in their efforts to recruit and retain members. Let's take a look at the ten largest chapters in BDPA-Nation:

1. Chicago - president, Reggie Rush
2. Cincinnati - president, Dalric Webb
   
3. Washington DC - president, Perry Carter 
4. Philadelphia - president, Eileen Gadsden (up 1 spot)
5. Atlanta - president, Derrick Brown (down 1 spot)
6. Southern Minnesota - president, Will Smith
   
7. New Jersey - president, Goldie Bonney (up 1 spot)
8. Detroit - president, Beverly Moore (up 2 spots)
9. Dallas - president, Chad White (down 2 spots)
10. Los Angeles - president, David Malonson (down 1 spot)

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The top five chapters on the list remain in the 'BDPA Century Club'! The benefit of having powerful leadership is obvious when we see that Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Washington DC each have over 100 members. One of the common denominators for each of these chapters is that they place a high premium on the delivery of quality programs and services to their members. These chapters work hard to ensure that there is a strong return on the $100 investment that each member makes thru annual dues.

What are your thoughts about the value of BDPA membership? What can your local chapter do to improve the value-proposition for you on a personal or professional level?