PRSA’s Proposed 2012 Dues Increase By Sarah Siewert

Diahnn Henderson 4 Comments

By now you may have heard the news that, after 10 years without a dues increase, PRSA’s Board of Directors will be introducing a motion at this year’s Leadership Assembly at International Conference in Oct. to raise the cost of PRSA membership. As your chair, I would like to get your feedback so I can best represent our Section when voting on this important matter –please read the rationale and what this means for us below. I look forward to your feedback.

The rationale

This blog post, written by PRSA Treasurer Philip Tate, APR, announces the proposed increase and presents the rationale behind it. In his post, Philip explains why the increase is necessary; details the cost-control and revenue generation steps that were taken in an attempt to avoid an increase; and previews the type of Member benefits that the dues increase is intended to provide for you and for all PRSA members.

What this means for New Pros

First, it’s important to note that associate memberships will NOT be impacted by the dues increase motion. Associate memberships will remain in the same price structure:

    • PRSSA member who graduated within the past two years or a graduate student: $60
    • Graduate students: $60
    • Less than one year of experience in public relations (NOT a former PRSSA member): $115
    • With one to two years of experience in public relations (NOT a former PRSSA member): $155

If you are a Section member with two or more years of experience, you WILL be impacted by the dues increase. If the motion is passed, general memberships will change by $30 annually:

    • Current annual membership fee for general members: $225
    • Proposed annual membership fee for general members: $255

If APPROVED, PRSA National is considering offering all Webinars for FREE to PRSA member. This represents nearly $2,000 in annual savings for members who participate in one PRSA webinar per month. In addition, passage of the dues increase will allow PRSA to implement loyalty marketing programs based on member involvement. This means you will receive even more value for your PRSA membership, just by being an active member.

Input needed

Please take a moment to read the post and give us your feedback. I look forward to engaging with you through the comment section below, or through our Twitter ( @PRSANewPros) and Facebook (/PRSANewPros) accounts. You also may feel free to contact me directly at sarah.siewert@kemperlesnik.com.