I am delighted to be able to share with you today an exciting new membership option at the School Nutrition Association. As you may know, SNA’s House of Delegates approved amendments that enable SNA to offer new School District Owned Memberships (SDM) for personnel working in school nutrition programs as an option in addition to the standard individual memberships. The intent is to make is easier for school districts to pay for memberships and allow their employees to enjoy the many benefits of SNA membership.
A SDM is a membership that is owned by a school district in the name of an individual that is transferable to another employee in the same membership category if the original assignee or person leaves the district’s employ. While in the employ of the district, the individual or assignee receives all the same benefits as an individual member, and at the same price as the individual membership dues. (The SDM option is not available for the Student, Retired and Affiliate membership categories). All materials will be sent to the school district office or school address provided on the membership application and the home mailing option will not be available. This is not one membership for an entire school district’s child nutrition staff. It is a new individual membership option to meet the needs of the changing workforce that enables a school district to keep its child nutrition staff informed and educated about feeding students.
SNA began this program with three pilot states in 2008 -- Arizona, Georgia and Tennessee. And to encourage district directors to take advantage of this program, we are offering an incentive of one free new SDM in the FN Employee or FN Manager membership category for every five new SDMs that a school district signs up (both national and state dues free) through December 31, 2010. To date, 32 states have signed up to offer SDMs. To find out if your state has this option, please email ewilson@schoolnutrition.org.
This program can be for existing and for new members. SNA will work with school districts to convert any individual members to SDMs so that their membership expiration dates coincide with the new members’ expiration dates. (There will be no refunds when memberships are switched from individual membership to SDM). All you need to do is complete the enclosed application and include the payment.
Each set of SDM memberships requires a designated School District Administrator. This information should be recorded in box 21 on the membership application. To take advantage of the free employee or manager membership, you just need to indicate which member application is the free one by either indicating that on the multiple applicant document or filling out an application and checking the ‘This is the free FNE membership application’ and putting 0 in the Total Payment box (number 20).
Please call Ellen Wilson, SNA’s Director of Membership and Affiliate Services, at 800-877-8822 x 119 or email ewilson@schoolnutrition.org with any questions.
Sincerely,
Dora Rivas, MS, RD, SNS
SNA President
Related Links
SDM Brochure
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
Arizona SDM Membership Application
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
Georgia SDM Membership Application
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
Tennessee SDM Membership Application
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
USDA letter approving CF funds ok to be used for memberships
(in Microsoft Word format)
SDM Overview
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
Multiple Applicants Spreadsheet
(in Microsoft Excel format)
SDM Transfer Form
(in Adobe Acrobat format)
SDM Roll Out Schedule
(in Adobe Acrobat format)