ISA Insights

April 2009

Membership Extension for Unemployed ISA Members

To support loyal ISA Members during these difficult economic times, ISA is granting an extension of membership benefits to unemployed Members. This extension will last for a period of up to nine months beyond the current "active grace" period that now exists for three months after a paid membership period has expired.

During the extension, all Member benefits will continue, including Division memberships, except that delivery of InTech and any Division newsletters will be in digital form, and no ISA Directory of Automation will be mailed. Members will continue to receive benefits during this term, as long as they remain unemployed.

This program is available to Members who enter active grace status on or after 1 January 2009 and who apply by 31 March 2010 for the extension.

Any Member, other than Student Members, may request this extension.

How to apply for membership extension

  1. ISA Members who become unemployed may contact ISA by email (info@isa.org) or phone (+1-919-549-8411) to request a one-time, nine-month extension of the current membership term. These Members need to advise ISA, during the standard three-month active grace period, that they are without a current job and are actively engaged in seeking employment in a field that is expected to result in continued membership in ISA.
  2. Members may make this request only during the three-month active grace period after the current paid membership has expired.
  3. The nine-month extension, when added to the normal three-month grace period, gives unemployed Members an extension of 12 months.

Notifying Members

  1. ISA will notifyMembers of the membership extension option in the renewal notice that is sent one month after their current membership term has expired.
  2. Unemployed Members should advise ISA and renew their paid memberships as soon as they have become employed. If Members renew during the nine-month extended active grace period, they will receive a new anniversary date to begin their 12-, 24-, or 36-month period. No part of the dues payment made during the nine-month extended benefit period will be applied to retroactively pay dues. There will be no gap in the record of continuous membership for any Member who uses this benefit.

Renewal notices

Members who use this benefit will receive membership renewal notices starting three months prior to the new end date of their extended membership period. The renewal notices will follow the normal pattern of emails and mailings sent to Members who are not using this unemployment benefit.

Your Job Search

Membership extension is just one component of a larger effort on the part of ISA to assist Members who have become unemployed. Other components include:

More Resources for Unemployed Professionals