Membership Terms & Conditions

Membership in the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) is limited to:

Any company, corporation, business, firm or undertaking involved in marketing and whose application for admission as member has received the approval of the Board of Directors.
Directors, who automatically become Members upon being elected or appointed as Directors and who continue to be Members for so long as they serve on the Board,
Lifetime Members, who are invited by the CEO with the approval of the Board and in accordance with Board policy

Regular membership fees for members are based on annual gross Canadian revenue. A company that is a subsidiary of a CMA member is eligible to join CMA at a reduced rate. Currently the reduced rate is 25% of the primary member rate. A subsidiary is a company that is owned by another company, which is usually referred to as the parent company or holding company. The parent holds a controlling interest in the subsidiary company, meaning it owns or controls more than half of its stock. In cases where a subsidiary is 100% owned by another company, the subsidiary is referred to as a wholly owned subsidiary.
All memberships run for a 12-month term, based on the date of joining (the date which your membership is approved by the CMA staff) , which becomes the member’s “anniversary” date.

Individual Affiliates

Individual Affiliates are not CMA members. They receive many equivalent benefits, such as attending educational sessions at reduced rates, and receiving access to materials and documents behind the paywall. However, they cannot speak or vote at members’ meetings, and they cannot join the Board, or a Council or Committee (except in the case of current Board/Council/Committee members who could complete the term of their appointment subject to CMA policy).
The Board may, from time to time, adopt policies to establish qualification requirements, rights and privileges for Individual Affiliates.
The costs to become an Individual Affiliate are set annually by the Board and are listed here.

Each member has the right to exercise one vote, either in person or by proxy, at the CMA’s annual meeting and at any other CMA members meetings
The CMA requires each organizational member to identify one employee to serve as the Voting Representative to manage the membership and to vote at members meetings. The CMA manages membership and associated benefits through the organizational member’s one primary business email domain, not personal emails of the owner or a staff member; and not through the email domain of an affiliated business or membership. Membership may not be transferred from one entity to another or shared with multiple businesses associated with an owner or principal of the organization.
Each organizational member assigns one employee to be the Voting Representative for CMA members’ meetings, and to be the official contact for membership matters, including managing and controlling all online membership content. This is the only individual who can login on behalf of the member to initiate any actions related to membership.
Members can choose to assign secondary contacts. Secondary contacts can create their own member accounts here. Secondary contacts must be employed by the same member organization. They cannot update or change the primary membership information.

New memberships are subject to a one-time $55 administrative fee.
The Voting Representative will receive notice of renewal ninety (90), sixty (60), and thirty (30) days before expiry as well as on the expiry date and on days thirty (30), sixty (60) and ninety (90) following expiry.
Membership fees are payable upon receipt of the invoice.
The CMA does not refund or reimburse any portion of its membership fees, even if the membership is cancelled within the membership year period.
Memberships renew automatically on the anniversary date, unless written notice is given to the CMA sixty (60) days before the member’s anniversary date.
The CMA offers a range of options to pay membership fees: direct deposit, VISA, MC, AMEX (credit card payments accepted up to $10,000), cheque.
Changes to membership fees will only be made at the time of annual renewal of the membership.

Membership benefits are accessible once membership is approved by the CMA staff following Board approval.
Membership entitlements and benefits are assigned to the primary and secondary contacts of the member.
The Voting Representative of each Corporate Member of the Association shall have the right to exercise one vote at Members’ Meetings.
Each Director of the Association, in their capacity as a Director, shall be entitled to one vote at Members' Meetings.
Each Lifetime Member of the Association shall be entitled to one vote at Members Meetings.
In cases where an individual serves both as a Director and as the Voting Representative of a Corporate Member, that individual shall be entitled to only one vote and must declare in which capacity they are voting.
Where a Corporate Member's Voting Representative is different from any individual serving as a Director, both the Voting Representative and the Director shall be entitled to separate votes.
Everyone entitled to vote at Members Meetings may do so either in person or by proxy authorized in writing for such purpose.
All members of the Association are expected to comply with The Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics & Standards.

Membership is transferable based only on the following: if the property is sold, or if the remainder of the annual membership fee is transferable to the new owner of the property if this was agreed to between the vendor and the purchaser.
The Applicant must promptly notify the CMA, in writing, of changes to the member’s legal name, registered address or billing address(es), primary email domain, canadian gross revenue, and primary contact details. If CMA is not notified of these changes, the CMA’s ability to deliver membership services could be impacted.
The CMA reserves the right to change, from time to time, the services available to its members.