System Membership

How many times have you been asked to join an association or asked why do you belong to an association, or “what can an association do for me?”

Theodore Roosevelt put it very aptly when he said:

“Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business of industry to which he is engaged. No man has the moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”

Since it costs money to belong to an association, it is logical to ask, “What can an association do for me?”

You will find the answer to this question listed under System Benefits. But before you read that section, remember there are certain functions and services that an association acting in concert with its membership can perform, but to be successful in its efforts, the association requires the physical support and involvement of its members. It needs the collective thinking of all concerned to formulate plans, and it requires the physical effort of its membership to put those plans into action.

But there is more than that to association benefits. One which is a pure bonus, is the benefit of knowledge coming one’s way because of membership. Given equal cost and service, association members just naturally prefer to do business with those who share the load of maintaining their operation. Many have found this “fringe benefit” will more than offset dues and other costs of participation.