Bob Dylan, one of the most poetic and acclaimed songwriters of our time, first recorded those lyrics more than 40 years ago, and they are still true.

Think of where your agency would be if you refused to make changes over the course of time. Are you operating the same way you did ten, five, even two years ago? As we learn and experience new opportunities, we adapt and change with them to better provide for those we serve.

Change is inevitable and needed to move forward. Needed to be more successful. Change is good.

Over the past couple years, there have been a number of changes to the way that IPRA has served you as a member. One of the most apparent

changes that you've seen has been the move toward technology. As conservationists, we have made the decision to limit the amount of paper mailings that slowly deplete our natural resources. Beneficial partnerships have been established to better provide resources for members. Renowned speakers have been brought to Illinois to further educate our members on topics relevant to you.

These changes have been made to advance your membership experience. It is our goal for you to take what you've learned and apply it in your daily jobs, so that your residents and communities will benefit.

However, as a staff-driven association where only 32 percent of our operating budget is generated by membership dues, further changes have become necessary. These changes fall within the membership structure and membership dues areas.

New Membership Categories
This past November, the IPRA Board of Directors unanimously approved a couple changes to your IPRA membership that will take place this renewal period. Remember, change is inevitable and needed to move forward and be successful.

The first change will be to simplify the membership structure by reducing the number

of membership types. Effective this year, there will be three membership types to choose from based on your needs: Professional, Advocate and Student.

The Professional Membership includes all those employed full time in the field of parks, recreation and conservation. This membership type has voting rights and complete access to every membership benefit.

The Advocate Membership is for individuals that are either part-time employees working 20 hours or less as support staff; any full-time educator in the field of parks, recreation or conservation; a person not working in the field of parks and recreation but who has an interest in supporting parks and recreation; or an individual that is retired from working in the field. These members will have limited access to membership benefits and will not have voting rights.

The Student Membership is for individuals pursuing studies in the field of parks, recreation, conservation or a related field and is not employed full time by an agency. Students will also receive limited membership benefits and will not have voting rights.

The consolidation of membership types, as approved by the IPRA Board of Directors, aims to encourage more people to join as Professional Members to take advantage of all areas IPRA membership has to offer.

New Membership Dues
The second change approved by the IPRA Board of Directors is to increase the Professional Membership dues from $180 per member to $225 per member. Now, before you pick up the phone to call, hear me out.

The IPRA has not had a significant dues increase since 1997, when IPRA bought the previous headquarters in Carol Stream. Since that increase of $112 to $132, dues have only increased at a very minimal rate over the years, on average 1.7 percent, which does not even meet the Consumer Price Index. There was also a time when membership dues were segmented by position at the agency and executive directors paid significantly higher membership dues than other staff members.

In fact, the actual cost for a voting member of IPRA is $467.07. Thus, each member is subsidized by non-dues revenue of 51.8 percent, or $242.07. This balances the dues and non-dues portion of the true membership costs.

However, a new IPRA program will offset this current increase of $45. The MARC (Membership Activity Rewards Card) will be distributed to every Professional member upon renewal. It will serve as a $50 gift card to be used toward any IPRA-specific educational workshop. So, if you think about it, your membership dues will theoretically go down by $5 when you take advantage of the MARC card.

The membership dues for the Advocate Membership will now be $80 and the Student Membership will be $40. These two membership types will not benefit from the MARC card.

Professional Members will also take advantage of significantly lower fees for educational workshops and events.

No longer will a nominal $5 or $10 difference be the distinction between what an IPRA member and non-member pays for an activity. There will be a true discrepancy between what a member gets and what a non-member gets.

Membership Equals True Benefits
So change isn't really all that bad when you think about it. When you decide to be a member of IPRA, we are going to treat you like a member. We are going to give you all the benefits that you want and deserve.

This year is going to be really exciting, and you'll see a lot of enhancement to existing programs and services. You'll also see some new things that will add to the value of your membership. Your membership in IPRA is what you make of it. Our motto is: "Advancing professionals...who advance communities." The more you participate in IPRA and the more you learn, the more you'll have to apply to your daily jobs.

As Bob Dylan tells us, we better start swimming or we'll sink like a stone, because times they are a-changin'.

I thank you for your membership and continued support of IPRA. I wish you much success in 2007.