In time for its 25th anniversary, the Contract Packaging Association is introducing a new membership model and member benefits as part of its revitalization effort, CPA 2.5, come 2017.

“There has never been a better time to be part of CPA. We are in a position of expansion—in membership, industry authority, and contribution,” CPA Board President Vicky Smitley said in a statement. “Our members want additional opportunities to learn, network, and position their companies for growth. And that is exactly what is accomplished in CPA 2.5.”

Our members want additional opportunities to learn, network, and position their companies for growth. And that is exactly what is accomplished in CPA 2.5.

Beginning in January, packaging and manufacturing members, who make up the bulk of the membership, will be split into three tiers based on their dues costs. All will receive the same benefits but they will pay a dues amount based on their companies’ revenues.

“Everybody will get all of the same things, all of the same benefits, but you pay based on your size,” Managing Director Nikki Johnson told Associations Now. “So if you are a little guy, you still get all of the same benefits as the larger guy, but we felt like it was fair in the industry [that] if you’re larger, then you pay more.”

The associate members, or industry suppliers, will also see a changed dues structure. Regular associate members will receive the basic benefits, which will be expanded next year. But the gold supplier members will pay much higher dues and receive more benefits such as the ability to produce a webinar CPA then distributes to members, exclusive advertising and sponsorship opportunities, and deeper engagement with non-supplier members.

In addition, CPA is expanding its overall benefit offerings and is taking steps to fully inform members of those benefits. Members will have virtual networking opportunities through CPA’s new online forum, access to more online education and training courses through CPA partnerships, and the ability to search more online content on CPA’s website.

“You can offer a laundry list of benefits, but it’s going to be up to the member to take advantage of them,” Johnson said. “So not only are we adding these new benefits, we’re building process and infrastructure to get the members to take full advantage of all of those so they realize the full value of membership.”

By better tracking members’ benefit use, CPA staff will be able to collect more member data that can speak to how benefits affect attrition or renewal.

To complete the revamp, CPA has also introduced an updated logo and new tagline that will include manufacturers in the association’s focus: “the association for contract packagers and manufacturers.”

“The scope of contract packaging over the years has changed dramatically to include not only those who package but also manufacture,” Johnson said. “So in order to really be representative of the industry, I felt like we needed to add that term.”

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