<strong>How do I join IDEAS?</strong>
The easiest way is via our online application facility on the web site. On the Home Page, click Membership, and then choose Join IDEAS. You will be offered the online application form. Note that some fields are mandatory, and must be filled in. Your email address forms part of your individual logon code; if you have more than one email address, choose the one which you will prefer to use long-term in order to logon to the IDEAS website.
When you submit your application form, you will receive acknowledgement of your application by email.
If you prefer not to apply online, you may download the application form, fill it in, and send it to the IDEAS administrator as an email attachment.
<strong>How do I pay my membership subscription?</strong>
You are offered five ways to pay your subscription:
a) Online via WorldPay, using your credit card
b) By bank transfer to our UK bank account
c) By cheque, in US dollars, made out to International Development Evaluation Association and sent to the IDEAS administrator.
d) By Western Union: contact the administrator for further details on this payment method.
All the details you require are offered to you when you submit your application form.
If you are renewing your membership, and wish to pay online, click On Online Payment and then fill in the membership category and a few details before being taken to the secure payment page.
<strong>Is it possible to pay my IDEAS membership fee online via my Credit Card?</strong>
Yes, when you have filled in the application form you will be offered the opportunity to pay your subscription online, following the screen instructions. Our credit card payments are handled by RBS WorldPay, the payments processing arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. You may rest assured that your payment and your details are completely safe, as they are protected by RBS WorldPay’s state-of-the-art security procedures.
If you are an existing member and are wishing to pay for renewal of your subscription, click on Online Payment and then fill in your membership category and a few details before being taken to the secure payment page.
<strong>What prerequisite qualifications do I need to join IDEAS?</strong>
The only prerequisite is an interest in Development Evaluation and the desire to benefit from and contribute to the combined knowledge of our member base.
<strong>I am from a developed country, but am currently working in a developing country / transitional economy. Which Membership Category do I choose?</strong>
Your membership category is based upon your nationality, not your current place of work. From time to time we require members to provide proof of nationality by submitting passport copies. These measures are taken when donors have provided funds specifically for members from developing countries, or during IDEAS Board elections, when our constitution requires us to maintain a 6:4 ratio of developing to developed country officers.
<strong>I’ve forgotten my Password. What do I do?</strong>
No problem. At the Member Login screen, click the “Forgot your Password?” link, in the form that will open fill in your email and submit.
You will be given a link and will be able to reset your password.
<strong>My email address has changed. Will I still be able to log onto the IDEAS Web Site as a member?</strong>
Your old email address will still work fine as part of your logon. However, most members prefer to change the logon to reflect the new email address. To do this:
Log on with your old details ( your old email address and your current password), as this is the only way the system can identify you.
You may then click on Update my Details.
You only need to fill in what has changed, so in this case, simply type in your new email address, and click on Update Now.
Next time you log onto the IDEAS web site, use your new email address with your password.
<strong>My contact details have changed. Whom do I advise?</strong>
You may advise the IDEAS administrator ( jeanhilburn@telkomsa.net ), but a far easier way is to update your details yourself on the web site. After you have logged on as a member, click on Update my Details. You need only fill in what has changed. Then click on Update Now, and your new details are immediately recorded.
<strong>I was allocated a password which I find very difficult to remember. How can I change this to one which is more meaningful to me?</strong>
After you have logged on as a member, click on Update my Details. You need only fill in what has changed, so in this case, simply enter your new password (you will enter it twice – the second time is for confirmation). Then click on Update Now, and your new password is immediately recorded. Note that individuals who apply online for membership choose their own passwords from the start!
<strong>I’d like to ask IDEAS members for help with a Development Evaluation problem. How do I go about it?</strong>
From almost every page of the web site, you are offered the opportunity to offer comment or feedback. Use this opportunity to note the topic with which you need help. The website administrator will then load your problem / query as a discussion topic, and invite comment and help from our members. The web site administrator will summarise and close the discussion after a reasonable period.
<strong>I have written / come across a paper which I feel would be of interest to IDEAS members. How do I get it published on the IDEAS web site?</strong>
We welcome contributions from our members, and we ask you to send these via the IDEAS administrator ( jeanhilburn@telkomsa.net). If you wish to recommend a document written by a third party, then do give us email contact details so that we may contact the author and obtain his or her permission to publish it on the IDEAS site.
<strong>Does IDEAS help members to find consulting / contract work on international projects?</strong>
Whenever we hear of contract opportunities, we make these known to our members via the Opportunities section of the web site. Obviously we are dependent on receiving job opportunity information from our membership base – so if you are in a position to offer contract work to development evaluators, don’t forget to let us know!
