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Becoming a Member
Date: 07/27/97Shelling out $20 here and $30 there for membership in organizations can be taxing and sometimes memberships are even more costly. Often consumers wonder "What is in it for me?" The simple answer is usually a newsletter, or a journal, and announcements of events within the organization. Because most organizations use membership fees to help offset their operating costs, you will not usually receive a gift equal in dollar value to the price of the membership. But this is not always the case. I belong to one organization which grants members a small discount at local businesses. I have easily paid for this membership with the money I have saved on these discounts.
The more complicated answer to "What is in it for me?" depends on what you put into it. The more involved you become, the more you will get out of the organization. Involvement takes on many shapes including writing letters advocating positions of the organization, corresponding with the officers of the organization, volunteering for special projects, and attending meetings. For me, the two most important benefits are being informed and the people connection. This is the age of information. I want to know what is happening and who is involved in making the decisions. Also, meeting people at organization events is a powerful advantage. The people connections is one reason why business men have a long history of joining civic organizations. Advocates for midwifery need to take notice of the often over-looked avenue of community networking.
Midwifery is a political career. Midwives and consumers, who are interested in maintaining the option of midwifery care, need to be involved in organizations. Which organizations to join? There are so many. In addition to professional midwifery organizations and midwifery support organizations, networking with other organizations can develop important connections in furthering the advancement of midwifery. Examples of other groups are women's organizations, religious organizations, public health organizations, and environmental organizations. Of course, it is impossible to join and be active in every organization. I recommend joining the professional organizations, at least one consumer organization and one other non-midwifery organization. It is not necessary to be a midwife to join the professional organizations. In fact, membership is less expensive for consumers. Consumers members, however, do not have all of the privileges of midwife members. Don't forget to bring the midwifery message to the organizations that are not midwifery-focused. Please share your experiences with organizational networking, so that we can all benefit from the experiences of the group.