Membership FAQs

Application Process

 How do I join? Individuals may join online or complete and submit a paper application to membership@stc.org or via fax to +1 (703) 522-2075. See dues pricing.

When does my membership expire? STC membership is based on a calendar year. All memberships expire on 31 December. 

 If I join mid-year, will my dues be prorated? Yes. For those joining or renewing after 31 January, dues are calculated by multiplying the monthly dollar amount by the number of months remaining in the year (including the month in which you join). See proration chart. The deadline for joining or renewing membership for the current year is Sept. 15.

How do I get a receipt for my dues and my membership card? Receipts can be downloaded by logging into www.stc.org and selecting "Receipt/Membership Card" found under the "MySTC" tab. Please allow 48 hours for all receipts requested via email.

Membership Information

 How can I update my member contact information? Member information may be updated by logging into stc.org and selecting “General Information” found under the “MySTC” tab.

 Are my dues tax deductible? Your dues may be tax deductible. More information can be found at: http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now/1169-deduct-your-dues.

 How can I pay my dues? Members may pay online when joining or renewing. Payments may also be mailed to: The Society for Technical Communication, 9401 Lee Highway, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22031.

 Does STC offer discounted memberships? STC offers several discounted memberships for students, recent graduates and retired members. See dues rates.

Eligibility requirements:

Retired membership. You must be a member with STC for 10 consecutive years, be 65 years of age or older, and work, on average, 20 hours per week or less.

Student membership. To be eligible for student membership, an applicant must be enrolled in an accredited university, college, community college, or technical school; taking at least two courses or their equivalent each term; and preparing for a career in technical communication.

New TC Professional membership. You must have graduated from a technical communication program with in the last three years.

How do I get a refund on my membership dues?
Because the full range of STC products and services available to members immediately upon joining or renewing, STC dues are nonrefundable.

 How do I cancel my membership?
You may cancel your membership at any time by contacting STC Member Services at +1 (703) 522-4112 or membership@stc.org.

 How do I become a Senior Member? A senior member shall be any individual who has been a regular member of the Society for five consecutive years.

 What is the deadline for renewing my membership? Memberships run on a calendar-year basis and expire 31 December. Access to 2012 membership benefits (including members-only resources and events and member pricing) will be extended until 15 January. Members who fail to renew on or before 28 February 2013 will have a membership status of “cancelled” and will be ineligible to vote in the STC elections. The deadline to reinstate your membership for the current year is Sept. 15.

 Communities

Can I resign my National Membership in favor of Chapter-only Membership? No. You must first join STC before joining an STC Chapter or Special Interest Group.

 I get most of the value from STC through my local Chapter. Why do I need to pay more for National dues? STC Chapters are a tremendous resource and consistently rank among the most highly valued assets among our members. However, the value chapters offer would not be feasible without constant financial and operational support from STC. Aside from the major intangible benefits available to all STC members—educational and professional development seminars, the STC Conference, and others—there is significant infrastructure support involved in managing a chapter. Without STC National to help offset the costs of this infrastructure, some chapters would not exist and others would be hampered in their ability to serve members. The relationship between STC and chapters is a mutually-beneficial partnership, and one that needs to remain intact in order to advance the value of STC and advance every member’s value as a technical communication professional.

 How can I join a chapter or special interest group? Membership in STC is a requirement for adding a secondary membership in a chapter or SIG. Unless included in your membership level, chapters are $25 each and SIGs are $10 each. Current members who wish to join a community, please call +1 (703) 522-4114 with payment information and your community selection. Complete list of chapters and SIGs (hyperlink).

 Technical Troubleshooting

The system does not recognize by user id/password. What should I do? Please contact us at +1 (703) 522-4114.  Do not create a new user id. This may result in the creation of a duplicate record, which may negatively impact the calculation of your years of service.

Why won’t my dropdown feature work? You may encounter this issue if you are using Internet Explorer 7.0. Please try using another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox. If this does not correct the problem, please complete the hardcopy application (hyperlink), include payment information and submit via fax at +1 (703) 522-2075 or email to membership@stc.org.

I receive an error message when I click “SUBMIT” when making a payment in full. What can I do? While it is likely that all of the information you entered on your application has been captured in our system, it is unlikely that your payment was processed. Please contact STC at +1 (703) 522-4114 with your credit card information to complete the transaction.

 Is STC’s online payment site a secure one? Yes. STC's online application is served via iFrame from our Secure iMIS database server. While the page handled by the iFrame is secure, the wrapper page at http://www.stc.org does not show the lock icon or use https. However, the information contained in the application is passed through a Verisign SSL certificate. If you prefer, you can visit the SSL-certified page directly.

Contact STC

Who on staff should I speak with regarding:

Membership: Barbra Sanders

Education: Lloyd Tucker

Conference: Elaine Gilliam

Publications: Liz Pohland or Kevin Cuddihy

Communities: Steve Skojec

Election: Steve Skojec

Sponsorship, Corporate Value Program, or Advertising: Stacey O'Donnell