ince taking their posts in January, the new officers of the National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP) have been working quietly but resolutely on their 2007 action plan. It consists of more educational resources and discounts for members, but also dues collection.

Over the last several months, NAOPP and the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) have discussed how to further enhance their educational offerings.

As a result of this dialogue, the ETA will provide NAOPP members its Encyclopedia of Terminology for the Acquiring Industry at a discount price of $50, plus shipping and handling.

NAOPP and the ETA "will continue to work together to partner where appropriate for both our constituencies for improvement and influence within the industry," said Vicki M. Daughdrill, NAOPP's Executive Director.

She said NAOPP's Web site, which received over 200,000 hits in 2006, has new content for members to download.

Two presentations from the recent Northeast Acquirers' Association meeting are available: "How to Grow, How to Migrate," by Adam Atlas, Attorney at Law, and "Migration: Transitional Planning" by Brett Mansdorf of eProcessing Network.

NAOPP members who have not yet renewed their membership or paid dues soon will receive a phone call.

"Currently, our renewal rate is approximately 30%," Daughdrill said. "We will conduct a major push over the next 45 days to bring our renewal rate to 80%." All current members may renew on NAOPP's Web site.

Daughdrill said to expect more announcements from NAOPP in the coming months: A committee is working to secure member discounts on mail service plans, such as FedEx, DHL and UPS; rental cars; cell phone plans; branded credit cards; and insurance.

A group is also investigating a certification program, as well as putting the final touches on the 2007 fundraising campaign.

NAOPP is a nonprofit organization working to bridge the gap between merchant level salespeople and other segments of the payment processing industry through education.

For information on joining, visit www.naopp.com.

Look for an article from NAOPP's new President, Steve Schwimmer, in the next issue of The Green Sheet.