Does an entrepreneurs association count?

Key answer

By one member's database, associations rarely pass: out of a hundred RFEs they were accepted in about six cases, because people add memberships that do not meet the requirements. Officers are trained to look for outstanding-achievement wording in the charter, and the vast majority of association RFEs say the charter lacks it; letters and the website do not replace the charter. A marketers guild with ordinary personal membership does not count for the criterion, but it can be listed among other achievements or support the leading-role criterion through a letter from it. There is no list of bulletproof associations; the choice is individual.

Community answers

The answers below are translated from the original Russian - the language of the community chats.

In one case, there was an RFE, and the association was acknowledged; in the second case, we do not know since there was no RFE. If there were a list of concrete associations for different fields, submitting petitions would be much simpler. The choice of associations, like that of media, scientific publications, and judging, is purely individual. Associations are rarely counted in RFE: I looked in my database, and out of a hundred cases, they were accepted only six times. People often add associations to their cases, even if they do not meet the requirements.
Only personal membership does not meet the criteria: your marketing guild is not counted, even though it is useful. You can mention it in other achievements after listing all criteria, or it can fit nicely into a leading role: get a letter from them, and it will be excellent.
We have already encountered cases where information from the website was attempted to substitute for the charter. It did not work. USCIS officers are trained to identify phrases about outstanding achievements in association charters. If it works without this, consider yourself very lucky. Letters and other evidence do not replace the charter. In all RFEs related to associations, in 94 out of 100, it is stated that the necessary phrases are absent in the charter.
The charter may not include it, but it might be mentioned somewhere on the website, or shown through current members: here are some impressive individuals, clearly not just ordinary people. In general, it's worth a try. I am more concerned about cases where the association genuinely fits but cannot be sufficiently detailed—then it will not be acknowledged.
Information about exceptional achievements can be sought in the rules of the associations themselves; they likely mention something similar. Additionally, in recommendation letters, it is worth noting what good associations these are. See who would be relevant to add this information, and then the petition will include a phrase like: this association is reputable, as evident from the website and this person's letter.

The answers are anonymized community experience from the public chats, not legal advice. Officers may decide similar cases differently.

Why "Membership" gets refused

Accepted in 12% of challenged petitions (22 of 188); not an approval rate.

The entry requirements do not amount to outstanding achievement. A fee, years of experience, a degree or a member’s referral is not the threshold this criterion demands.

All refusal grounds and the sample

Sources

All questions on: Association membership All questions on: Founders and business All questions on: EB-1A All questions on: O-1 visa

Does an entrepreneurs association count?

Community answers

Why "Membership" gets refused

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