NJDA Celebrates 7th Year of Membership Growth, Reaches All-Time High in Member Dentists
Posted: January 29, 2007
At a time when some professional associations are experiencing a decline in membership, the New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA) is bucking the trend. Last year marked the seventh consecutive year of a net gain in membership for the Association, and it posted an all-time high of 4,776 members, 113 more than last year’s all-time high.
“This doesn’t happen by accident, it’s part of our growth plan,” says Robert A. Shekitka, DMD, president of NJDA. “We’re always responding to the ever-changing needs of our members by doing things like offering continuing education courses on the weekends when practice hours are limited, and expanding our online employment exchange to include auxiliaries. We know this leads to satisfied members.”
The NJDA has developed grassroots marketing campaigns to both maintain and grow its membership base, along with providing excellent service to its members and adding new features and benefits to membership. The Association has also made a conscious effort to reach out to dentists earlier in their dental career. By partnering with the Student Affairs department of the New Jersey Dental School, the NJDA hosts student-focused events at the school several times during the year.
The NJDA also has a committee focused on the needs of new dentists—out of dental school less than ten years. The issues that this group faces are different than those confronting dentists who have been practicing for twenty years. Together, the focus on these different areas within the membership will keep NJDA growing, innovating and able to quickly respond to the needs of its members.
“We recognize that keeping our members is as important as recruiting new ones,” says Dr. Shekitka. “We spend lots of time at local dental societies urging our members to spread the good news about organized dentistry and what it can do for them. Obviously they are doing just that.”
NJDA members enjoy such benefits as free legal advice, assistance with resolving insurance claims, no or low-cost continuing education, free admission to the state’s largest dental convention, networking opportunities, assistance with State Board of Dentistry issues and timely updates on matters that are critical to the profession.
“I talk to my friends who are professionals is other fields and they continue to tell me about the declining numbers in their associations,” says Dr. Shekitka. “I know that NJDA is growing because the members like what the Association has to offer, and we’ll continue to be responsive so we can capture the interest of future members for years to come.”
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