Association Marketplace

Updated: May 18, 2023

In September 2022, the Education Law Association (ELA) contracted with 1791 Delegates, a nonprofit legal education firm, to build a new social learning community at EducationLaw.org. Launched on February 1, 2023, EducationLaw.org uses an ecosystem of technologies and support services to create a website and mobile app designed to meet the organizational and professional needs of its diverse members. Although EducationLaw.org remains the official website for the Education Law Association, its technology includes social-networking software, a learning management system, an e-commerce platform, and a support desk that may help peer organizations.

Soon after building EducationLaw.org, leaders of the Education Law Association and 1791 Delegates realized that other professional associations in the field of education law might benefit from their financial investments. 1791 Delegates then offered its pro bono services to develop the following business plan to advance ELA’s mission and expand the reach of EducationLaw.org. In this context, the ELA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the formation of the Association Marketplace at EducationLaw.org.

What is the Association Marketplace?

The Association Marketplace offers software and support services to empower independent membership organizations to purchase tailored packages of contracted services to power their professional associations. In doing so, they become Independent Vendors in the Association Marketplace at EducationLaw.org to sell their branded membership plans, conference tickets, webinars, courses, and publications.

Each Independent Vendor receives a white-labeled Sovereign Sector on the site (e.g., www.educationlaw.org/abc) to display its logo, colors, custom navigation menus, pages, groups, discussion forums, courses, events, and products. Independent Vendors may use this site as their official website or as a supplement to their current website.

Software Services

Independent Vendors may choose from an a la carte menu of software to power their associations.  

1. 1. Social Networking: Similar to LinkedIn, members create custom profiles, join groups, post member news, like and comment on one another’s posts, and instant message one another.
   2. E-Commerce Membership System: Independent Vendors use the membership system to enroll new and existing members in their association. Each membership type is customizable and supports recurring plans, coupon codes, and team memberships to support organizations in purchasing bulk plans for multiple members.
   3. Branded Swag: Independent Vendors can offer their members custom swag through a bookstore, such as bags, mugs, clothing, notepads, and laptop sleeves.
   4. Donation System: Receive donations and event sponsorships and manage its annual fundraising campaigns.
   5. Learning Management System: Offer free and paid webinars and continuing legal education courses through a branded learning portal for your association to serve as an official certifying organization on EducationLaw.org.
   6. Mobile App: Rather than pay for a conference app for special events, use EducationLaw.org to offer members a mobile app for year-round use. The app includes a directory of users, instant messaging, and access to groups, forums, classes, and events.
   7. Event System: Sell tickets to online and onsite events. All transactions on the site are archived in the “My Shop” section associated with every user’s profile. Customize the conference app to list event programs, speakers, sponsors, attendees, and hotel maps, and allow attendees to post and archive their presentations.
   8. Proposal Portal: Editors and reviewers in your association can use the proposal portal to conduct masked peer reviews of conference programs, courses, publications, and awards.
   9. Document Management. Users can upload documents, photos, and videos to the Activity Feed for other users to add comments and likes, similar to the cascade of posts on LinkedIn and Facebook. Also, group managers can create folders for users to store their documents, photos, and videos. 
   10. Leadership Dashboard. Embed Google Workplace apps, such as a shared calendar and shared drive to create a Leadership Dashboard to access shared assets. 
       

Support Services

EducationLaw.org offers event, membership, and publishing services, as well as a support desk.

1. 1. Event Services. Independent Vendors may choose to collaborate with the Education Law Association to coordinate conference meeting dates and locations to collectively save money on site selection, hotel deposits, and onsite conference management. Independent Vendors may also choose to purchase event support services to hire a professional Event Manager for conference planning and onsite event management.
   2. Membership Services. Independent Vendors may purchase annual membership services to implement email, phone, and postcard campaigns to bolster membership and bring awareness to the association’s programs.
   3. Education Services. Contract with e-learning and legal education specialists to host on-demand and live courses to support members’ professional development and continued legal education.
   4. On-Demand Publishing: Utilize the Education Law Association’s 70-year-old publishing house to produce books and teaching resources through its on-demand publishing system.
   5. The Chronicle of Education Law:Members of Independent Vendor associations may propose to publish their work in ELA’s new peer-reviewed periodical, The Chronicle of Education Law. Associations may also propose publishing a special issue based on their speciality in a sub-discipline of education law.
   6. Support Desk: All the above software and support services come with a ticketing system, email support, Live Chat, and toll-free phone number, giving users technical and membership support Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm Eastern.

Discounted Memberships

Members of the Independent Vendors’ association receive a 20% discount to become members of the Education Law Association. Likewise, Independent Vendors may offer discounts to recruit ELA members to join their association. This process makes it easier for users to purchase two plans at once.

How Do Associations Apply?

The Board of Directors of the Education Law Association receives and approves applications from professional associations whose purpose and programs align with the Education Law Association’s mission to improve education by promoting interest in and understanding education law. To submit an application, send a one-page summary of your association’s mission, demographics, and primary programmatic goals to support@educationlaw.org.

What Principles Inform the Service Agreement?

Once approved, the applicant and Education Law Association draw upon the following principles to draft a custom Service Agreement.

1. 1. Independent Contractor. The Education Law Association is professionally and legally committed to ensure that all professional associations maintain their autonomy when becoming an Independent Vendor on the Association Marketplace at EducationLaw.org. In this context, the Education Law Association (“Contractor”) offers work-for-hire services for approved Independent Vendors (“Clients”) to sell their own products and services in the Association Marketplace on EducationLaw.org. Independent Vendors choose among a menu of contracted services to power their associations, such as licensing social networking, learning management, and e-commerce technology, as well as purchasing merchant, education, publication, event, membership, and support services.

2. 2. Sovereignty in Governance and Finance. Independent Vendors do not form a partnership with or affiliate with the Education Law Association when purchasing software and support services. The Education Law Association and all Independent Vendors remain sovereign associations with autonomous governing bodies and independent finances. Independent Vendors self-legislate their own organizations and have full autonomy to determine the nature and pricing of their products listed on EducationLaw.org. Independent Vendors receive instant-payouts through Stripe, the merchant services company that buyers use to make purchases on EducationLaw.org.

3. 3. Self-Differentiation. Like any diverse network of vendors in a marketplace, the Independent Vendors on EducationLaw.org speak for themselves. Independent Vendors do not, in any way, form an affiliation or partnership with Education Law Association or any other Independent Vendor when selling products and services in the Association Marketplace. In taking this self-differentiated approach to contractual services, Independent Vendors and the Education Law Association do not endorse or speak for one another. The Association Marketplace is similar to a hotel contract in that when associations rent meeting space from a hotel, neither the associations nor the hotel endorse any content or messaging that is expressed by any of the meeting participants or the contracted parties.

4. 4. Certifying Organizations. Independent Vendors who choose to purchase the learning management services become Certifying Organizations in the Association Marketplace to offer legal education programs on EducationLaw.org, whether through live events or on-demand courses. Learners who complete programs receive certification from the Independent Vendor, not the Education Law Association.

5. 5. Rights and Non-Exclusivity. Independent Vendors maintain full ownership of all rights and privileges related to their content, courses, events, products, and services offered on EducationLaw.org. Independent Vendors may freely offer their products and services on other platforms and the Education Law Association may offer its products and services to other Independent Vendors.

6. 6. Community Policies & Practices. In order to access EducationLaw.org, all individual users and Independent Vendors agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and Moderation Policy set forth by the Education Law Association to manage EducationLaw.org and the mobile app. Independent Vendors agree to uphold the Community Values that articulate ELA’s intention for maintaining an intentional community with verified stakeholders who are committed to building a high-quality professional network based on hospitality, trust, self-determination, and relational communication.

7. 7. Termination. The Education Law Association and all Independent Vendors may terminate the service agreement or any Statement of Work, with or without cause, upon providing written notice of termination to the other Party at least sixty (60) days before the effective date of such termination.

8. 8. Confidentiality. The Education Law Association and all Independent Vendors hold in confidence and agree not to reveal directly or indirectly, report, publish, disclose or transfer any of the Confidential Information to any other person or entity, or utilize any of the Confidential Information for any purpose, except in the course of services performed under the Service Agreement. Confidential Information includes information relating to ELA or the Independent Vendor’s current or proposed business, financial statements, budgets and projections, identifying information, potential and intended clients, employers, members, products, manuals, and business plans, including technological designs and developments, education programs and pedagogy, legal education accreditation tools, and support desk handbooks.

9. 9. Insurance. Independent Vendors add the Education Law Association as additional insured under all applicable insurance policies related to the Service Agreement (e.g., General Liability Insurance, Professional Liability Errors and Omissions Insurance, Cyber Liability Insurance, Funds Transfer Fraud Insurance, and Special Event Insurance).

10. 10. Indemnity. The Education Law Association and each Independent Vendor agree to indemnify, defend, and hold the other (the “Indemnified Party”), harmless from and against any and all third-party claims, actions, damages, expenses, losses or awards which arise out of the negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnifying party, any action taken or not taken by the indemnifying party, or any noncompliance or breach by the indemnifying party of any of the terms, conditions, warranties, representations, or undertakings contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement. As used herein, the Indemnified Party shall include the party’s trustees, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, representatives, and attorneys.

11. 11. Non-Discrimination. The Education Law Association and all Independent Vendors will not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, caste, religion, belief, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, union membership, veteran status, or any other legally protected identity.

Conclusion

Overall, the Education Law Association is pleased to extend its technological investments and consulting services to peer associations. Together, we believe we can increase each organization’s effectiveness and visibility, decrease expenses, and maintain autonomy, all while supporting diverse stakeholders in the field and subfields of education law.