How to Update the Primary Point of Contact for RBA or RMI Membership
Table of Contents
RBA and RMI member organizations maintain designated contacts who serve as important points of communication between the organization and the Responsible Business Alliance. If your organization's Primary Point of Contact, sometimes referred to as the Primary Contact or Prime Contact, has changed, please contact the appropriate Membership Team to request an update.
This may be necessary when the current contact has left the organization, changed roles, transferred responsibilities, or should no longer serve as the organization's principal membership representative.
Important: An RBA or RMI membership contact is not the same as an RBA Online user, Company Administrator, billing contact, or subscription contact. If both the membership contact and RBA Online access need to change, clearly request both actions.
What is a membership Primary Point of Contact?
The Primary Point of Contact is the main representative for an organization's RBA or RMI membership.
The Primary POC may receive important communications concerning:
- Membership status and administration
- Membership renewal and dues
- Member announcements and organizational updates
- Program information
- Member engagement opportunities
- Requests requiring organizational awareness or coordination
A member organization may also maintain a Secondary Point of Contact. The Secondary POC provides an additional contact who can support continuity when the Primary POC is unavailable or changes roles.
Good practice: Maintain both a current Primary and Secondary POC whenever possible. This reduces the risk of important membership communications depending on a single individual.
Why should membership contacts be kept current?
Keeping membership contacts current helps ensure important information reaches the right representatives within your organization.
Accurate contacts support:
- Continuity of membership communications
- Timely renewal and dues coordination
- Appropriate distribution of member announcements
- Organizational awareness of membership-related activities
- Faster validation of membership requests
- Reduced delays when an existing contact leaves the organization
Organizations should review their membership contacts whenever responsibilities change, or a designated contact leaves the organization.
Membership versus RBA Online
RBA or RMI membership and RBA Online services are related, but they are not interchangeable.
RBA or RMI membership
Membership represents the organization's formal relationship with the RBA or RMI. Membership-related information may include:
- Membership status
- Membership type or category
- Primary and Secondary membership contacts
- Membership dues and renewal
- Membership communications
- Member participation and engagement
RBA Online subscriptions and user access
RBA Online is a platform and subscription environment for accessing specific tools, services, assessments, and account functions. RBA Online-related requests may include:
- Creating, updating, or deactivating a user account
- Changing a user's email address
- Adding or replacing a Company Administrator
- Updating roles or permissions
- Managing facility access
- Activating or renewing an RBA Online subscription
- Registering an additional facility
- Resolving platform access or sign-in issues
| Requested change | Request type | Appropriate contact |
|---|---|---|
| Change RBA membership Primary or Secondary POC | RBA Membership update | RBA Membership Team |
| Change RMI membership Primary or Secondary POC | RMI Membership update | RMI Membership Team |
| Add or change an RBA Online user | RBA Online account support | RBA Help Desk |
| Add or replace a Company Administrator | RBA Online access and permissions | RBA Help Desk |
| Activate or renew an RBA Online subscription | RBA Online subscription | RBA Help Desk |
Do you need both records updated?
If the outgoing membership POC also has RBA Online access, identify both requirements in your request. A membership contact change does not necessarily transfer or remove platform roles, subscriptions, or permissions.
How to request a POC change
Membership POC changes should be requested through the appropriate Membership Team. This allows the Membership Team to review the membership record and the authority behind the requested change before completing the update.
- Determine whether the request concerns RBA Membership, RMI Membership, or both.
- Confirm the name and contact information of the currently registered Primary and Secondary POCs, when available.
- Identify the proposed new Primary or Secondary POC.
- Copy the current Primary or Secondary POC on the message whenever possible.
- Explain whether any RBA Online account or access changes are also required.
- Send the complete request to the appropriate Membership Team.
Expected result: The Membership Team will review the request, validate the change as needed, update the applicable membership record, or request additional information if the proposed change cannot yet be verified.
Information to include
Providing complete information helps the Membership Team process the request efficiently and reduces the need for follow-up.
Organization information
- Full legal or recognized organization name
- RBA or RMI membership, as applicable
- Membership type or category, if known
- Company or membership identifier, if known
- Organization website or business domain, if helpful for validation
Current Primary POC
- Full name
- Job title, if known
- Business email address
- Whether the individual is still employed by the organization
- Effective end date, if applicable
Proposed new Primary POC
- Full name
- Job title
- Department or business function
- Business email address
- Business telephone number, if applicable
- Effective date of the change
Secondary POC
If the Secondary POC is also being added or changed, provide:
- Full name
- Job title
- Department or business function
- Business email address
- Business telephone number, if applicable
Reason for the change
A brief explanation is sufficient. Examples include:
- The current POC left the organization.
- The current POC changed roles.
- Membership responsibilities transferred to another department.
- The organization completed an internal restructuring.
- The existing membership record contains incorrect information.
- A new sustainability, compliance, or responsible-sourcing lead was appointed.
Related RBA Online access changes
Indicate whether the current or proposed POC also requires any of the following:
- RBA Online user creation
- Company Administrator access
- Role or permission updates
- Removal or deactivation of the departing user's access
- Transfer of platform responsibilities
- Subscription or facility-access changes
Awareness and approval
As a good account-governance practice, include the currently registered Primary or Secondary POC on the request whenever possible.
This helps:
- Provide awareness of the requested change
- Demonstrate organizational authorization
- Reduce the risk of unauthorized contact changes
- Allow the existing POC to raise questions or concerns
- Support continuity during the transition
- Make the Membership Team's validation process more efficient
Recommended approach
If the current Primary POC is still with the organization, include the Primary POC on the request. If the Primary POC is unavailable, include the current Secondary POC or another authorized organizational representative.
The Membership Team may request additional confirmation when someone who is not a currently registered membership contact submits the request.
If the current POC has left the organization
You may still request a membership POC change if the current Primary POC is no longer available.
In the request:
- Clearly state that the current POC has left the organization or cannot approve the change.
- Provide the departing POC's name and business email address.
- Provide complete information for the proposed replacement.
- Explain your relationship to the organization and authority to request the change.
- Include the current Secondary POC or another authorized representative, if available.
- Indicate whether the departing contact's RBA Online access should also be removed.
Additional validation may be required: If neither the current Primary nor Secondary POC is available, the Membership Team may ask for additional organizational verification before changing the membership record.
Reviewing RBA Online access
If the outgoing membership POC also uses RBA Online, review the person's platform access separately.
Additional action may be required if the outgoing contact is:
- A Company Administrator
- The only RBA Online user associated with the organization
- Responsible for receiving platform tasks or notifications
- Assigned specialized program, assessment, or facility roles
- Responsible for subscription or facility administration
Before requesting access removal
Confirm that:
- A replacement Company Administrator has been identified, if necessary.
- The proposed replacement has an active business email address.
- Important platform responsibilities have been transferred.
- The departing account is no longer required for active business processes.
Do not share an existing user's credentials. Each individual who needs access should use a separately assigned account linked to their authorized business email address.
Request template
Subject: Request to Update Membership Primary Point of Contact - [Organization Name]
Hello,
We would like to update the Primary Point of Contact associated with our [RBA/RMI] Membership.
Organization: [Organization name]
Membership: [RBA/RMI]
Membership or company ID: [ID, if known]
Current Primary POC: [Full name]
Current POC email: [Business email]
Current POC status: [Still with organization/changed roles/departed]
Proposed new Primary POC: [Full name]
Job title: [Title]
Department: [Department or function]
Email: [Business email]
Telephone: [Number, if applicable]
Effective date: [Date]
Secondary POC: [Full name]
Secondary POC email: [Business email]
Reason for change: [Brief explanation]
Our current [Primary/Secondary] POC, [name], has been copied on this request for awareness and confirmation.
Please also review whether the following RBA Online changes are required: [user creation/Company Administrator update/access removal/role update/no platform change].
Thank you.
Where to send your request
RBA Membership
For changes to an RBA Membership Primary or Secondary POC, contact: membership@responsiblebusiness.org
RMI Membership
For changes to an RMI Membership Primary or Secondary POC, contact: rmi@responsiblebusiness.org
RBA Online accounts, access, roles, or subscriptions
For technical support, user-account changes, Company Administrator access, roles, permissions, or RBA Online subscription questions, contact: helpdesk@responsiblebusiness.org
Help us route your request correctly: State whether the request concerns a membership contact change, an RBA Online account or subscription change, or both.
Frequently asked questions
Can I update the membership Primary POC myself in RBA Online?
Submit a membership Primary POC change to the appropriate Membership Team so they can review the membership record and requested authorization.
Is an RBA Online Company Administrator automatically the membership Primary POC?
Not necessarily. A Company Administrator is an RBA Online platform role. The membership Primary POC is a designated contact associated with the organization's membership relationship.
Does changing the membership POC automatically update RBA Online access?
No. Review membership contacts and RBA Online user permissions separately. Clearly state if both records need to be updated.
Does the new membership POC automatically become a Company Administrator?
No. Company Administrator access is a separate platform role and may require an additional account or permission update.
Should the current Primary POC approve the change?
Whenever possible, include the current Primary POC on the request for awareness and confirmation. If the Primary POC is unavailable, include the current Secondary POC or another authorized representative.
What if the current Primary POC has left the organization?
State this clearly in the request and provide the departing POC's information, the proposed replacement's information, and an available Secondary POC or authorized representative who can help validate the change.
What if both the Primary and Secondary POCs have left?
Contact the appropriate Membership Team and explain the situation. The Membership Team may request additional organizational validation before changing the membership record.
Can a personal email address be used for the new POC?
Use an authorized business email address associated with the member organization whenever possible. This helps support organizational validation, continuity, and account security.
Should a departing contact's RBA Online account be deleted?
Ask the RBA Help Desk to review the access. Coordinate removal or deactivation with the designation of a replacement administrator when the departing individual holds important platform responsibilities.
Before submitting your request
Final checklist
- I identified whether this is an RBA or RMI Membership change.
- I provided the organization's full name.
- I provided the current Primary POC's information.
- I provided the proposed new Primary POC's information.
- I included the current Primary or Secondary POC whenever possible.
- I explained why the change is needed.
- I identified the effective date.
- I stated whether any RBA Online access changes are also required.
- I sent the request to the appropriate Membership Team.