STC News

Dues Increasing for 2008

Dear STC Members,

The Society is embarking on some of its most exciting improvements ever--and that's hard to believe considering all the progress we've made in the last few years! But it's true: From the revamped Annual Conference to the soon-to-be-released Salary Database, STC has significantly upgraded its services. 

In fact, many of you sent notes to the STC office saying how much you enjoyed the new, expanded content of our e-mail newsletter, News & Notes. I'm glad to hear it!

But, in STC, just as in the rest of our lives, improved services and normal inflation add costs. So, to support those and other rising expenses and to pay for needed capital improvements to the technology that supports the STC office, STC's Board of Directors decided at its August 2007 meeting to raise membership dues for calendar year 2008.

I’m sure your first question is "how much?" Although it’s approximately 15% for the majority of members, the change does vary according to your location and the category of membership you choose. I've asked the STC office to put together a Q&A titled STC's New Dues Structure. This Q&A also goes into much more detail about those rising expenses I mentioned. 

It’s also natural for members to wonder how their dues are spent. That’s why STC has posted an article titled Where Do My STC Dues Go? As you'll see, even with the increase, STC dues are in line with those of similar organizations.

Chapter presidents and treasurers have already been informed of another Board decision regarding changes to our chapter funding model. If you're interested in the details of how chapters are funded, you can read this message sent recently to chapter leaders. 

If you would like to discuss the dues and funding changes with other members of STC, including STC Board members, I invite you to do so on the STC Member Forum at stcforum.org/viewtopic.php?pid=4182. When you use the discussion topic on the forum, it gives Society leaders a chance to see and respond to all comments.

As a member of the STC Board of Directors, I’m quite proud of the priorities we’ve set, the decisions we’ve made, the financial responsibility we’ve exercised, and the value we’ve delivered to STC members. Decisions to increase dues are never easy, but I am confident that the value you receive for your dues dollars is worth every penny.

I thank each of you for being an important part of this Society that has supported our profession for more than 50 years. The support you give to your Society in turn strengthens our profession.

Linda Oestreich
STC President

2008 STC Technical Communication Summit Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals for the 2008 STC Technical Communication Summit has been announced on the STC website. For more information, see http://www.stc.org/cfp/index.aspx.

The Summit is June 1–4, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.