Seven ways in, from an hour to a year.
Each of these is a real thing the association needs, with an honest note on what it actually takes. Email the board and say which one interests you.
Testifying at a committee hearing means taking a morning off practice and driving to Lansing. Members have done it repeatedly, and the recent appearances are listed on the advocacy page.
Board nominations
Put your name forward, or somebody else’s.
The board is elected volunteers: a President, Secretary, Treasurer and Members at Large, plus the outgoing President, who serves one voting year as Past-President. Elections run every year, with two-year terms starting July 1: the President and two member-at-large seats in odd-numbered years, the Secretary, Treasurer and two member-at-large seats in even-numbered years. Any member in good standing may stand; student and associate members are not eligible for board seats. Nominations are welcome from any current member, including nominating yourself. If you have watched a board meeting and thought you could contribute, that is the qualification. The next election, in 2027, opens three seats: President and two members at large, for terms starting July 1, 2027. Candidates are welcome now; watch the monthly update for the call for nominations.
What to send
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What it involves
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Eligibility, term lengths and the election calendar are set by the bylaws. If you are not sure whether to stand, come to a board meeting first. They are open to every member, fourth Friday of the month at 10am.
Support the work
Dues pay the retainer. Gifts pay for the extra year.
Membership dues cover the lobbyist, the research and the guides. What they do not cover is the unplanned fight.
The BCBSM coalition was not in anybody’s budget. Neither was a statewide impact assessment, or a rally in Detroit, or the legal and clinical review behind it. Those came out of reserves. A gift is what makes the next one possible without waiting for the following year’s dues.
You do not have to be a member to give, and any amount is useful at this scale.
Read this before you give
MMHCA is a 501(c)(6) professional association, not a charity. Gifts are not deductible as charitable contributions. Part or all of a gift may be deductible as an ordinary business expense, and the portion attributable to lobbying generally is not. Ask your accountant about your own situation. The association cannot give tax advice.
Why that status is the point
A 501(c)(3) charity risks its tax status if lobbying becomes a substantial part of what it does. A 501(c)(6) faces no equivalent ceiling and may make lobbying its principal activity. MMHCA gave up the charitable deduction in exchange for the ability to do exactly the thing counselors need most.
The full explanationThe smallest useful thing
Tell one colleague this exists.
Reach in Lansing is a direct function of headcount. A lobbyist arguing for 12,000 counselors is heard differently than one arguing for a few hundred. Recommending MMHCA to one person costs nothing and is the most useful thing a member can do in a minute.
Contact
One address, and a person reads it.
There is no contact form and no ticket queue. Email the board and one of the nine will answer.
MMHCA, PO Box 1541, Owosso, MI 48867. Board meetings are open to every member, fourth Friday of the month at 10am on Zoom.