Associates

Get Involved Through an Individual Membership!

photos of various people looking to join VisionServe Alliance

VisionServe Alliance’s Associate memberships offer opportunities for individuals working as professional consultants or individual practitioners currently advocating for or working in the blindness and visual impairment field and retired leaders to be a part of our community of leaders.

Benefits and directions on how to join the Associate categories are listed below.  Should you have additional membership questions, please contact: Wendy Hymes at (314) 961-8235.

Select the Associate Non-Voting category that fits your needs:

  • Individual Retiree: A retired leader of a VisionServe Alliance member organization (complimentary with your annual donation of any amount)
  • Individual Advocate: A professional consultant or individual practitioner currently advocating for or working in the blindness/low vision field. ($250/year) (Note: employees of nonprofit organizations are not eligible for this membership category but should join under the organizational membership level corresponding to their organization’s annual operating expenses)

Individual Associates – Membership Benefits

VisionServe Alliance Associate Members enjoy benefits that will keep your knowledge up to date and save you money. Read below for specifics on your Associate member benefits.

Benefits that save you money:

Discounted Conference Registration Fees

Associate Members get to attend our annual conferences at a discounted rate. Value = $50 and up

Group Buying Discounts

VisionServe Alliance Associate members receive discounts and new product placements from OrCam, HumanWare, Vispero (Freedom Scientific and Optalec) and more. Discounted office supplies are available from Alphapointe. Call us to find out more

Benefits to keep you in the know:

Bringing Leaders Together

VisionServe Alliance provides networking opportunities for professionals working in the field of blindness and vision impairment. We connect innovative thinkers in nonprofit services to people with vision loss to invent new solutions, share information, and inspire creativity. Working together, our impact extends far beyond any one issue important to people with vision loss or any one organization.

Leadership Development

Our annual conferences provide the necessary skills and information that help the professionals build their skills and knowledge to meet day-to-day challenges and enhance their ability to achieve higher levels of performance.

Mentors and Peer Consultants

Take advantage of the collective expertise of VisionServe Alliance members to shape and strengthen your professional abilities. Interested in serving as a mentor or being matched with a mentor? Let us know.

Advocacy

VisionServe is working to coordinate public policy efforts throughout the field – when we laser focus our collective voices on specific issues, we amplify our impact. Together we CAN do so much! Text “VSAADVOCACY” to 833-751-0553 to sign up for text alerts about important public policy issues or visit our Public Policy & Advocacy webpage. VisionServe Alliance also forwards information from Independent Sector, saving your agency expensive membership dues.

Virtual Events

VSA is providing new virtual opportunities for Associate members to connect online, discuss issues and share valuable resources. Read about current virtual events offerings at our Upcoming Events page. Check your eNews for Zoom links. Our newest is our Executive Pathways Series, where you will hear from experts on helping navigate, manage, and lead under these new circumstances.

Access to the VSA Member Portal

When you Log in, you can access Exclusive Member content such as resources on the following topics:

  • Advocacy/Policy
  • Board Management
  • Data/Prevalence
  • Fundraising
  • HR/Personnel
  • Leadership/Management
  • Policies & Procedures
  • Programs/Services for Adults & Children
  • Research
  • Risk Management
  • Videos of previous VSA conference keynote speakers

Bi-monthly e-Newsletters

VisionServe Alliance staff monitors a wide array of list-serves, newsletters, blogs, websites, etc, saving you time and energy, to create twice monthly issues rich with content, including best practices in services to people with vision loss, nonprofit management, funding opportunities, legislative issues, medical news, and more. VALUE = priceless

Individual Associate Membership Dues:

Annual Dues: Individual Retiree: Free with your annual donation | Individual Advocate: $250