Our organization develops internal medicine examinations through the expertise of highly engaged physician subject matter experts (SMEs) who are not compensated. Item writer retention has been a longstanding priority, as ongoing participation strengthens expertise and prepares individuals for leadership roles in exam development. Through a guided discussion with other SME managers, we would like to share our scalable strategies for sustaining volunteer item writer engagement while learning how other organizations maintain an engaged group of item writers. This session is intended for SME managers who support exam development and are looking for methods to build strong relationships, foster collaboration, and maintain SME involvement throughout the exam development process. The session is also ideal for the SME manager who has successful approaches to SME retention to share with the group.