A few weeks ago, I emailed members (and those who were thinking of joining) regarding big changes in IWOC’s membership fees and levels. In case you missed it, following is a reprint.

In the interest of streamlining, making it a better value, and just plain common sense, joining and renewing your IWOC membership will now be simpler and more advantageous to you than ever. 

The changes:

1. There will be only two membership levels: Professional and Student.

2. Everyone who will be joining or renewing their membership will be doing so as a Professional Member. The annual Professional Member fee will now be lowered to $85, with no limit as to the number of Specialty and Expertise listings you choose -- at no extra cost. For current Professional Members, even before your time to renew, you can now log into your profile, click "edit" and make any changes (add listings, etc.) as you see fit.

3. If you're currently an Associate Member, when you renew you'll be automatically re-upped to Professional, enabling you to not only list any area(s) of expertise and specialties, but you can tell the world about yourself, what sort of writing you do, etc. in the "Summary" and "Details" sections that have always been provided in the Professional Member category. If you're, say, a book author and not interested in freelance work, you can also use the "Details" space to say you're looking for a collaborator, an editor -- whatever! Plus, you'll be able to post writing samples -- all features that have been available to Professional Members, of which you will be a part. 

4. Student Level will remain $40/yr. No online listings, but our meetings and resources, mentoring and more will be accessible for free.

The changes are now activated. We hope you are as enthusiastic about them as we are. We believe they will help you create a fuller, more colorful picture of who you are and all you have to offer. 

Not a member? Read the benefits and click here to join. Any questions? Feel free to contact me at president@iwoc.org.

  -- Laura Stigler