AIRS is a membership association for the I&R sector and profession. Membership is open to individuals and organizations that provide, organize or support the provision of I&R services, consistent with the goals and objectives of AIRS. 

AIRS is governed by ByLaws that describe the relationships between the members, the Board, and its committees.

Our goal is to serve our members in the same way our members serve their communities.

Membership Applications
New membership applications include a mandatory request for a 1-3 sentence statement about the reasons for wishing to join AIRS. This is helpful as occasionally we come across instances of individuals and organization joining us for mistaken reasons. Applications will not be approved unless all required information is entered. New members cannot join the AIRS Networker until their membership is approved.

AIRS Board
The AIRS Board consists of volunteers from a variety of I&R agencies. They are I&R peers and expect AIRS to provide quality service to their own organizations and to all AIRS members.

We regularly seek new Board members. If you are interested, please email katie@informusa.org

Basic Service Expectations

• AIRS members will be promptly served with courtesy and respect. Any information you provide is protected under the confidentiality standards of the I&R profession.
• A member email or voicemail should be replied to within 3 business days. For complicated items or at times of unusual pressure, we should acknowledge your communication and tell you how long it will be before we can fully answer your question.

When Expectations Are Not Met
Sometimes things go wrong. The important thing is to let us know when something goes wrong as soon as possible so we can try and fix it.

Steps to resolve an issue:

• If you are an AIRS member and have not received the service you expect, please contact katie@informusa.org
• If you feel the need to contact an AIRS Board member, the contact list can be obtained at www.informusa.org/team

Measuring Customer Service
Once a year, AIRS sends an online survey to all members asking specific questions about the recent level of customer satisfaction. It also gives you an opportunity to provide suggestions for improvement to current programs and services and share new ideas for AIRS to consider. All survey comments are read by all AIRS Board members and the results of each survey are shared back, unedited, with all members.

Consulting Members
In addition to the main annual survey detailed above, AIRS regularly consults with all members or certain groups of members (for example, all Certification holders) on particular issues in order to obtain feedback on proposed changes and ideas. As with the annual survey, the results of each survey are shared back, unedited, with everyone who received the invitation.

Committees and Work Groups
Much of the work completed by AIRS is conducted by Committees (for example, the AIRS Taxonomy Committee and the AIRS Training Committee). All AIRS Committees are driven by AIRS members. When vacancies for Committees occur, notices for volunteers are posted on the AIRS Networker. Committee members are chosen to ensure a reasonable diversity of AIRS membership types. In addition to the formal Committees that meet regularly, sometimes ad hoc work groups are assembled to tackle a particular topic  (for example, subject matter expert groups to engage in creating new Certification exams or a group that might revise the AIRS Style Guide). The Accreditation Commission and the Certification Commission administer their programs independently of the AIRS Board as laid out in the AIRS Bylaws.

Member-to-Member Promotion
The following outlines some expectations that are applicable to all members regarding the promotion of revenue-generating activities aimed at other members.

• If members have a product/service that they want other AIRS members to access for a fee, they may post up to two information messages a year (e.g. webinars, new product announcements) on the AIRS Networker. Commercial Associates and Consultants may do this via the AIRS Executive Director
• They may also respond to postings of other members pertaining to those knowledge areas, providing it is ‘information-based’
• No messages can cast another member in a negative manner
• Members cannot directly solicit other AIRS members through emails, phone numbers, or other communication methods secured from private members-only lists including the AIRS Networker and AIRS website for the purpose of securing revenue/income
• Members interested in paying for additional advertising are welcome to contact AIRS to discuss what options may be available.

Umbrella Organizations
A large ‘umbrella’ organization representing a range of separately incorporated organizations may become an AIRS member. However, only its own direct staff can access AIRS member programs and services. Its member organizations must apply separately to become AIRS members. If you are uncertain about how this may apply to your own circumstances, please contact katie@informusa.org

Member Termination
As per the AIRS Bylaws, any membership may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board without cause or appeal. Membership also terminates if annual membership dues are not renewed within the appropriate time period.