Whenever I chat with members about NCA, whether virtually throughout the year, at a regional convention, or in the halls between sessions at our Annual Convention, the conversation invariably turns toward member value. Getting perspectives regarding membership value intrigues me as someone who, and I feel confident in saying this, thinks about NCA more than any person in the world.
When I discuss membership value with members and staff, the most common question I receive is: Why should someone renew their membership if they don’t plan on attending the Annual Convention?
Great question!
Members’ reasons for renewing vary, but according to the 2023 member survey, most believe an NCA membership has value.
Overall, I am satisfied with my NCA membership
| Overall, I am satisfied with my NCA membership | |||
| Position | Favorable | Neutral | Unfavorable |
| Emeritus | 79% | 7% | 14% |
| Full-Time/Adjunct Faculty | 61% | 21% | 18% |
| Ph.D. Student | 81% | 14% | 5% |
| Tenured Associate Professor | 53% | 33% | 14% |
| More than 1 role | 70% | 23% | 8% |
| Tenured Full Professor | 53% | 35% | 12% |
| Tenure-Track Assistant Professor | 66% | 20% | 14% |
| Tenure-Track Associate Professor | 57% | 30% | 13% |
| Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor | 69% | 19% | 12% |
There’s room for improvement, but overall, members surveyed have a favorable (Strongly Agree, Agree) view versus an unfavorable (Strongly Disagree, Disagree) view and are “satisfied” with their membership. But do we want members to be satisfied, or should we strive for more? I veer toward the latter, as I believe most of the highly engaged members and volunteer leaders do.
It’s also no surprise that members tie their membership to the convention. I’m sure numerous members consider membership an added fee tied to convention registration. The member survey backs this up.
Importance of reasons for why you are a member of NCA
| Importance of reasons for why you are a member of NCA | ||||
| Reasons | Position | Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
| Attending the Annual
Convention
|
Emeritus | 69% | 24% | 7% |
| Full-Time/Adjunct Faculty | 74% | 16% | 11% | |
| Ph.D. Student | 99% | 1% | 0% | |
| Tenured Associate Professor | 81% | 12% | 7% | |
| More than 1 role | 84% | 13% | 3% | |
| Tenured Full Professor | 87% | 8% | 6% | |
| Tenure-Track Assistant Professor | 91% | 7% | 2% | |
| Tenure-Track Associate Professor | 87% | 11% | 2% | |
| Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor | 88% | 12% | 0% | |
Check out the whopping 99% “Important” response rate from the Ph.D. Student category. But really, all these numbers are high.
So why should you renew your membership with NCA if you do not attend the Annual Convention? What’s the value?
The short and sweet answer is that your membership dollars help connect other members to the Communication Community, which plays a significant factor in membership value.
Importance of reasons for why you are a member of NCA
| Importance of reasons for why you are a member of NCA | ||||
| Reasons | Position | Important | Neutral | Unimportant |
| Connecting with the Communication
Community
|
Emeritus | 91% | 4% | 4% |
| Full-Time/Adjunct Faculty | 66% | 13% | 21% | |
| Ph.D. Student | 92% | 6% | 3% | |
| Tenured Associate Professor | 79% | 14% | 7% | |
| More than 1 role | 84% | 13% | 3% | |
| Tenured Full Professor | 80% | 13% | 7% | |
| Tenure-Track Assistant Professor | 82% | 12% | 6% | |
| Tenure-Track Associate Professor | 76% | 17% | 7% | |
| Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor | 78% | 16% | 6% | |
The list of what NCA provides to enhance the Communication Community is robust. An abbreviated list in no particular order includes:
- NCA’s public programs
- Doctoral Honors Seminar
- Institute for Faculty Development
- Mid-Career Scholar’s Writing Retreat
- Chairs’ Summer Institute
- NCA/Committee on International Discussion and Debate Tour
- Advancing the Discipline Grant
- Research Cultivations Grants
- Communication Pedagogy Grant
- Student Caucus Travel Grants
- volunteer leadership opportunities
- convention planner webinars
- the newly launched Virtual Learning Opportunities (VLOs)
- the newly launched Student Career Week
- COMMNotes
- Inside & Out – NCA’s monthly newsletter
- NCA Social Media Platform (YouTube, X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
- spectra
- Interest Group listservs
- Concepts and Praxis in Communication Video Series
- the currently on pause but under new management NCA Podcast (fingers crossed for a 2025 relaunch!).
- NCA’s Annual Leadership Retreat
- NCA National Awards
- NCA Interest Groups
- Legislative Assembly Meeting
Expenses Breakdown from 2024 Budget
Each item listed above, obviously, comes with an expense. You can see the rough breakdown below. Staff Cost was calculated using task percentage allocations in job descriptions and feedback from staff. It’s a rough estimate, but also, I believe, it’s a conservative estimate.
| Item | Total | Expense | Staff Cost |
| NCA’s Annual Leadership Retreat | $155,000 | $130,000 | $25,000 |
| Legislative Assembly | $90,000 | $75,000 | $15,000 |
| Student Caucus Travel Grant | $105,000 | $90,000 | $15,000 |
| Research Cultivation Grants | $45,000 | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Communication Pedagogy Grant | $45,000 | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Advancing the Discipline Grants | $45,000 | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Doctoral Honor Seminar | $35,000 | $20,000 | $15,000 |
| Institute for Faculty Development | $31,500 | $16,500 | $15,000 |
| Mid-Career Writing Retreat | $31,500 | $16,500 | $15,000 |
| COMMNotes | $17,500 | $2,500 | $15,000 |
| Interest Group Listservs | $13,800 | $3,800 | $10,000 |
| Inside & Out | $22,500 | $2,500 | $20,000 |
| Social Media | $30,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Website / Technology | $239,000 | $194,000 | $45,000 |
| NCA National Awards | $66,500 | $51,500 | $15,000 |
| Interest Group Awards | $70,720 | $50,720 | $20,000 |
| Totals | $1,043,020 | $758,020 | $285,000 |
On average, over the previous five years (excluding 2020 due to COVID) NCA has made roughly $700,000 annually on membership dues.
Breaking down the listed Communication Community opportunities into four categories (Grants, Annual Meetings, Website/Tech/Outreach, and National/Interest Group Awards), you can clearly see how quickly your membership dollars / revenue is exhausted.
The Communication Community list is not exhaustive. I didn’t even mention NCA’s Main Event or this puppy. From the list above, it truly puts me in awe of the National Office staff when looking at everything they do while considering staff size and bandwidth. For 2025, I want to prioritize enhancing and elevating members’ needs to connect with the Communication Community, but it’s vital members understand where funds are being spent comparative to the revenue we generate. Membership dues are not our only revenue stream. BUT, I hope you can use this information to relay to colleagues if you ever hear a question about where membership dollars go.
As you prepare to meet up with colleagues and friends at the Annual Convention, I ask you to consider Communication for Greater Regard as it pertains to membership value and Communication Community. Talk to attendees in the hallways of the Marriott and Sheraton or while you’re at Café du Monde eating beignets and sipping chicory coffee. Ask what more NCA volunteer leadership and staff can do to enhance the Communication Community and increase member value.
My hope is we can clearly define membership value where members recognize renewing is an investment in its members and the future of the field of Communication. We can do this if we work together.
Justin Danowski
NCA Executive Director
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