When Are You Renewing Your Membership?

Guess what? Your 2007 STC membership expires in about two months. It's time to renew!

When you think about it, it seems as though you just renewed…oh, no more than three or four months ago, doesn't it? But the year is almost over, and it's time to take a hard look at what you want, what you get, and what you can reasonably be expected to pay for what you get from a professional organization like STC.

What You Want

You were clear about your expectations in the member survey Marce Epstein conducted last summer. In short, you said you wanted:

• Professional development and networking
• Moral support from others in the field
• Information about specific, career-enhancing topics

What You're Getting (New Stuff!)

• More money flowing down from STC to the communities. Under the new chapter funding model approved by the Board in August 2007, STC chapters will get more money per member than before. This means SWO can do more things for you, like improved programs and career-enhancing services.
• Information that can mean money in your pocket. STC has hired economist Rick O’Sullivan to produce a comprehensive salary database for technical writers based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey of 1.25 million business establishments. The new database is more wide ranging and statistically valid than STC’s old salary survey. And it will—for the first time—give you salary data broken down by industry as well as geography.
• Representation in an increasingly competitive market. STC is working to influence the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to replace the outdated definition of technical writer in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system with a new definition of technical communicator. The SOC definitions are used in the BLS salary survey, which is sent to 1.25 million business establishments. The BLS also governs what is published in the Occupational Handbook, the prime reference source for career counselors, educators, and guidance counselors nationwide. If the SOC definition changes, so will the labor market measures and the advice that the DOL gives job seekers. If successful, STC’s efforts will significantly raise the stature of the profession.
• An international model of action. STC’s efforts with the DOL (as described above) are attracting the attention of technical communicators in the U.K. They want to influence the British government in a similar way, and look to STC’s efforts as a blueprint. In this sense, STC is setting a course for the profession both within and outside the U.S.
• Streamlined services. STC has invested in upgrades to the technology that supports the day-to-day work of running a nonprofit association. In short, we’ve supplied the STC office staff with the tools they need to do their jobs more effectively. While not a direct new benefit to members, these upgrades will allow the STC office staff to provide improved services that will result in increased member satisfaction.
• Better national communication. The STC office recently relaunched its e-mail newsletter, News & Notes, expanding it to include industry news briefs on topics of interest to technical communicators.  

What Will All This Cost Me?

Well, you gets what you pays for. Dues are going up–about $25 per year for most (about 75 percent) of STC members. The other 25% of the membership will see more or less, depending on their circumstances. You can determine how much you'll have to invest by using this chart. 

For more information about how STC uses your dues money and why you'll have to pay a little more this year, check this article.

Is STC Worth It?

Worth the money? Yes. From a Senior Member's mouth:

Looking back over my five years of membership in STC, I can see how my investment of time, energy, and dues has given me so much value. I have developed new skills and refined existing talents through my participation in various SIG discussion lists, live Web seminars, conferences, and leadership roles. The latest return on investment I received was being personally headhunted for a new job—which became mine on August 1 this year. I am the one with the job, but I could not have reached this point in my career without years of support from my STC communities.
- Karen Mardahl, Comanager, AccessAbility Special Interest Group
(reprinted from the October issue of Tieline)

So…if you're waiting for a special invitation, this is it! RENEW for 2008!