Frequently Asked Questions

What is NiUG?

NiUG is an independent, international, not-for-profit, volunteer-run Users Group which exists to advocate, educate and connect users and vendors in the iMIS community.  Is NiUG affiliated with Advanced Solutions International (ASI) in any way? In a word, No!  NiUG is a totally independent organization and has no official or unofficial connection, duty or responsibility to ASI.  The two entities do maintain a very open and cooperative business relationship.

Who can join NiUG?

NiUG membership is on a company basis, and is open to all users and vendors in the iMIS community, with the exception of ASI.  The exclusion of ASI from membership is for the purposes of maintaining our independence.  While ASI is not eligible for membership, they are a premiere sponsor of our tri-annual events.

How do I know if my company is a NiUG member?

First, check with the iMIS champion within your organization.  This would be the person mainly responsible for maintaining iMIS within a user company, or selling/integrating with iMIS within a vendor company.  If still unsure, check out the Member Web Site listing on the www.niug.org home page, or contact the membership department at membership@niug.org or toll free at 866.301.NiUG (6484).

How do I join NiUG?

You can add your company to the NiUG membership roles by filling out an on-line membership application at the www.niug.org web site, or by contacting Membership at membership@niug.org or toll free at 866.301.NiUG (6484).  There are two types of membership, Organizational or Associate, both are at the company level.  Membership dues vary, depending upon the type of membership.  If an organizational member, they are based on the number of licensed iMIS users within your organization.  If an Associate member, they are $250 annually.  For details on pricing click here.  Once a company establishes itself as a NiUG member, all staff within that organization can participate in NiUG member benefits, including reduced rates for training and conference registrations.

What is the difference between a Regular and Associate Member?

Regular Membership is offered to user-company members, such as Associations, Association Management Companies, Philanthropic, Religious, and Community-based Organizations, and any other entity that has purchased iMIS for the sole purpose of maintaining their business.  Associate Membership is offered to vendor-company members, such as Authorized iMIS Solution Providers, iMIS Authorized Partners, Consulting, Development and Integration Companies, and any other entity involved in the selling, maintaining, training, implementation or integration with iMIS.  Other than the dues difference noted above, the biggest difference is that Associate Members are not eligible for Board level positions, but they can participate on NiUG Committees.

What are the benefits of NiUG Membership?

There is a full brochure which outlines all the benefits of NiUG membership, which you can get by contacting Membership at membership@niug.org or toll free at 866.301.NiUG (6484).  But in the broadest strokes, the benefits of NiUG membership, both for Regular and Associate members are:

• to be part of the largest and most active collective voice in the iMIS marketplace to elicit improvements and changes in the iMIS product 
• to obtain access to the best and brightest minds in the iMIS community to assist with implementing, troubleshooting, and maintaining your iMIS installation(s) 
• to participate in continuing educational classes and conference programming to network with other iMIS professionals in the same locations or industry 
• to assist with your career development by getting involved with a volunteer organization relevant to your core business function, either by presenting at a conference, volunteering for a committee, or becoming elected to a Board level position.

Can Non-Members Participate in NiUG?

Yes.  The NiUG Listserve is a member's only resource; however, you have an option to sign up for a one time only, 60 day trial listserve membership.  Also, non-members are welcome to register for and attend our conferences, although they do pay a higher rate.

What is the NiUG Listserve?

The NiUG listserve is our e-mail based, on-line forum for posting and replying to issues, questions and problems with iMIS.  In most cases, questions are answered via the listserve by other iMIS professionals from around the globe within the same day, and frequently with several different solutions or work-arounds for the same issue.

What committees does NiUG maintain?

The standing committees of NiUG include Membership, Training & Education, Technology, Finance, and the Product Advisory Committee (PAC).  Visit the Committees page on the www.niug.org web site for more information on NiUG committees.

How can I get involved with a NiUG Committee?

In most cases, just by asking!  As a completely volunteer run organization, the lifeblood of NiUG is welcoming eager and energetic members to get involved in the running of the organization.  Committees are only open to NiUG members, and some committees, such as the PAC, are on an invitation only basis.  If you are interested in joining a committee, visit the Committee page on the www.niug.org web site or contact membership at membership@niug.org or toll free at 866.301.NiUG (6484).

How often does NiUG hold conferences?

NiUG holds regional conferences in the Spring/Summer and a conference in September/October each year called the NiUG Annual Discovery Conference.  Each conference offers a complement of full-day training classes, general and breakout topical sessions, and social networking programs.

Where are NiUG Conferences held?

As an international organization with the majority of our members in North America, we try to move the conference locations around to offer an opportunity for all members to attend at least one event each year.  The Discovery conference is usually held in the Washington, DC/Virginia area, due to the concentration of iMIS customers and NiUG members in that area, and the regional conferences are rotated to serve the iMIS rich geographic regions throughout the US and Canada.  Past conference locations include Orlando and Atlanta in the Southeast, New York/New Jersey, Toronto and Boston in the Northeast, Chicago and Austin in the Midwest and California in the West.

Who decides where NiUG conferences are held each year?

The Board decides based on feedback from the membership, which is received mainly by the evaluation sheets collected at the previous conferences.  Anyone wishing to bring a NiUG conference to their geographic region should contact Michele Morgan, NiUG Executive Director at membership@niug.org or toll free at 866.301.NiUG (6484).

How are the Training and Programing topics selected for NiUG events?

These are usually recommended by the Program Committee, again based on feedback from previous conferences, recent developments in the iMIS industry (i.e. new versions or modules) and hot issues from the NiUG listserve.

How do I go about getting on the agenda at a NiUG conference?

First you have to be either a NiUG Regular or Associate member, or a representative from ASI. NiUG always encourages presentations and sessions lead by our Regular Members, but often needs to rely on Associate Members and ASI to fill out the agenda.  Conference Sponsors are given additional consideration for topic selection and scheduling priority.

Do those who present at NiUG conferences get paid?

All instructors and presenters at NiUG events are on a volunteer basis, so nobody on the agenda is being paid. Instructors and presenters do receive a small gift as a token of our appreciation for their time and effort.

If nobody is being paid, where is the Dues and Registration money going?

NiUG is no longer just a volunteer run organization with one Association Manager, we have grown and now have two full time staff members.  Dues revenue goes mainly to pay our staff, as well as, NiUG's operating costs.  NiUG conferences are reasonably priced and in most cases we break even or bring in only a small portion of revenue, so most of the registration fees go in to the materials, A/V, internet, meals, attendee and speaker gifts and other direct expenses of the conference.  As a not-for-profit entity, any dues, registration or sponsorship income above and beyond expenses is used solely to reinvest in the organization, and no individual member, volunteer or board member can financially benefit from these fees.

Where is NiUG located?

For the most part, NiUG is a virtual organization, without physical office space.  Our Executive Director is located in Pennsylvania, and as such, we maintain a PA mailing address at a local UPS Store.  The organization is run by the volunteer Board of Directors that is comprised of iMIS professionals from iMIS user company organizations throughout the US and Canada.

Who is the NiUG Board?

The NiUG board consists of sixteen (16) Directors including a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, as many as (3) members at large, a Director who is the Chair of each Standing Committee, (2) Chapter Representative positions, (1) Associate and the Immediate Past President and serve a 2-year term.  The NiUG Executive Director participates in Board meetings and discussions, but is not a member of the board.  Only Regular Members are eligible for Board level positions.  For a listing of the current NiUG Board, visit the www.niug.org web site.

What is the relationship between NiUG and other local or regional iMIS users groups?

NiUG is currently forming both domestic and international chapters.  Currently, chapters in Florida , Michigan , Asia-Pacific, Europe and Canadaexist.  NiUG encourages participation in local and regional users groups, and does not operate in a competitive or duplicative manner with other user communities.  We encourage other users groups to leverage our existing technical and operations infrastructure where appropriate.  If you are interested in starting a local chapter, contact us at (866) 301-6484 or (570) 595-0110 for additional information.