Member Benefits

What are the benefits of membership in NSCSS?

I am actually surprised that this is even a question by peer professionals. I guess when you are questioned on January 19th, perhaps you can ask how many organizations have written thousands of dollars in matching support for state lobbying efforts to maintain their state licensing program. How many organizations are committed to thousands of dollars in yearly scholarship awards? How many organization step up and write letters of support for professional Soil Scientists licensing, registrations and certifications to protect them and the public from Soil Pretenders? How many organizations have members that take time out of their professional lives to call, write and provide testimony when our profession is under fire? And how many national organizations are there that directly represents Consulting Soil Scientist Professionals within SSSA, the NCSS, The Council of Soil Science Examiners, the Committee on Accreditation, and the list goes on....

Membership to the National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists costs 27 cents a day. Let's see what 27 cents a day gets you: 1/10 of a cup of coffee. 14% of the daily cost of your cable or satellite TV. A part of a pack of gum. A single phone call. An eighth of a gallon of gas. A really cheap tip. 4 tea bags.

We become members not JUST because it is of benefit to our personal income stream, though I can demonstrate for anyone that shows up at our meetings or my business seminar the tremendous difference between being a member and not being a member. In fact, when was the last time you got an example of a contract or proposal from your "competition?" When was the last time someone shared with you their fee structure and profitability spread for various services? And when was the last time you got really useful advice on business efficiency? Probably at one of our meetings or through discussions with an NSCSS member.

To paraphrase James Brown, the founder of the organization, We become members because we recognize that as individuals we have limited influence when it comes to political impacts to our profession. As business owners we have significantly more influence when we speak up. But as a professional business organization we speak with a much larger and influential voice.

In membership we receive information on the issues that can affect your success and opportunities and income as a business owner. In membership we have dozens of our professional peers who can share with us discoveries, experiences, and errors that we have made that can save you from the cost, embarrassment, and time of having to reinvent the wheel when you want to try something new. In membership you find others that have gone through and are going through the same things that you are experiencing and people from whom you can get advice, support, and solace.
In membership you are declaring that you agree to abide by the professional standards that ensure our clients, regulators, and society that we can be trusted.

I guess my position is that if one cannot define, much less recognize the benefits of belonging, participating and adhering to the standards of this professional peer business organization, other than looking for a list of prizes or rewards, as if we were nothing more than an airline membership benefits program, then the organization is better off with just those of us that recognize that 27 cents a day is a pretty good deal for the benefit of having the connection and commitment of professionals that truly understand the business of Soil Science, and are always there when they are asked for help.

The NSCSS, and my involvement and interaction with the members over the last 20 odd years, has had more influence on the success of my business and my professional advancement than any organization I belong to. Maybe it is time for those that ask "what is my 27 cents a day doing for me" to ask how much they are willing to do for themselves by taking advantage of the connections you have as a member by being more than someone that drops a check in the mail once a year. The NSCSS is the members, and your interaction with your fellow members is the biggest benefit of all.