What's New at APPA: A 2026 Member Update
The 2026 APPA Conference closed with "What's New from APPA", a tour of new member benefits: new tools for telling your story, filling your vacancies, training your team, benchmarking your operation, and running your chapter, nearly all of it included in your membership. Here is what is waiting for you, and how to use it.
Facilities Manager Magazine
Facilities Manager magazine has been rebuilt as a genuine professional publication with an editorial board, real showcase treatment for campus photography, and an open call for articles and case studies. So far, 74 pieces have run, 30 from educational institutions and another 28 co-authored by institutions and business partners. Each issue draws more than 3,100 reads at an average read time of 8.5 minutes. If your team just wrapped a project worth sharing, submission guidelines are at appa.org.
APPA Careers Center
The APPA Careers Center has been refreshed on a modern platform, and posting prices have been cut in half for members. In a year when nearly every conference session touched the skilled-trades shortage, that is a benefit worth using. Post your open positions at careers.appa.org.
APPA Advisors and the Facilities Management Evaluation Program
APPA Advisors and the Facilities Management Evaluation Program had a record year: 25 Advisors projects and five FMEP engagements, delivering more than 1,800 recommendations in an implementation-plan format rather than a report that sits on a shelf. Targeted assessments, staffing studies, and full organizational reviews are all available. If you are the seasoned professional other campuses should be learning from, you can also apply to become an APPA Advisor.
Facilities Performance Indicators
The Facilities Performance Indicators survey saw a 60 percent jump in participation, which means the peer data behind the FPI 2025 report is deeper than it has ever been. Members can access the summary findings now; participants get the full report and interactive benchmarking dashboard. A new, easier data collection system arrives with the FPI 2026 survey this fall.
Professional Development
Professional development reached 29,695 learning hours this year across the Supervisor's Toolkit, Institute for Facilities Management, Leadership Academy, Invest in Success, and CEFP. The credential itself got meaningfully easier to earn and keep: exams are now proctored online through testing partner Strasz, renewal is a three-year window you can complete any time, and a new learning management system puts on-demand resources in one place.
Two New Courses
AI in Facilities: 101, From Curious to Confident is the hands-on course built on facilities-specific examples and designed for every skill level, including the person on your team who considers themselves "not a tech person." APPA Custodial Guidelines Training offers two on-demand tracks, Custodial Fundamentals for front-line staff and Custodial Management and Leadership for supervisors, under an institution-wide license so you can train the whole department. Both are at appa.org/events.
New Website and Member Tools
A new website, membership database, registration system, and eCommerce platform replaced the previous setup in five months. You can now manage your institution's roster yourself, share administration across team members, and pull invoices without emailing anyone. Event registration prices automatically to your membership status, and a new events app handles check-in and surveys at every APPA event.
Chapter and Regional Support
For chapter and regional volunteers, free technology services now include website hosting, file storage, email, email marketing tools, the APPA brand toolkit, and membership database management. A for-fee tier covers full event setup and onsite coordination. An APPA Community Platform connecting members across the network is coming soon.
For a deeper look at everything covered here, read the full article in the special issue of Facilities Manager magazine. You can also register for State of APPA 2026, a live townhall hosted by APPA President & CEO Lalit Agarwal, on August 27.
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