A prospective member asked, “What do I get for my $50 if I join NSNC?” NSNC President Ben Pollock tackled the question and his spontaneous, off-the-cuff answer was so sensible that we decided to share it for the benefit of others who might wonder.
President Pollock said:
This is an old, hard-to-explain deal, and we consider it essentially every year.
This is a society, association — what someone “gets” are mostly intangibles. You don’t pay your dues and become a “patron” like at the local museum where you get discount admission and a free annual wine reception.
The main thing a member gets is the belonging. You network with bona fide columnists and experienced bloggers. You learn about writing, research and marketing your work through our social media, website, member-only newsletter and discounted admission to the conference — which also are networking avenues.
Hundreds of finalists in the NSNC column contest (discounted entry fee for members) continue to boast for years they won, even if it was just Honorable Mention — it’s a prize valuable enough to promote in your publications or speech introductions.
By belonging you get to list NSNC membership on your “About” page, your resume, or anywhere you need to boast how you’re interested in being professional, interested in continually improving your writing.
By being on the journalism end of the writing profession, NSNC membership shows you care about ethics, fairness, and openness.
Different members might have other reasons why they value membership in NSNC. If you have a response to share, we invite you to post it in the comments section.
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