48(94)

SLA AFFINITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
SPONSORSHIP GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATION

I. Policy

It is the policy of the Special Libraries Association to offer affinity products ans services to its members as a benefit thus serving as a source of non-dues revenue.

NOTE: Affinity products and services are defined as those programs extended to members and customers of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) that could provide a benefit to them either professionally or personally. SLA is able to offer these products to its constituents, usually with preferred pricing, because of the utilization of the "group buying power" concept, i.e. the strength of the combined purchasing power of more than 14,000 individual members.

No dues dollars are used in the development and maintenance of any of the SLA affinity programs; they are all self-supporting programs that are voluntarily purchased by SLA members.

Through the affinity products and services sponsored by SLA, members could be assisted in developing and implementing their personal financial plans through various money management, insurance, training, discount, communications, leisure/entertainment, investment, and other programs. Most SLA members and their families are eligible to participate in most of the sponsored programs (certain programs may have some geographic restrictions), and participation may be continued after retirement.

II. Purpose

The objectives of the affinity products and services are to offer voluntary programs of economic benefit designed to serve the needs of SLA members and customers by providing high quality products at a value. Participation in SLA affinity products and services is voluntary, and SLA members and customers can be assured that the programs offered represent the best combination of quality, convenience, reliability, and service.

Affinity products and services should generate non-dues revenue to the Association.

III. Practice/Procedure

A. PRODUCT/SERVICE SUPPLIERS

SLA affinity product and service suppliers must meet the rigorous approval process described in the following criteria.

Sponsorship Criteria

A product or service:

• Should have a broad-based appeal to Association members and/or customers.
• Should contribute to the Association's ability to attract and/or retain members.
• Should fulfill the personal and/or professional needs of Association members.
• Must be a product of high quality, service, and value, at a competitive price.
• Must have a sound historical performance, or, in the case of new products, the supplier must be able to demonstrate capacity to perform via financial resources and management skills, and provide documented projections for performance.

Affinity Product Providers (APP)

• Must agree to work with the Association in the development of an annual plan for marketing the program to Association members and/or customers, as appropriate.
• Must execute promotion of the program as agreed upon.
• Must provide the Association with revenue-generating projections, based upon well-documented history, for the expected SLA member/customer participation.

Service Criteria

Affinity Product Providers (APP)

• Must agree to make all programs available to all eligible Association members/constituents regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, national origin, color, religion, or marital status.
• Must provide an account manager to work on a day-to-day basis with the Association and Association members/customers.
• Must provide evidence of capacity to service the Association's members/customers.
• Must provide adequate toll-free phone access for members/customers.
• Must agree to a predetermined complaint resolution process.
• Must agree to resolve all complaints to both the members'/customers/ and the Association's satisfaction in the event the service is below the established standards.
• And/or the marketer/broker providing the product or service must agree that the names, addresses, and phone numbers of Association members will not be sold, rented, exchanged, used, or offered in any manner by the company for any purpose outside the Agreement with the Association. Further, the company agrees that this provision shall survive the termination of the agreement; and the company, upon termination of the Agreement, shall terminate all use of any membership lists provided by the Association.

Financial Criteria

Affinity Products Providers (APP)

• Will provide necessary documentation of financial resources which will substantiate financial viability, and which can be verified; documentation must substantiate the fiscal condition of the company (and/or marketer/broker), including evidence of a successful business track record spanning several years, and evidence of current fiscal health.
• Must provide assurances of the safety of members'/customers' monies.

B. SPONSORSHIP PROCEDURES

Prior to recommendation for sponsorship or any affinity products or services, assurances must be made that all o the elements of sponsorship criteria, service criteria, and financial criteria, as outlined above, have been met. In order to provide such assurances, at the least, the following steps should be taken.

• Secure a written proposal for the product or service, detailing, its features, its pricing, its availability to SLA members and others.
• Secure a written proposal for projected compensation to SLA based upon sponsorship of the product and/or service.
• Meet with the supplier's representative(s) to discuss the proposed program, seeking answers to questions that the written proposal may not have addressed.
• Secure documentation that provides evidence of the fiscal soundness and history of the proposed supplier.
• Conduct independent research to determine the fiscal soundness of the prospective supplier and the proposed product or service.
• Secure references of other associations that have sponsored the program, including information about the length of sponsorship and number of participants in the program.
• Conduct a reference check.
• Secure a written proposed plan to market the program to SLA members and customers, including projected response rates, and projected program participation.
• Understand the marketplace for the product/service being proposed, and compare the program to other similar programs currently available in the marketplace.
• Determine the segment of SLA members/customers who are eligible to participate in the program.
• Visit the supplier and determine whether the facilities and personnel you see mesh with the proposal that has been made.
• Provide SLA management with an analysis of the potential risks associated with sponsorship of the product/service.
• Provide SLA management with a written recommendation for sponsorship making reference to all of the above points and indicating how the product/service fared, how the prospective supplier fared, and what the projected benefits are.
• Provide SLA management with a draft Contract or Agreement for preliminary review by SLA counsel.

Approved: October 21, 1994
Supersedes: Promotion of Periodical Discounts to SLA Members (June 1982)