Regardless of the industry or profession in which you work, you have doubtless been approached by several different business or professional organizations with alphabet-soup designations that could make your head spin. Nowadays, budgets are tight and whether you run your own business or work for someone else, you are probably mindful of justifying membership in and/or attend-ance at these professional organizations and meetings as more than an expense.

First, you should think about your objectives in belonging to one of these groups and going to meetings.

• Is it for business development or networking? Not the same thing.
• Is it for professional development--learning what's new in your field?
• Are you looking to get out of the office once a month or so and meet people--even just to socialize with colleagues and peers?
• Is it a credential to show your committment to your profession?
• Is it to look for your next job?

These are all good reasons to be part of a professional organization. In order to decide the value of these memberships (and you may decide to join more than one group--I did), here are some things to consider.

• Business development is a short-term goal, and can be short-sighted. How much business can I bring in this year to offset the cost of membership and meetings--which can run into hundreds of dollars?
• Networking often has a longer pay-back or return. This pay-back can be new business, referrals to new business, or a new job. Sometimes the returns are received right away--you meet someone, follow up, and it turns into business. YAY! Sometimes it takes years. The main difference between networking and business development is that the former nearly always involves relationship-building. And that takes work.
• When my son was playing youth soccer, he used to say, "I don't have to practice. I know how to play this game." Luckily, he changed his tune a few years later when he was running track, and wound up with a full scholarship to a Division I school, and subsequently, a berth on the US Olympic Team. The lesson here may be obvious, but what the heck: you may think you have nothing new to learn about your profession, but the truth is that there is ALWAYS something to learn. There is always someone new from whom you can learn something. When we stop learning, we begin to decline. That's not good even if you are retired; it's worse if you are still working.
• Being in the office day after day after day can be stifling. It is easy to develop tunnel vision. It can be refreshing (on a number of levels) to get out, meet new people or renew older acquaintances, exchange ideas, and then come back to work, feeling more motivated to dig into whatever you left on your desk. This has a salutary effect that is hard to measure as a benefit to the business, but it is a benefit, nonetheless.
• We all belong to different communities: where we live, where we work, a professional community, a religious community, a sports community. Well, you get the idea. Communities support us on a number of levels; human beings are by nature social and communal. When we eschew that for budgetary reasons, or because we fear leaving the office for a couple of hours, we don't do ourselves any favors.
• About 18 months ago I had the great opportunity to meet two communications professionals in Poland who are at-large members of a professional organization. No chapter, no meetings. I was intensely curious about why they would spend the money to be members. The answer surprised me: in their environment, their profession does not enjoy high esteem. Membership in a professional organization announces that, in fact, it is a profession. It has standards, accreditation, and a large membership. Even here in the US, professional affiliations on a resume or on LinkedIn speak volumes about people's commitment to their profession, and how they see themselves. That has real value, not only individually, but corporately.

It's usually a good idea to examine your own reasons for these kinds of activities, and then if and when you have to justify it, you'll be ready.