The Advantages and Benefits of Professional Association Memberships

For many that belong to a professional association, they often take advantage of nothing more than listing the organization at the bottom of their resume.  There are reasons for this…..many of these people are incredibly busy with their careers.   They might be starting their first job, getting promoted into a more demanding position, or traveling a large percentage of the time.   I’ve heard others use these reasons.  I include myself in this group.  From my perspective, there is no harm done by varying ones levels of participation in an association.  It is only natural as one progresses through their career.  I do recommend maintaining key memberships to associations that are relevant to your professional and industry skills.   The world is rapidly changing and it doesn’t take long to fall out of touch with what is happening in your profession.  If you maintain your membership on an on-going basis, the odds are much higher that your participation will increase over time simply by being easily accessed.

For working professionals who want to expand their knowledge of their industry and develop new skills, joining a professional association can be a great way to do it. There are endless associations and sub-associations focused on your professional discipline.  Examples being:

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• American Marketing Association (AMA)
• The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
• AITP – Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
• the list goes on and on

These organizations can be beneficial for both career and personal development, and they can help you stay on top of what’s happening in your industry.  The advantages and benefits are endless!   I’ve read lots of articles recently that highlights benefits such as training materials, networking, national publications, professional development and certifications (one of my favorites), etc.     Here is one of the best lists that I found (“From the Office”, Michael Taylor, USECA Newsletter, August 2003)

• Large and prestigious organizational connections
• Access to the leadership in the industry
• Professional networking at local, regional, national, and international levels
• National publications
• Opportunity to attend Regional Conferences and National Congresses
• National, regional, and local seminars, workshops, and symposiums
• Professional Certification opportunities
• Web Sites – resources about the industry on the Internet
• Published and Internet Job Listings; service for members to post their resumes
• National and Local Awards and Honors • Programmatic Accreditation for colleges and universities
• Discounted merchandise rates
• Apprenticeship and Intern Programs

The article encourages you to ask yourself the following questions when choosing an association:

What are you hoping to accomplish?

Is this about furthering your career? Is this about growing your business?

Is it a social objective, or is it truly a professional objective?

I encourage you to belong to at least two organizations, one that will keep your skills “fresh” professionally and one to keep you connected locally or within your industry.    Nearly all associations will provide you with an endless stream of information (tweets, chats, on-line groups, discussions, etc).  At some point, you will find yourself reading their publications, attending a national conference, or joining a local networking happy hour.  I have used the Institute of Management Accounts national publications to get ideas for training topics for my staff at regional meetings.   I forward electronic newsletters from the American Associate of Public Accountants to peers when a topic is relevant to our business.   You will be surprised how easy it is to be active and to benefit from your membership.  You will gain professionally, and if your lucky, your company will reimburse you the membership fees if relevant to your role with the company.   Spoken like a true accountant.

Be Active!

Best,

Randy

Randy Moreau of the "Moreau" Doctrine