Running a not-for-profit organization (was The Business of Confer ences)

["Bailie, Rahel" <r_bailie -at- trillium -dot- com>]

Andrew Plato said:

>>STC is a racket. It is predominantly wage slaves who get their employers
to
pay.  As such STC does not accurately represent tech writing because many
independents, like myself, want nothing to do with STC.  

STC is disrespected professional society from its own members.  Imagine how
the
outside world sees STC?  Most people haven't a clue such an organization
exists.  For a profession struggling to gain respect in the workplace, STC
is
doing very little to help.
>>

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but please do not assume that
all
STC member disrespect our professional association. Do not assume that
potential employers discount the value that participation in one's
professional 
association memberships bring -- whether that be STC, IEEE, IABC, or any of
the
other associations that exist for professional communicators. We recognize
that
STC works on the same basis as other professional associations (IABC comes
to 
mind), but is significantly less costly and delivers superior
value-per-dollar.

Anyone who has worked or volunteered in the not-for-profit sector recognizes
that there are costs to running an organization, and that an organization
with
over 20,000 members won't run unless membership fees cover costs of
operation.
We -- most of us, anyhow -- are not naive enough to think that this
professional
association will operate with a couple of volunteers spending 40 hours/week
stuffing photocopies into the 600,000 SASEs provided by members for the
year's
mailings.

Perhaps a telling interview question would be "What do you think of
professional
associations such as STC?" Weeding out those who don't "get it" could be
done
right up front.

Rahel Bailie
*my opinions are my own*



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