ADA News

"These are very difficult conditions for much of the country, but in 2009 our membership grew," said Dr. Terry L. Buckenheimer, chair of the Council on Membership. "ADA members continue to see value in membership, and they are willing to pay dues even though it may be more challenging than it has been in the past."

Why be an ADA member?

Council offers 'top 10' suggestions

The ADA Membership Outreach Team offers the Top 10 Reasons to be an ADA Member in 2010:

1. More than 157,000 ADA members make it possible for dentistry to be heard in Washington, which is vital since more than 1,300 pieces of legislation directly affected the oral health industry in 2009.
2. Help potential patients find your practice with the enhanced Find-a-Dentist feature launching in early April on the new ADA.org.
3. Access tools and tips to help you practice more effectively with the new Dental Practice Hub.
4. Enhance your patient communications with the new member logo, member specialty logos and ADA.org web button.
5. Make informed decisions with the ADA Professional Product Review and with free survey research.
6. Take advantage of reliable continuing education at ADA annual session or online (www.adaceonline.org and JADA Online CE at http://jada.ada.org).
7. Stay informed with respected print and electronic publications like The Journal of the American Dental Association, JADA Online and ADA News.
8. Find support and financial security with ADA Insurance Plans, ADA Members Retirement Program and ADA Business Resources.
9. Apply relevant science and research for your patients with the ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry.
10. Support programs that make a difference in peoples' lives through the ADA Foundation, Give Kids A Smile and OralLongevity.

For more reasons to be an ADA member, visit www.ada.org/goto/150reasons.

ADA membership grew by 42 active, licensed members in 2009, according to the National Recruitment and Retention Report which tracks membership market share for active licensed dentists. The total number of ADA members in all membership categories increased an additional 413 members from 172,092 in 2008 to 172,505.

Also in 2009:

• The Association's market share decreased 1.1 percentage points from 70.2 percent in 2008 to 69.1 percent.
• The number of new and reinstated members decreased by 48—with 4,731 in 2009 compared to 4,779 in 2008. The full active nonrenew percentage rose half a point from 3.3 to 3.8 percent.
• The total market of active licensed dentists increased by 2,965 compared to an increase in market size of 1,618 from 2007-08. Since 2001, the market has increased by 19,978 active licensed dentists—an average of 2,497 the last eight years.
• Since 2001, the ADA has grown by 11,674 active licensed members.

Reviewed by the Council on Membership at its meeting last month, the report provides the council, volunteers and staff throughout the tripartite with valuable data that can be used to develop strategies to grow membership and retain current members.

"It's a challenging time in today's economy for all associations," said Dr. Buckenheimer. "While we are growing our membership, the market is growing even faster. We're holding steady near 70 percent and identifying ways to keep pace."

One way the council is addressing market share and other factors is through a collaborative approach that coordinates membership marketing efforts at all three levels of the tripartite. This is being piloted in several states with rollout to the rest of the country this year.

"We are taking steps to ensure that volunteers and staff from the national level on down to the local level communicate with members who are at risk of dropping membership," said Dr. Buckenheimer. "It's hard to put a price tag on advocacy and all the benefits that members receive. We have to work hard to instill the value of membership so when it comes time for members to join or renew, it's an automatic decision."

The report also shows that the ADA's zero-dollar quarter-year dues recruitment effort was successful again in 2009. Launched in 2006, the program allows nonmembers to join for free during the fourth quarter of the year (one time only) in order to sample member benefits in the expectation that most will maintain their membership the following year. The number of nonmember dentists taking advantage of this opportunity grew 30 percent over the last three years.

The National Recruitment and Retention Report also tracks ADA membership in target markets (e.g., women dentists, dental school faculty, general practitioners, specialists, federal dental services, foreign-trained dentists, minority dentists and new dentists)—almost all of which saw growth in 2009. The Council on Membership is already developing ways to enhance membership for target markets such as dental faculty.

"Faced with budget cuts at universities, these are tough times for faculty members," said Dr. Buckenheimer. "Faculty are important when it comes to advising students on professionalism, so we are considering membership incentives for this group."

Women dentists are another high profile target market, said Dr. Buckenheimer.

"Dental school enrollment for women is considerably higher than it was in the past, and we are researching their needs to find out what is most meaningful to them to keep them as members," he said.