How We Measure Up

by Jordie Rutledge

Perhaps you were wondering where STC stands in comparison to other professional organizations in related areas. Well, we’re probably just where we should be in our membership pricing and way above in our membership value. The descriptions and chart in this article give you a comparison of some various organizations in which you might be interested.

American Society for Indexing (ASI)

About: ASI is a nonprofit organization founded to increase awareness of the value of well-written indexes. Members range from indexers to librarians, editors, publishes, technical writers, researches, and more.

Mission: “We advocate, educate, and provide the central resource for indexing.”

Local Chapters Available: Southeast Chapter (www.asindexing.org/chapters-and-sigs/chapters/chapter-meetings-and-contacts)

Benefits:

• Discounts on publications, conferences, and workshops.
• Affiliated with the Society for Technical Communication (STC).
• Option to market business through ASI Membership Directory.
• Discount rates to annual conference.
• Subscription to Key Words: The Bulletin of the American Society for Indexing.
• asindexing.org/joinrenew-asi/join-now/

 

Association for Talent Development (ATD)

About: ATD’s primary focus is professional development by providing researching, analysis, online information and more. ATD also brings professionals together through conferences, workshops, and virtual communities.

Mission: “Empower professionals to develop knowledge and skills successfully.”

Local Chapters Available: Central Florida Chapter (www.cfc-astd.org)

Benefits:

• Subscription to T+D magazine and one issue of TD at Work.
• Access to premium content in up to four key interest areas.
• One e-book per year.
• Access to webcasts, whitepapers, State of the Industry report, and career resources.
• Discounts to ATD Conferences and certificate programs.
• td.org/Members/Become-a-Member

 

Association of Business Process Management Professionals (ABPMP)

About: ABPMP is a nonprofit organization focused on the advancement of business process management concepts and practices. They provide events for members to continue their own education and to share best practices and new ideas with fellow members.

Mission: “The mission of ABPMP International is: to engage in activities that advance the practice of business process management, to promote and evolve a Common Body of Knowledge in this field, to foster the development and advancement of the skills and competencies of the professionals who work in this discipline, to validate the professional qualifications and certify BPM practitioners.”

Local Chapters Available: Tampa Chapter (www.abpmp.org/?page=North_America_Chap)

Benefits:

• Free copy of BPM Common Body of Knowledge.
• Discount to conferences, training, products, and services.
• Access to more areas of the website (depends on membership level).
• Option to attend special professionals events
• abpmp.org/?page=Join_ABPMP

 

IEEE Professional Communication Society

About: IEEE is a professional association focused on technological innovation. It has thirty-eight societies that divide IEEE amongst a wide range of technical interests, the Professional Communication Society (PCS) being one of them.

Mission: “To foster a community dedicated to understanding and promoting effective communication in engineering, scientific, and other technical environments.”

Local Chapters Available: IEEE Orlando Section (ewh.ieee.org/r3/orlando/)

Benefits:

• Access to the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication quarterly journal.
• Training podcasts.
• Discount to annual International Processional Communication Conference.
• ieee.org/membership/

 

International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)

About: ISPI is an organization focused on the performance improvement of workers in order to increase competitiveness. Their goal is to help members give something back to their profession though the successful alignment of the work, the worker, and the workplace.

Mission: “ISPI and its members use evidence-based performance improvement research and practices to effect sustainable, measurable results and add value to stakeholders in the private, public, and social sectors.”

Local Chapters Available: Central Florida Chapter (www.ispicfc.com)

Benefits:

• Access to online community.
• Access to over two dozen recorded webinars.
• Job bank and career services.
• Subscriptions to several publications including PerformanceXpress, Performance Improvement journal, and the weekly Performance Digest.
• ispi.org/content.aspx?id=168

 

Society for Technical Communication (STC)

About: STC is the largest and oldest professional organization focused specifically on the technical communication industry. It is there to provide members with the latest information and tools needed to advance in their practice.

Mission: “The Society for Technical Communication advances technical communication as the discipline of transforming complex information into usable content for products, processes, and services.”

Local Chapters Available: Orlando Central Florida Chapter (www.stc-orlando.org)

Benefits:

• Access to online publications including Intercom, Technical Communication, and TechComm Today.
• Access to the online salary database.
• Access to job bank—members get a 14-day advance to new postings.
• Free on-demand seminars as well as live web seminars.
• Online courses available where participants can earn a certificate of completion.
• Mentorship program available to student members.
• stc.org/join-or-renew-top

 

User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

About: UXPA is an organization meant to bring together professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who research, design, and evaluate user experience of products and services. Their main goal is to create better services, products, and working through usability.

Mission: “The User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) supports people who research, design, and evaluate the user experience of products and services.”

Local Chapters Available: UPAX Central Florida (uxpa.org/chapter/florida-uxpa-central-florida)

Benefits:

• Access to salary survey
• Access to mentorship program
• Discounts to partner organization events
• Discounts on some user experience products and services
• uxpa.org/membership

Yearly Dues for Professional Communication Organizations

Organization	Regular	Student	Young Professional/ Recent Graduate	Retiree/Senior
American Society for Indexing (ASI)	$175	N/A	N/A	N/A
Association for Talent Development (ATD)	$229	$75	$199(Age 30 or younger)	$90
Association of Business Process Management Professionals (ABPMP)	$150	$40	N/A	N/A
IEEE Professional Communication Society	$224($193 IEEE dues + $31 society level dues)	$48($32 IEEE dues + $16 society level dues)	N/A	N/A
International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)	$195	$95	$75(Age 25 or younger)	$95
Society for Technical Communication (STC)	$250($225 STC dues + $25 chapter level dues)	$75	$160(Graduated within past 3 years)	$145
User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)	$69(Or $139 for more benefits)	$35	N/A	N/A