APTA's successful efforts to keep membership strong have been recognized as a model for associations across the country.

Earlier this month, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) announced that APTA’s multipronged initiative to retain members was selected as this year's Gold Circle award winner for outstanding member retention campaign. The campaign was part of #APTA100K, a larger APTA push to reach 100,000 members. The association reached that goal in summer of 2017.

The award-winning program, "On-Time Renewal to #APTA100K," was supported by a range of offerings including webinars, free meeting registrations, personal visits and written contact, and a series of renewal "touchpoint" emails and online prompts that were user- and handheld-friendly. The result? Renewals increased, and overall membership grew at a rate APTA hadn't seen in 2 decades.

"The #APTA100K membership campaign was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort that involved staff, volunteers, and components," said APTA CEO Justin Moore, PT, DPT. "More than just promoting the value of membership, we made membership easier through our new automated renewal reminders. This award is a wonderful recognition of those efforts, but it’s also a tribute to our association’s tremendous positive momentum and the value created by our more than 100,000 members."

This isn't APTA's first Gold Circle award. Last year, ASAE recognized APTA's public service announcement video for its #ChoosePT campaign as the winner for best video of the year. According to ASAE, the awards recognize association initiatives that "set an example for associations developing their own campaigns."