MCNP Dues Increase Takes Effect 1/01/2019

The MCNP has grown substantially over the past 25 years from a small group of volunteers to an organization that is supporting the professional interests of almost 10,000 Nurse Practitioners in the state.

In order to continue this work and grow as an organization, the MCNP has made much needed and costly investments in our organizational infrastructure over the past 2 years.

These include:

Increased Lobbying Support: Following the retirement and with the guidance of our former long-term lobbyists Gloria Craven and Stacey Ober, in December 2016 the MCNP hired two highly respected and expert lobbying firms to help advance our legislation for Full Practice Authority. After 2 unsuccessful filings, we appreciated the need for a change in strategy and despite the disappointing outcome of our 3rd filing, came the closest to getting our language passed. The MCNP will continue to lead the effort to achieve full practice for MA NPs and will be refiling legislation in January 2019.

Increased Staffing: In April 2018 the MCNP secured an HR consultant and in May 2018 hired our first Director of Operations. In order to better support the activities of 9 regional groups across the state, we are also hiring a part-time Regional Program Coordinator to assist with program planning.

Financial Operations Review, Reorganization & Modernization: With the help of our accountant and painstaking work of our new Director of Operations, we reorganized our general ledger and transitioned all of our accounts to online platforms. This has led to more accurate, efficient and real-time financial reporting capabilities that will allow allowing us to make smarter business decisions.

Board & Event Insurance: Recognizing the importance of protecting the volunteer leadership and financial interests of the organization, the MCNP obtained board insurance and event insurance for our annual conference.

Increased Marketing: In order to better promote the MCNP as a professional organization, the MCNP invested in a new exhibit booth and promotional materials. We also partnered with NPACE to promote MCNP membership at their November 2018 Primary Care Conference and in December attended PriMed in Boston. In addition, we have enhanced our marketing efforts for our annual NP conference which moving forward we will be sponsoring independent of New Hampshire. This has included purchasing ad space in the ANA newsletter and plans to send a postcard mailing to all of the NPs on the MA BORN mailing list.

Website Upgrade: In addition to ongoing content and design updates, the MCNP will be investing in a major website upgrade. Work on this will start in January 2019 and should be complete by mid-February. The website will have new member features, a more modern feel and will be easier to navigate.

While critical to the growth of the MCNP, these investments have contributed to a substantial increase in our operating costs, and in order to guarantee the financial sustainability of the organization, the MCNP must increase membership dues.

Key Points:
1. It has been 5 years since our last dues increase.
2. A comprehensive analysis of other state NP organizations reveals the average annual dues for NP state organizations with similar member benefits is $160.
3. Dues help support regional programs and networking events, business meetings, lobbying costs, our annual health policy event, and general operating expenses. Any future profits will be spent on activities that advance the MCNP mission and bring us closer to achieving our vision.
4. Beyond increasing membership dues, MCNP has employed additional strategies to grow revenue including: raising advertising costs, raising rates for our 2019 annual conference (both for attendees and exhibitors), and planning an additional one-day leadership conference in the Fall of 2019.
5. MCNP expenses have gone up and we have been operating at a loss for the past 3 years. Although we have had savings to cover our budget deficits, for the long-term sustainability of the organization, we cannot continue to operate in the red. More than half our revenue comes from membership dues, and in order to cover our expenses, we have to increase dues.

MCNP Dues Effective January 1, 2019:

Full Membership
1 Year - $165
2 Year - $300

Associate Membership
(For Students & Retired NPs)
1 Year - $100
2 Year - $175

Lifetime Membership
$2,000