---
title: "Best Benefit Ever: Text Discounts for Information, Referral Providers"
id: "27373"
type: "post"
slug: "best-benefit-ever-text-discounts-for-information-referral-providers"
published_at: "2015-02-24T22:42:44+00:00"
modified_at: "2015-02-24T22:42:44+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/02/24/best-benefit-ever-text-discounts-for-information-referral-providers/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/02/24/best-benefit-ever-text-discounts-for-information-referral-providers.md"
excerpt: "Members of the Alliance of Information and Referral Services can get discounts on short text codes for rapid communication."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Membership"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "Communications"
  - "member discounts"
  - "Membership"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "Director"
  - "Manager"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Association Professionals"
---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
 » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/)
 » Best Benefit Ever: Text Discounts for Information, Referral Providers

**What’s the benefit?** Information and referral (I & R) professionals require fast, dependable ways to communicate with people who are in need of support services. [Alliance of Information and Referral Services (opens in a new tab)](http://www.airs.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1)
 (AIRS) members can now conduct business more efficiently with the help of discounted [two-way text services (opens in a new tab)](http://www.airs.org/files/public/February_2015_Newsletter.pdf)
. The benefit, [offered through Educational Message Services (opens in a new tab)](http://www.preventionpaystext.com/)
, gives members the option to use short text codes instead of full telephone numbers.

**Why it works for members:** Short text codes help I&R professionals better connect with people who are more likely to text than to pick up a phone. They also have fewer digits to remember (e.g., ABC123) and form an instant association with the organization. “Over the past few years AIRS has been encouraging members to provide I&R through additional channels (such as chat, email, and text) to meet changing communication preferences and new demographics,” AIRS President Joan Phelps [told members in a newsletter (opens in a new tab)](http://www.airs.org/files/public/February_2015_Newsletter.pdf)
.

**Other perks:** AIRS offers three levels of [membership (opens in a new tab)](http://www.airs.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3341)
, with benefits ranging from special member rates on telephone interpretation; access to the AIRS Networker, a members-only social-networking site; and discounts for online printing.

(pressureUA/ThinkStock)

[Julia Haskins](https://associationsnow.com/author/julia-haskins/)

Julia Haskins is a contributor to Associations Now.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/julia-haskins/)

Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/)
 [#member discounts](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-discounts/)
 [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/)

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