ABSTRACT
Professional societies play a vital role in every discipline as they function to serve the individual interests of their members, represent their collective interests, and communicate information about the discipline to a wider audience. Professional societies can be viewed as individual membership organizations because professionals pay annual dues to join these organizations. Individuals join professional societies for the career opportunities accompanying membership, and many join more than one society. These opportunities include attending conferences at reduced costs, subscribing to journals, gaining leadership experience, and access to professional networks. Most professionals state their reasons for joining as gaining access to the most up-to-date information in their profession and networking with colleagues about common challenges, problems, and solutions.
