Hoping to reel in 200 new members in October, the National Association for Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) may have hooked thousands. The hugely successful membership drive was bankrolled by Merial Ltd., which donated $10,000 toward the effort and followed up with an additional $11,000 as the applications flooded in. “Within the first 48 hours, we far exceeded our established goal,” said Julie Legred, CVT, the executive director of NAVTA. “We are thrilled with the outcome we’ve seen so far and look forward to continued success from the digital membership offering.” 犀利士 NAVTA had about 12,000 members before October. “We received over 5,000 memberships during National Veterinary Technician Week and with the Merial offer,” Legred said. “We are still sorting through those received as to the number of those that are new and the number that are renewals. “It is very common for us to receive memberships at this time of year, but not at the pace they came in during that week, and the Merial offer certainly drove them in,” she added. “It will be very interesting to see how many of those that came in are new members.” Merial paid for digital memberships, which deliver an electronic version of the NAVTA Journal rather than a hard copy. All other benefits were offered, including an identification number and password needed to gain access to the NAVTA website’s members-only pages. The Duluth, Ga., veterinary drug maker is among a handful of NAVTA industry partners. “As an organization devoted to investing in the careers of veterinary technicians, Merial’s decision to make this endowment was a clear one,” said Sarah Cloud, marketing director for Merial’s Heartgard brand. “We encourage veterinary technicians working in the field to get involved with NAVTA.” The membership drive took place Oct. 12 to 18 during National Veterinary Technician Week. Among the professions eligible for membership are veterinary assistants, credentialed veterinary technicians, veterinarians and educators.
