What is the Value in Membership?
Why belong to a trade association? What’s in it for me? These are questions often asked by potential members as their membership and participation in the Tilt-Up Concrete Association are solicited. This came to the forefront recently when a non-member firm asked why their name wasn’t mentioned in a feature article. Quite simply, if it were not for paying members, there would be no story, no magazine, no exposure. We need to protect the value that paying members realize. So what is the value of membership? I’d like to think we could rely on the quote attributed to Teddy Roosevelt (substitute “person” for “man” to make it politically correct):
“Every man owes part of his time and money to the business or industry to which he is engaged. No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve the conditions within his sphere.”
Place a value on the following items and ask yourself, is supporting the TCA worth it?
EXPOSURE – What is the value in an advertisement or in a feature story where your company is named in a magazine that is distributed to over 10,000 contractors, architects, engineers, developer and owners? Display advertising is expensive – in any publication. Another service, the TCA Achievement Awards, is used by many members as an integral part of their promotional efforts. The TCA provides the structure, reputation, and evaluation mechanism that make them possible.
INFORMATION – The technical information presented in our publications has value. The information was either written by or developed under the oversight of the association. Without the TCA, they would not exist. There are discounts provided to members on publications in addition to event registrations, certifications, and numerous other items that can easily equal the cost of membership. The key, of course, is participation. If you don’t attend or participate, you don’t realize the savings.
INDUSTRY SPOKESPERSON – The TCA is constantly involved in spreading the word about the advancements and accomplishments in the industry. As a not-for-profit association our word carries weight with industry and national organizations and publications. When there is negative press about our industry, the TCA also is called upon, coordinating and developing informed responses to challenges If there were no dues-paying members, a vacuum would exist that would be filled with misinformation and innuendo.
CODES, STANDARDS & REGULATIONS – The number of rules and regulations under which we operate our businesses never decreases. Every construction related occurrence, even if it only occurs once or even if it could have been prevented by following existing rules, results in a new rule or requirement to prevent the incident from ever happening again. TCA again comes to the table, reviewing (through members) proposed regulations and stating our case either for or against them. TCA-developed individual and company certification programs are a direct result of requests or requirements from regulatory bodies. Who else would develop these programs – I hesitate (or shudder) to think what they would be like if proposed by entities outside our industry.
NETWORKING – This is often quoted as the most valuable asset of membership. One-on-one interchanges with your peers can introduce you relationships that can save you thousands over the life of your business. People offer ideas and suggestions in the networking environment that you will never get in a public forum.
EDUCATION – The annual fall Convention has grown to be the showcase event for the Association. Engaging and informative seminars; demonstrations; product displays; and, of course, networking. If you don’t learn enough at this event to pay for the cost several times over, you simply weren’t paying attention. TCA also develops educational programs for delivery by staff and by our members.
And this is just the beginning. You see, your support does make a difference! If you are on the fence, step on over. If you can’t see the fence, call us and we can guide you.
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