As many of you know, PSIA-AASI is a non-profit. Nonprofits often make money, but what they do with the money they make separates them from for-profit businesses. In other words, any profit a nonprofit generates, can’t be returned to investors in the form of profits or dividends. Instead, the money is used to grow the organization and further support its mission.
For over a decade, Rocky Mountain has done just this. If we made money, we used it to grow the organization and to support our mission which in part is “To provide excellence in education and membership services.” If we did not make money, we were ok with that and moved on, which is very different from what most “for profit” companies would do. We have, however, done this with the utmost thought and plan. We knowingly, with minimal price increases, reduced ratios for exam and prep groups, increased scholarship funds, created the total training package (discounted training at your home resorts), incorporated and emphasized education into all of our products and added paired examining for consistency. This was all done to better support you, the member in accomplishing your credentialing goals in a consistent and supportive nature.
In order to continue to provide this support and increase our value for you, we want you to know that we are not only 100% committed to the above initiatives for the long term, we are additionally committed to taking a deep look into our values and virtues to assure that we, as an organization, examine every opportunity to improve and not only remain relevant but more so necessary to you, our members. A large part of this is looking at how we hire and train our educators to assure that not only are they great at delivering educational materials, but are equally as skilled at demonstrating incredible people skills, sincere humility with a growth mindset and a hunger to be excellent in order to positively impact the industry. I want them to “be the example” to you and to demonstrate the qualities of a great educator. I encourage you to read our philosophy that was recently shared with you in the June newsletter since you were likely rafting or biking and may have missed it; you can find it HERE
Our event calendar is up on our website and events through the end of December are set up for registration. Something that is worth noting are changes in our event pricing. In a huge effort to support your journey in the exam process, we are sensitive about these price changes, therefore kept all prerequisites at the same rate as they have been for several years. This will allow you access to as much support prior to the assessment as necessary. We have moved to a 3-tiered pricing for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 products. These will increase as the certification levels increase. These prices will also be consistent across L1, CS1 and FS1 etc. Due to these changes, we have changed our scholarship program to support more applicants to help absorb any increases you were not expecting and to award them throughout the season. The two main deadlines for scholarships are now December 15th and February 15th. You can find our list of scholarships HERE.
We understand pricing is sensitive and have remained cognizant of this for many years. Even as we have expanded our educational services and improved our product, event pricing has remained level. With a goal of continued improvement in our dedication to supporting you- our members- in developing future leaders, it is inevitable that pricing changes need to occur.
Lastly, we are 100% aware that value is not determined by those who set the price. Value is determined by those who choose to pay it. I sincerely hope as you reflect on your experiences on the hill and in the classroom with us that you see the value in being a part of this amazing community of educators.
As always, I am just a phone call or email away so please reach out if you would like to discuss anything regarding the upcoming season or to offer valuable input into the organization.
I can’t wait to see you all in 6 weeks on the slopes!
Always humble, hungry and happy,
Dana Forbes, dana@psia-rm.org
CEO PSIA-Rocky Mountain-AASI