We're kicking off a new season of Engage Live this fall, and it's all about YOU. Each session will spotlight DFWAE members sharing a recent win they've led or facilitated at their organization: a membership campaign that clicked, a budget process you finally cracked, an event that outperformed expectations, a governance fix that stuck. If it moved the needle for your association, it counts.

The goal is simple: real stories from real association pros, so your peers walk away with ideas they can actually use.

Rethinking Membership Dues: How AFSA Turned a 45-Year Challenge Into a Record-Setting Win

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026
Time: 10:30–11:30 a.m.

For 45 years, the American Fire Sprinkler Association had come close to—but had never achieved—its projected membership dues revenue goal. That changed in 2025, when AFSA not only reached its goal but surpassed it by $300,000.

During this Engage Live session, Meda Merritt, CAE, Vice President of Membership & Chapter Development, will share how AFSA reevaluated its membership dues processes and communications to address a longstanding revenue challenge.

With approximately 47% of AFSA’s annual revenue coming from membership dues, ensuring members were paying within the appropriate dues category was critical. AFSA reformatted its membership invoices to provide greater transparency, gave members an opportunity to identify an incorrect dues category, and implemented a more intentional review process to evaluate whether renewing companies were being billed appropriately.

Meda will share what AFSA changed, why those changes worked and lessons other association professionals can use to evaluate their own membership processes, dues structures and member communications.

Speaker

Meda Merritt, CAE
Vice President, Membership & Chapter Development
American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA)

Meda is a solution-oriented membership executive with a proven track record of driving strategic growth, enhancing member engagement, and streamlining operations. With more than 15 years of experience spanning membership development, retention strategies, marketing, and organizational leadership, she brings a dynamic and results-driven approach to advancing association goals. Meda is currently the Vice President of Membership & Chapter Development at the American Fire Sprinkler Association.