AILA Board of Governors Meeting Materials

AILA Board of Governors Meeting Materials

October 8, 2020

FOR AILA MEMBERS ONLY

FOR AILA MEMBERS ONLY 1

Board of Governors October 8, 2020 Meeting Materials

Table of Contents

I. Administrative Content • Virtual BOG Meeting Code of Conduct ………….………………………..….………………. Page 3

• Zoom Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 5

II. Consent Agenda • Board Meeting Agenda……………………………………………………………………………….. Page 6

• Approval of the June 19, 2020 Board of Governor Minutes.………………………… Page 7

• Membership Report as of September 2020 …..…………….……………..………….…… Page 11

• Financial Statement through August 31, 2020 ……………………………….……….….. Page 12

III. Updates and Reports • National Office Update: 2020 Member Survey Results……………..………………… Page 15

IV. Decision Items • Dues Restructuring Proposal ……………………….….………………………………………….. 6

• Dues Restructuring FAQ…………………… …………………………………………………………. Page 28



AILA Virtual BOG Meeting Code of Conduct

AILA is committed to providing a professional and productive virtual environment for all BOG

meeting participants and staff. As a result, all participants are expected to follow all stated meeting

instructions and guidelines in order to maintain an atmosphere of professionalism, mutual respect,

and collegiality. AILA members are also expected to adhere to the principles set forth in AILA’s

civility code. AILA Board of Governors meetings also follow Robert’s Rules of Order (11th or

current addition).

All participants must comply with the following guidelines to participate in the virtual

meeting:

• All participants are expected to maintain a professional and civil discourse throughout AILA’s virtual BOG meeting. Participants are prohibited from using any defamatory, abusive, profane, discriminatory, harassing, threatening, and/or offensive language during the meeting including but not limited to Q&A, chat room or any activity that takes place in the virtual space.

• All participants must comply with the instructions of the moderators and/or staff.

• Disruption of any activity that takes place in the virtual space is prohibited. Please note the guidelines below, which follow recommendations by Robert’sRules.com:

o Assignment of the floor. To seek recognition by the President, a member shall use the Raise Hand feature. Participants who have not had an opportunity to speak on the current topic will be recognized first.

o Interrupting a member. A member who intends to make a motion or request that under the rules may interrupt a speaker shall use the Raise Hand feature for so indicating.

o Forced disconnections. The President may cause or direct the disconnection or muting of a member’s connection if it is causing undue interference with the meeting. The President’s decision to do so shall be announced during the meeting and recorded in the minutes. Such disconnection or muting may be objected to but not debated or overridden by any member of the board and that objection shall be recorded in the minutes as well.

• Participants may not record, transmit, copy, or take screen shots during any virtual BOG meeting.



https://www.aila.org/File/DownloadEmbeddedFile/75763

https://www.aila.org/File/DownloadEmbeddedFile/75763

Participants who do not comply or are in violation of any of AILA’s virtual meeting guidelines

may be denied further access and participation at the discretion of the Board President and

Parliamentarian, where applicable.

Participants can contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns related to AILA’s

Virtual BOG Meeting Code of Conduct.



mailto:[email protected]

Virtual BOG Meeting Zoom Overview

To be recognized and unmuted, use the Raise Hand function.

Step 1: Click the ‘Participants’ button from the meeting controls at the bottom of the screen. This brings up several options to choose from to provide nonverbal feedback.

Step 2: Select Raise Hand

The blue hand icon will appear next to your name in the participants list. The Host will recognize and unmute you.

To Lower Hand

If you decide you do not wish to speak/be recognized, click the “Raise Hand” icon again

and the blue hand icon will be removed.



Board of Governors October 8, 2020 Meeting

Pre-Read Materials for

Consent Agenda



AILA Board of Governors Meeting Thursday, October 8, 2020

12:30 pm – 3:30 pm EDT

12:30pm – 12:35pm I. WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER – Jennifer Minear, President CONSENT AGENDA

• Approval of Agenda

• Approval of June 19, 2020 Board of Governors Minutes

• Membership Report as of August 31, 2020

• Financial Statement through August 31, 2020 12:35pm – 12:50pm II. REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT – Jennifer Minear, President 12:50pm – 1:35pm III. UPDATES AND REPORTS

• Membership Committee Update (10 minutes) Russell Abrutyn, Membership Committee Chair

• National Office Updates (20 min) Ben Johnson, Executive Director

• Immigration Council Update (15 min) Beth Werlin, Executive Director, American Immigration Council

1:35pm – 1:45pm IV. NEW BUSINESS 1:45pm – 2:15pm BREAK 2:15pm – 3:15pm V. DECISION ITEM

• Dues Restructuring Proposal Jeremy McKinney, First Vice President Farshad Owji, Second Vice President

3:15pm – 3:30pm EXECUTIVE SESSION 3:30pm ADJOURNMENT



AILA BOARD OF GOVERNORS

VIRTUAL MEETING

June 19, 2020

I. WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 12:37 PM ET by Jennifer Minear, President. Each Board and

staff member briefly introduced themselves.

II. CONSENT AGENDA

Ms. Minear presented the agenda, minutes of the meeting held on March 7, 2020, membership

report as of June 2020 and financial statement through May 31, 2020, copies of which were

distributed in the meeting materials. Ms. Minear asked if any of the consent agenda items should

be moved to the regular discussion items. Hearing none, the consent agenda was adopted.

III. REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT

Ms. Minear shared her vision for the coming year and upcoming projects, including a new

dedicated page of AILA.org for Board members.

UPDATES AND REPORTS

A. NATIONAL OFFICE UPDATE

Ben Johnson, Executive Director, provided an update on National Office activities, financials,

upcoming conferences, litigation, member resources, communications and ongoing advocacy

efforts. In-person conferences scheduled over the next six months could potentially move to a

different venue or be moved to virtual as a result of the pandemic. In response to projected budget

variances in the areas of conferences and Kurzban sales, there is a freeze on non-essential expenses

as well as a hiring freeze. Any budget variances will also be offset by an Employer Retention

Credit as a result of the CARES Act.

Mr. Johnson also shared updates on communications efforts and member resources, including

upcoming publications, AILALink, and the dedicated page of AILA.org focused on COVID-19

resources to ensure that AILA members understand all of the rapid agency changes being issued

during the pandemic. Membership continues to grow, with a retention rate of 93.6%. Mr. Johnson

provided an overview of ongoing advocacy efforts as well.

B. AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL UPDATE

Beth Werlin, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, provided an update from

the Council. Ms. Werlin highlighted the Council’s response to the pandemic’s impact on the



immigration system, their efforts in support of the AILA community through litigation and legal

resources, their pursuit of opportunities to drive unifying messages and stand in solidarity with the

racial justice movement, and a shift toward a virtual American Heritage Awards on July 22.

C. EXECUTIVE ACTION AND THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

Mr. Johnson provided an overview of the most recent Presidential Proclamation and impact to

regulations.

DECISION ITEMS

A. BOARD POLICY ON PUBLISHING BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Following a break, Ms. Minear presented a potential policy change wherein draft Board meeting

minutes would not be published on AILA.org until the Board has had an opportunity to formally

approve them. In lieu of published draft minutes, members would receive a detailed summary of

the topics and issues addressed during the meeting. After discussion, it was suggested that the topic

be referred to Committee.

Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Board unanimously approved referring

the board policy on publishing board meeting minutes to committee.

IV. DISCUSSION ITEM

A. REVIEW AND UPDATE: DUES RESTRUCTURING PROPOSAL

Jeremy McKinney, First Vice President, provided a recap and overview of the Dues Restructuring

Proposal previously shared with the 2019-2020 BOG on behalf of the Sustainability Task Force.

Participants then moved into breakout discussions. Following the breakouts, a member of each

reported back to the BOG on the outcome of their discussions, which focused on the Task Force’s

guiding principles, suggestions as to how the Task Force further those principles, and potential

policies that could be put in place to prevent AILA from ignoring this challenge for another decade.

The Sustainability Task Force will review the feedback received during today’s meeting and revisit

this topic during a future BOG meeting.

V. NEW BUSINESS

Board members thanked Ms. Lindt for her contributions to the Association during her tenure as

President.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:53 PM ET.



ATTENDEE ROSTER

NATIONAL OFFICERS Jennifer Minear, President Kelli Stump, Treasurer

Allen Orr, President-Elect Jeff Joseph, Secretary

Jeremy L. McKinney, First Vice-President Marketa Lindt, Immediate Past President

Farshad Owji, Second Vice-President Ben Johnson, Executive Director

PAST PRESIDENTS Leslie A. Holman

Robert E. Juceam

Allen E. Kaye

H. Ronald Klasko

Ira J. Kurzban

David W. Leopold

Laura Lichter

Deborah J. Notkin

Annaluisa Padilla

Eleanor Pelta

John ‘Jack’ Pinnix

Victor Nieblas Pradis

Denyse Sabagh

William A. Stock

Douglas T. Stump

Anastasia Tonello

Kathleen Campbell Walker

Bernard P. Wolfsdorf

Jimmy Wu

Paul L. Zulkie

DIRECTORS Tiffany Martinez, NMD Rep.

Teddy Chadwick, NMD Rep.

Alexis Axelrad

Ally Bolour

Tammy Fox-Isicoff

Ellen Freeman

Michael Jarecki

Amanda Bethea Keaveny

Mahsa Khanbabai

Cynthia Lucas

Kevin Miner

Maggie Murphy

Andrew Nietor

Sarah Weston Hayes Owings

Sarah Peterson

Heather Prendergast

Ruben Luis Reyes

Michelle Saenz-Rodrijuez

Rekha Sharma-Crawford

Greg Siskind

Marc Van Der Hout

Jacqueline Watson

Parastoo Golesorkhi Zahedi

CHAPTER CHAIRPERSONS ARIZONA

Olivia Porter

BANGKOK DISTRICT

Ganesh Kalyanaraman

CANADA

Ellen Kief

CAROLINAS

Patrick Hatch

CENTRAL FLORIDA

April Caminez-Bentley

CHICAGO

Nell Barker

COLORADO

Nicole Murad

CONNECTICUT

Meghann LaFountain

GEORGIA-ALABAMA

Janora Hawkins

HAWAII

Stella Shimamoto

IDAHO

Alycia Moss

INDIANA

Christine Popp

IOWA/NEBRASKA

Stephanie Grattan

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

Ramon Curiel

MICHIGAN

Bushra Malik

MIDSOUTH

Brittany Faith

MINNESOTA/DAKOTAS

Ana Pottratz Acosta

MISSOURI/KANSAS

Jim Austin

NEVADA

Elizabeth Estrada

NEW ENGLAND

Eliana Christina Nader

NEW JERSEY

Cesar Estella NEW YORK

Randall Chamberlain NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Maxine Bayley

OHIO

Neil Fleischer

OREGON

Anaiah Palmer PHILADELPHIA

Matthew Galati

PITTSBURGH

Adam Greenberg

PUERTO RICO

Absent

ROME

Cindy Azoulay

SAN DIEGO

Leah L. Chavarria

SANTA CLARA VALLEY

Roujin Mozaffarimehr SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Todd Becraft SOUTH FLORIDA

Maggie Arias

TEXAS

Irene Mugambi

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Lucrecia Knapp Ponce

UTAH

Clay Alger

WASHINGTON, DC

Mayabanza Sylena Bangudi

WASHINGTON STATE

Marsha Mavunkel

WISCONSIN

Kelly Rourke



BOARD EMERITUS Charles Foster

Steven Ladik

Sam Myers

Edwin Rubin

Ted Ruthizer

Dale Schwartz

Palma Yanni AILA NATIONAL STAFF

Jesse Bless Jeff Heubusch Reid Trautz

Torey Carter-Conneen Janet Parker George Tzamaras

Greg Chen Danielle Polen Scott Van Den Berg

Kathryn Chong Rachel Pulda Kate Voigt

Kay Ciesla Anna Rappoport Grace Woods

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini Diane Rish

Amanda DeNardo Emmie Smith

OTHER ATTENDEES

Daniel Aharoni Faye Kolly Dominique Pando Bucci

Carolyn Alvarez Scott Kuhagen Jan Pederson

Jeanne Anderson Olivia Lee Ken Rinzler

Mahdis Azimi Maris Liss Elina Santana

Ira Azulay Eileen Martin Hardeep Sull

Hudaidah Bhimdi Laura Mazel Kathleen Vannucci

Alessandra Bradley-Burns Ruth McChesney Sandra Wagner

Courtney Butler Susan McFadden Wayne Weightman

Melissa Chavin Khorzad Mehta Emma Wells

Sui Chung Rodolfo Monterrosa Beth Werlin

Eva Cockerham Laura Murray-Tjan Elaine Witty

Jeff Devore Sheela Murthy Jeffrey Zimskind

Neena Dutta Ron Nair

Cory Forman John Owens

Reported by Anna Rappoport



Membership Report

August 2020

We currently have 15,664 members which includes 913 new members so far this year. We are at a +0.3%

YOY August net growth rate compared to +1.6% in 2019.

August’s new members count of 116 is the third highest since January, and the fifth highest of the

previous 11 months.

The Retention Rate for Aug 2020 is 90.0%, higher than Aug 2019 (89.4%). July 2020 was also higher at

91.4% (90.5%), as was June 2020 at 92.4% (91.1%), May, April, March, February, and January of 2020 –

eight months of consecutively higher retention rates.

Membership has grown quarter-over-quarter for the previous 10 years, 40 consecutive periods.

Law Student Membership growth is +20 % over July, at 506 at month’s end, prior to the cyclical drop.

Chapter membership growth has occurred in 14 locations, same as July. The mean percentage growth for

all chapters in Aug is -0.7 %, better than it was in July (-0.8%).

Members’ paralegals numbers are 1,083 compared to 929 in Aug 2019, 16.5 % growth.



8/31/2020 8/31/2019Assets

Cash & Equivalents $5,651,781 $6,069,286

Fixed AssetsLand 6,316,372 6,316,372Building and Bldg Improvements 11,507,143 11,930,719Furniture & Equipment 1,544,677 860,483Total Fixed Assets 19,368,193 19,107,574

Other AssetsAccounts Receivable 764,109 291,359Due from AIC 545,760 680,944Inventory 152,215 95,403Prepaid Expenses 594,097 451,597Investments 4,764,506 4,260,714Deferred Compensation 805,845 656,205Total Other Assets 7,626,532 6,436,222

Total Assets 32,646,506 31,613,082

Liabilities and Net Assets

LiabilitiesAccounts Payable 140,011 106,034Due to AIC 638,102 407,460Accrued Expenses 266,212 4,109Deferred Revenue 3,378,059 3,027,531Mortgage Bond 11,455,000 11,840,000Deferred Compensation Payable 805,845 656,205Valuation of Debt Instruments 975,105 517,619Total Liabilities 17,658,334 16,558,958

Net AssetsCurrent Year Surplus or (Deficit) 1,776,875 1,618,431Retained Earnings 13,211,297 13,435,695Total Net Assets 14,988,172 15,054,126

Total Liabilities & Net Assets 32,646,506 31,613,084

American Immigration Lawyers AssociationStatement of Financial Position



YTD Annual % of YTD YTD8/31/2020 Budget Budget 8/31/2019 8/31/2018

RevenueDues 3,971,421 5,995,000 66% 3,905,246 3,886,317 Publications

Print 1,972,468 3,501,961 56% 1,204,967 2,918,786 AILALink 799,782 1,210,000 66% 764,595 753,427

Annual Conference 1,056,299 3,267,586 32% 3,097,287 3,660,234 Other Conferences 988,821 2,141,551 46% 1,248,877 1,207,965 Practice & Professionalism Center 960 - N/A 11,114 0 Practice Resources 125,327 97,500 129% 63,278 71,501 Marketing & Creative Services 382,033 690,300 55% 419,013 372,115 Interest Income & Misc Revenue 65,322 - N/A 57,940 31,357 Tenant Leasing 242,176 499,088 49% 346,417 420,919 Grants 316,071 732,156 43% 677,760 188,676 Total Operating Revenue 9,920,680 18,135,142 55% 11,796,494 13,511,297

ExpenseCommunications 409,248 796,072 51% 511,225 553,901 Government Relations 1,225,146 2,278,065 54% 1,258,544 1,187,769 Education 222,287 470,967 47% 25,607 11,963 Annual Conference 323,773 2,075,715 16% 2,282,626 2,029,518 Other Conferences 625,038 1,767,829 35% 937,101 769,758 Practice & Professionalism Center 637,153 1,170,245 54% 673,557 638,553 Practice Resources 477,446 833,156 57% 834,845 848,050 Publications 1,165,304 2,581,408 45% 1,016,008 1,791,542 Member Services 447,905 923,927 48% 846,328 686,113 Marketing & Creative Services 543,630 965,869 56% 185,226 179,473 AIC Support 227,191 711,000 32% 261,985 189,558 Leadership 850,248 1,495,908 57% 886,204 867,046 Management & General 1,168,623 2,057,961 57% 916,628 907,697 Tenant Leasing 46,781 74,500 63% 51,689 76,821 Total Operating Expense 8,369,773 18,202,622 46% 10,687,573 10,737,762

Operating Net 1,550,907 (67,480) 1,108,921 2,773,535

Gains/Losses on Investments 225,968 - 509,510 100,469

Total Net 1,776,875 (67,480) 1,618,431 2,874,004

American Immigration Lawyers AssociationStatement of Activities

For the period ending August 31, 2020





Updates and Reports



Methodology

21 minute survey

Followed the 2018 Member Survey content• Eliminated sections on Kurzban’s and Publications

Included new questions about why members chose topractice immigration law

Fielded August 13th - 29th

1,452 responses



AILA members demonstrated a significantly higher opinion of their association in 2020 vs 2018

Their improved ratings were seen in• Effectiveness of AILA as an Immigration Lawyers

Association

• Value of their membership

• Overall Satisfaction

Performance vs. 2018FOR AILA MEMBERS ONLY


Topic

2018Excellent/Very

Good

2020Excellent/Very

GoodImprovement

Total 63% 71% +8

Business 61% 71% +10

Removal 62% 71% +9

Family 68% 69% +1

AILA Effectiveness as an Immigration Lawyers Association



Topic

2018Excellent/Very

Good

2020Excellent/Very

GoodImprovement

Total 52% 57% +5

Business 54% 58% +4

Removal 47% 55% +8

Family 54% 57% +3

AILA Value

Performance vs. 2018

Improvement in Removal Effectiveness and Value may reflect the new Removal Defense Section



Overall, Satisfaction withAILA membership

10%13%

7%9% 8%

5%

43%

40%

35%

30%

Completely dissatisfied dissatisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor Somewhat satisfied Completely satisfied

2018 2020 More Satisfied in 2020 versus 2018

Fewer Dissatisfied in 2020 versus 2018



Topic

2018Completely/ Somewhat

2020Completely/ Somewhat

Improvement

Business 72% 80% +8

Removal 69% 81% +12

Family 70% 75% +5

Satisfaction by Practice Type



Awareness of AILA’S New Initiatives (2018-20)

70% 70%

60%

52%

46%

39% 38% 37% 36%33% 32% 30% 29%

18% 16%

2020% Aware

Member Services Utilization

ALTITUDE INSIGHTS:Beacon Associates | Mountain ViewInsights

8



4% 3%

40%

30%

2% 2%

44%

36%

3% 3%

23%

16%14%

40% 40%

Not at all important Not very important Extremely important

Business

Somewhat important Very important

Removal Defense Family/Naturalization

Advocacy

Importance of Advocacy as part ofAILA’s core mission

By Member Sector

Member Services UtilizationFOR AILA MEMBERS ONLY


In sum

Four Key Take-aways from 2020

Performance• AILA made significant improvement against satisfaction, effectiveness

and value• But has room for much more

Member Type Differences• The differences between member types has increased

• Indicating a continuing need to manage the organizationaccordingly

Member Service Inconsistencies• Member services continue to have varying levels of awareness, trial,

and importance to members• There appears to be a need to rationalize the services, focusing on

defining the target and utilization of each

New Concept Appeal• Three new product ideas were shown and gained support.

• All need to be properly developed and re-tested before launch





Decision Items



RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE DUES RESTRUCTURING PROPOSAL

AILA BOARD OF GOVERNORS October 1, 2020

RESOLUTION: Approve the dues restructuring proposal attached as Exhibit A. PROPONENTS: Sustainability Task Force BACKGROUND: The Sustainability Task Force was created in July of 2019 and charged with doing an in-depth analysis of AILA’s business model to ensure the organization will have the necessary financial capacity to meet the current resource and technology needs of the membership, and to determine whether the current dues and pricing structure was enhancing or hindering the perceived value of membership. The current dues structure has been in place since 2010. Over the past 10 years, the cost to produce products and services for the membership has increased. In part this is because of inflation (+19% since 2010), but largely it is because the quantity of information, services and resources produced by AILA for our members has significantly increased. In addition, the organization is investing in new initiatives like litigation, innovation and technology to address disruptive changes our members face in immigration law, policy and practice management. Currently, AILA’s approach has been to fund new services for the membership by increasing the number or pricing of conferences and publications each year, effectively balancing the budget and operating costs of the entire organization on the fraction of the AILA membership who attend and purchase conferences and publications. The 2018 member survey revealed that the number and costs of resources that are not included in the price of membership is a point of concern and frustration with members. The objective of the new structure is to spread the increased costs of new benefits and services more equitably, reduce the barrier to entry for new members and students, and to reduce the cost of add‐on products (conference, publications, webinars, etc.) offered in addition to membership. In the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, the board has committed to reducing the average net member cost of conferences, publications, webinars, etc. by 25% over the next three years. The new structure is also designed to lower the barrier to entry for new members and to improve the new member retention rate. Currently, AILA retains 60% of new members after the first year. However, retention rates improve to 72% after the first three years and significantly improve after seven years of membership to 92%. The dues restructuring proposal is designed to aid in that longer-term retention. The Sustainability Task Force’s proposal also recommends a biennial increase of 2% for all membership tiers during odd‐numbered calendar years to account for inflation. Unless determined otherwise by the Board, the first biennial increase will go into effect on January 1, 2023.



The Sustainability Task Force presented its initial findings to the Board in the Fall of 2019 for their feedback and input. In preparation for the dues restructuring proposal vote, the membership received advance notice on January 27, 2020, which included a summary and FAQ outlining all of the above information. On March 7, 2020 and June 19, 2020, the Board of Governors then considered/discussed the Task Force’s dues restructuring proposal. The attached, updated proposal (Exhibit A) outlines the Task Force’s final recommendations with all previous feedback considered and/or incorporated. IMPLEMENTATION: If adopted as presented, the proposed dues restructuring effective date is March 1, 2021.

EXHIBIT A*

*A biennial increase of 2% will apply for all membership tiers during odd‐numbered calendar years to account for inflation. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, the first biennial increase will go into effect on January 1, 2023.



Dues Restructuring Proposal FAQas of 10/1/2020



Q#1: Is the restructuring proposal intended to “save” AILA financially?

A:No. As you’ll see in the following slides, the dues restructuring proposal has been in development for over two years (long before the pandemic) and was based on a need to change AILA’s business model in response to growing members’ needs as well as the costs associated with those needs. Those needs have continued throughout the pandemic (and in some cases, increased - see page 6).



Task Force Guiding Principles

• Lower “barrier to entry”

• Retention is very high after 3 years

• Spread the increased cost of new benefits and services more equitably

• Lower the overall cost of the “AILA experience” (per the current Strategic Plan’s direction to ensure that by 2023, the average net cost to members for products and services is decreased by

25%)

• Sustain the Association through more stable, predictable means

• the hard cost of producing products and services keeps changing

• Ensure dues structure is reviewed more frequently

• this will require us to continually evaluate our business model in an effort to keep up with the demands of our membership



Dues Restructuring Timeline

June 2018Member Survey

Conducted

Fall 2018Member Survey Results

Shared with Board

April 2019Business Model Deep Dive

Using Member Survey Insights(Netflix vs. Blockbuster)

May 2019Pricing Survey

Conducted

July 2019Sustainability Task Force

Created



Dues Restructuring Timeline

Fall 2019Board Sustainability

Workshop and Discussion

January 2020Task Force Provided

Update to Board

February 2020Dues Recommendation

Shared with Board and Membership

March 2020Update to

2019-2020 Board

(followed by COVID Outbreak)

June 2020Update to Board followed

by COVID Outbreak

September 2020Task Force calls each

member of BOG for feedback

October 8BOG votes

October 1Final Dues

Restructuring

Proposal Distributed

to BOG and posted on

AILA.org



Increased Member Needs and Benefits during PandemicMarch 1 – June 14

Doubled the free AILA U. roundtables produced

37% increase in AILA.org postings

Tripled the # of reduced rate seminars covering late-breaking topics RE:COVID-19 changes

22 Free Zoom accounts provided to chapters so they could continue functioning remotely

12 free specialized CLE credits provided as well as a variety of new lower-cost options

4 Payment Protection Program Roundtables, a webinar and workbook to educate members

Modified 11 in-person conference programs to webcast and virtual conferences

43% more press inquiries handled and a 132% increase in AILA mentions in the news

32 Press Statements and 30 Blog Posts

5Xs the number of AILA Link Trials and Trainings

26 formal letters to agencies and numerous informal inquiries through Liaison committees

4 Congressional telebriefings and 2 Agency Liaison meetings directly on COVID related issues

48 practice alerts/pointers and other practice resources

7 Action Alerts for members led to 11,700 emails sent to Congress on COVID related issues



Q#2: How did the Sustainability Task Force develop the dues restructuring proposal?

A:As referenced in the timeline and following slides, in the last two years they studied data from other membership associations, surveyed members and board members, and evaluated various financial scenarios that would allow AILA to continue providing the benefits our members rely on most while being responsive to ever-changing needs.



Task Force Activity To Date

• Reviewed Pricing Survey & Member Survey

• Evaluated Cost of Member Benefits by Product

• Financial Scenarios• Bundling resources and benefits

• Retention rates across the membership

• Revenue trends over the past decade

• History of dues restructuring

• Reduced conference prices



Q#3: Did the Sustainability Task Force consider other models?

A:Yes. The Task Force considered an “income-based” model as well as those based on firm size, none of which fit our diverse membership of many different practice sizes and needs, and instead of focused on a more equitable model that utilizes years of membership.



Q#4: Why can’t AILA adjust their annual budget and/or reduce expenses to pay for its

members growing needs?

A:After conducting research over several months (see question #2 for additional details), the Task Force reached a consensus that budget reduction, while possible, carries significant risks of alienating segments of the membership when the types of products, services and practice management resources that they value are eliminated while others are kept. At the same time, AILA risks compromising newer investments in our litigation, advocacy, and educational efforts.



Q#5: Can you provide more specifics on the benefits members will receive

as a result of this dues restructuring?

A:Yes, the benefits that will be available immediately upon implementation of the dues restructuring are outlined in the following slide.



AILA LEARNING LIBRARY

• Free access to AILA’s seminar recordings library (2 weeks after live seminar)

– Provides Members with Free Access to All the Latest Information/Education provided through AILA Seminar Recordings

– Members who want instant access to education, the ability to ask live questions, and earn CLE can pay for the live seminar, otherwise wait for the free recording

– Approximately 50 seminar recordings produced each year (on topics for every practice area + late breaking topics)

– NO CLE for the recordings but members would have the option to pay an admin fee to have CLE processed

• AC and Other Conference recordings excluded (could be offered in the future)

Benefits of Dues Restructuring(Effective Immediately Upon Implementation)



Q#6: What changed in the proposal since it was first presented to the BOG

in March and why?

A:The Task Force considered feedback gathered during the March 7 and June 19 BOG meetings when adjusting the proposal to incorporate the changes outlined on the following slides.



• March BOG Meeting Takeaways• Extend lower dues to include years 2-3

• Develop more detailed “Phase 2” plans

• June BOG Meeting Takeaways• Agreement with Guiding Principles

• Timing of proposal is unfortunate

• Communication/messaging is critical

• Consensus for dues auto-escalation policy

• Additional Feedback/Changes • Additional increase for International Associates

• Implementation date changed from October 2020 to March 2021

Summary of Feedback/Changes to Proposal



Dues Restructuring ProposalMarch vs. September



Dues Restructuring ProposalAnnual Revenue Impact



Q#7: What is the rationale behind the proposed March 2021 implementation date?

A:An implementation date of March 2021 allows staff adequate time to implement the changes and enables us to provide some benefits immediately after it kicks in (see page 12 for additional details). However, an implementation earlier than March 2021 would be beneficial as it would help to offset any unexpected deficits/impacts the organization incurs in 2020 due to the pandemic. With an effective date of January 1, there would be approximately $360k in additional revenue in 2021 that could be used to reduce the deficit, or to increase staffing or expenses on programs that will otherwise be significantly underfunded. With a March 1 effective date, there would be approximately $150k in additional revenue in 2021.



Q#8: How will the biennial increase work?

A:Every two years the annual budget reviewed by the BOG will include a 2% increase for all memberships, starting in January 2023. Per AILA’s current bylaws, 60 days’ notice will be given to the membership prior to the BOG voting to approve each increase.



AILA Board of Governors Meeting Materials

Documents

Transcript of AILA Board of Governors Meeting Materials