Information for Consideration of Membership Increase
Business Meeting, Annual Conference, October, 2017
Current Membership Rate:
$40 annually (membership runs from conference to conference; though recent changes to the website and infrastructure mean membership will run annually based on the date that you enroll)
Last membership increase:
no record in the existing archives
Proposed Increase:
$10
Other organizations have considerably higher membership rates. ATTW is $79 and it is the lowest of other organizations (such as SIGDOC, IEEE PCS, CCCC).
Why we should consider raising the membership rate?
CPTSC has two primary sources of revenue: annual membership dues and revenues from the annual conference (if applicable). Unlike other organizations, we do not have a revenue stream from publications and with our membership dues so low we are therefore limited in what we can and cannot do.
Four items came to the forefront that has prompted me to bring this issue to the Executive Committee.
1) Website Infrastructure
We need to improve our infrastructure for the website. The current website update (approved by the EC) involved increasing our annual maintenance rate. This increase was to pay for services and security so that we can run
- add functionality to collect membership online
- run our own conference registration, which is one the largest of the conference costs (saving us money)
- attach an open journal software system that will provide much needed infrastructure for Programmatic Perspectives (PP). In its review of the journal, the PP committee recommended this and it will also get us inline with current OA journals for sustainability.
- Provide a CMS option so that we can better manage our day-to-day online communication needs and archive our vast amount of materials in one, secure place.
An improved website presence is key to a number of initiatives
- membership drive
- adding resources that would increase value of membership
- housing of TechComm Programmatic Central (which is the extensive database of information about programs in the US)
- marketing of our evaluation service (which is starting to undergo a revision)
2) Programmatic Perspectives
If the membership wants to maintain the journal, then it has to be supported. One of the primary reasons for considering a membership rate increase is to ensure we have funding to support the journal. The PP committee made it clear that the organization’s support needed to be enhanced to make the journal viable. Costs associated with the journal (outside of web hosting) include editing, maintenance of the OJS.
3) Maintain Current Initiatives without dipping into reserves
Generally, an organization should spend no more than 6% of what they have in reserves. Over the last several years, we have managed to raise our reserves. Thus, a slight increase in membership will ensure that we can continue to fund the grants program (which is the only grant program specific to TPC and will be relaunched this year), the diversity scholarship, host the annual conference, and maintain Programmatic Perspectives. All of which provide value to our membership.
4) Potentially add a new (moderately priced) Initiative
Up to this point, we have not been able to consider new initiatives. It could be possible that with this small increase in membership fees that we could consider some fabulous new idea from this group or submitted by the membership.
This is an initial conversation that needs to be thoroughly vetted because this change would take a constitutional change.