the Cost of Professional Memberships and Organizations

These are dues for membership in a specialized women's professional business organization. The fee that we pay includes our basic inclusion in the organization, specialized website access, entrance into monthly member events, a link to our business webpage, mention in the online newsletter, attendance to inperson seminars and online webinars, special member rates for services offered by other organization members, and networking opportunities and events.

This group has been incredible, and the membership fees are some of the lowest in comparison to many, many other similar organizations. From chambers of commerce to business networking groups, fees to join can be substantial. We have found this to be one of the most advantageous, and yet, one of the least expensive. This just goes to show that the amount of the fee you pay to join a group is not always congruent to the amount of substance that you will get out of it. Price does not necessarily equal quality!

The basic question a business should ask itself before it joins any kind of organization is: will my benefits outweigh my cost? And I am not just talking about "sales opportunities." The biggest measure of success in an organization of any kind is that you are willing to put in as much effort for the good of the group as you are to extract for yourself. This is VERY important to consider, and really makes the money you spend on joining a professional organization less of an issue that your dedication.