MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES & CRITERIA
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
Membership in the Barbados Association of Office Professionals (BAOP) comprises five (5) categories:
1. Professional
2. Honorary
3. Corporate
4. Life
5. Associate
PROFESSIONAL MEMBER
1. A person of unquestionable character and integrity.
2. A holder of a professional secretarial, administrative management and any other related professional qualification.
3. A person who has had secretarial training, who has been employed as an office professional for five (5) continuous years at the time of making application.
HONORARY MEMBER
A person who has rendered some special service to the Association or to the Profession.
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
Corporate membership is open to a firm or educational institution, which sustains the objectives of the BAOP. This category of membership will be extended to organisations with no less than five (5) members in the Association. A discounted rate on subscriptions shall be 5% discount for five (5) members, and 10% discount for over five (5) members.
LIFE MEMBERSHIP
May be granted to any member with twenty-five (25) years or more of distinguished service to the Association. The member must still be active within the Association. On recommendation from the Membership Committee, the application shall be forwarded to the Board of Directors for consideration.
Where a Life Member ceases to be actively affiliated with the Association, the Association, after due consideration shall have the right to remove such designation from the member.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER
1. A teacher who is employed in the teaching of business education.
2. An individual, firm or educational institution which sustains the objectives of the BAOP.
3. An Associate Member shall have the rights and privileges of full participation and shall be eligible to hold office on the Board of Directors, except the office of President or President-Elect.
4. An Associate Member in good standing for five or more years shall apply to the Board of Directors for full status of professional membership.
5. Associate membership shall also be conferred on a professional member who maintains their financial integrity but ceases to attend Meetings of the Association.
PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS
To ensure that there is a continuous period of assessment of all prospective members and that while being assessed they can still benefit from the programmes the Association offers the following terms and conditions shall apply:
1. Each application for membership shall be submitted to the Membership Committee. The application shall bear the signature of the applicant, as well as the employer. On completion of a satisfactory interview, the application shall be forwarded to the Board of Directors for ratification.
2. The prospective member shall be invited to attend meetings and activities of the Association. If the prospective member is interested in what the Association has to offer, then payment of a non-refundable fee of half of the subscription fees for the year shall be paid, with the remainder being paid prior to the Initiation.
3. Full membership shall be conferred on receipt of a satisfactory report from the Membership Committee of the applicant’s participation and involvement during the year. The Association reserves the right to defer or reject membership of any applicant who does not meet the stated criteria.
4. There shall be one (1) Initiation Ceremony per year. The cut-off period for the receipt of applications shall be the end of January of each year, after which all applications should be carried forward to the next year.
MEMBERSHIP REFUSAL & TERMINATION
Membership shall not be granted to any person known to be interested in the overthrow of the Government of this country.
Membership may be terminated by the Board of Directors on receipt of substantial evidence, indicating fraud, disclosure of the Association's business or any other action not in keeping with the Association's standards.
Membership may be terminated after failure to pay annual subscriptions for two consecutive years.
MEMBERS’ PURPOSE
The activities and policies of this Association shall be devoid of political influence, national, regional or international and all members who form this Association shall have as their main purpose:
1. Conducting educational programmes aimed at enhancing the professional and personal development of members.
2. Implementing social and community programmes, for the purpose of providing interaction among members, as well as providing opportunities for members to perform civic duties.
3. Establishing a Secretariat for conducting meetings, training programmes, developing a Library and office professional database, as well as being a Centre for coordinating activities at (1) and (2) above.
4. Fundraising activities geared towards the realisation of the Association's objectives.
The interest of a member is not transferable and ceases to exist upon death or when he/she ceases to be a member by resignation or otherwise.
Membership