Membership Has It's Privileges
by Selene Tash, CASLPA President
Nearly two decades ago I entered my professional field. At
that time I did not consciously consider the reasons to belong
to my provincial and national associations. I just did so. It
just seemed the right, logical, and professional thing to do.
My view of the benefits of membership has changed over the years.
In the early years of my career I was interested in those benefits
that were most relevant to me personally. At that point in my
career I was still seeing the smaller picture and focusing on
what my associations could do for me as an individual. I was
interested in publications and the ability to stay abreast of
news, research and, of course, job opportunities. My provincial
association offered a local spin on activities; CASLPA a national
one. The primary draw for my membership with CASLPA was certification
and the maintenance of this gold standard.
As I grew and matured as a professional, so did my view of the
purpose of the associations, my membership and its benefits.
As the breadth and depth of my understanding of my profession
and the clients that I served expanded, issues such as advocacy
for clients and public relations activities to increase consumer
knowledge of my profession became of paramount importance. Again,
recognizing that both the provincial and national associations
had a role to play in these activities, I maintained my commitment
to the work of both of these organizations and demonstrated
this commitment through my membership.
In the last six years, I decided to take my commitment to my
associations one step further. I had the privilege of serving
as provincial president for two years, and then most recently
as CASLPA president. It was and is within these experiences
that the realities of the cost of advocacy and public relations
campaigns became evident. It became clearer yet, that unless
there was a solid and substantial membership base, the funds
would not be available to undertake these important activities.
The importance of my membership as an individual both provincially
and nationally was confirmed; resources are necessary for both
associations to engage in public relations activities that,
respectively, are local and national in nature.
But membership is about something much more. Membership is about
a commitment to a profession I love and believe in. It is about
a pledge to support, grow, develop and nurture my profession.
It is through my membership that I proclaim my commitment. It
is through membership that I have a voice and a vote. It is
through membership that I am provided the opportunity to influence
the evolution of my profession. And it is through your membership
that you may achieve the same.
You may not be in a position to volunteer your time or energy
to your provincial or national boards or committees, but at
least speak through your membership. Allow your voice to be
heard.
