Happy New Year! My name is Susan Kistler and I am the Executive Director for the American Evaluation Association. Today I’m writing to the aea365 readers who are not members of AEA, to encourage you to join the association for 2011.
Hot Tip: Membership in AEA is only $80/year ($30 for students), and easily pays for itself. You can join online.
Why join?
Hot Tip – AEA members have access to four of the leading evaluation journals: Members receive hardcopy and electronic subscriptions to AEA’s own journals, The American Journal of Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation, as well as electronic access to Evaluation Review and Evaluation and the Health Professions. You’ll receive not only the latest articles, but also 20+ years of archival content. AEA365 contributors regularly recommend journal readings (see 12/29, 12/26, 12/24 from the past week alone!).
Hot Tip – AEA members engage with the field’s thought leaders: For one week each month AEA hosts a leader in the field on its members-only Thought Leaders Forum. The discussant shares insights, explores issues, and answers your questions. You can lurk in the background and take it all in, or dive in and discuss. Coming soon? Michael Scriven in January and Melvin Hall in February.
Hot Tip – AEA members promote their business: Whether you are an independent consultant or part of a 100 person firm, AEA membership gives you a free listing of your evaluation-related services in AEA’s Find-an-Evaluator database. Directly accessible from the homepage, the FAE listings are among the most highly used sections of the AEA website.
Hot Tip – AEA members attend free coffee-break webinars: Each month, we host 3-4 20-minute webinars that demonstrate a tool or provide insight into a methodology or theory. Topics in the works for 2010 include one each on collaborative, participatory, and empowerment evaluation, an exploration of photo journaling, and tips for strengthening your evaluation reports. Membership also gives you access to the recorded archives!
Hot Tip – AEA members have a voice in their association: As an AEA member, you’ll regularly have opportunities to provide input to comments on legislation, to make your voice heard to the Board, and to take advantage of AEA volunteer opportunities.
Hot Tip – AEA members stay abreast of happenings in the field: Each month, AEA members receive an electronic calendar and newsletter. The newsletter’s Policywatch column keeps you up to date on issues in the US Federal government. The Tech Talk column helps you make the most of the online resources available for evaluators. Other articles provide insight into the people and events shaping the field, announce new books, and ensure that you know what is happening within your association.
Hot Tip – AEA members save money: AEA full members receive discounts on the AEA Annual Conference ($80 off), workshops ($50 off per full-day workshop), the AEA/CDC Summer Evaluation Training Institute ($50 off registration), and on books ordered directly from our publishing partners (20% off from SAGE, Jossey-Bass/Wiley, Guildford, and Lyceum).
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org.