A common question in the world of membership organizations is, “What’s the value proposition for becoming a member?” In other words, why should anyone invest to join and actively engage as a member?
I would expect that this question was not asked as frequently in the past when Agile Alliance provided a complimentary annual membership to anyone who attended or assisted with our conference. It has become increasingly important to answer this question now as Agile Alliance pivots post-pandemic for the sake of the Agile community and the association.
Most professional membership-based organizations echo similar opportunities for their paying members. These opportunities often include deliverables such as the following:
- Access to resources such as training guides, whitepapers, blogs, and videos
- Career development opportunities
- Acceptable training hours for renewing certifications
- Peer-to-peer networking and collaboration
- Access to social communities
- Ability to attend hosted events such as conferences, member meet-ups, and roundtables at discounted rates
- Access to job boards
- Access to industry-related service providers
- Access to member/service directories
- Committee and board involvement to help navigate the future of the organization and its mission
Agile Alliance provides all of this and more! Our resources video library is notably the largest of its kind within the Agile arena and our initiatives have supported the launch of many other Agile communities, such as Scrum Alliance and Women in Agile.
While the list of deliverables available to our members at the very conservative price of $59 per year can be impressive, it is important to note that this cost also contributes in part to the behind-the-scenes administrative work and overall business expenses of the association. Comparably, a $59 payment might afford a single module or session of training with other organizations.
While it may be difficult to adequately measure the value of any membership, you can be certain that the true value of an Agile Alliance membership grows exponentially for those who actively choose to be engaged and participate. Active members of Agile Alliance position themselves to not only support global Agile initiatives but also to ensure themselves access to expert-level support and collaboration with like-minded individuals.
It’s undoubtedly true that you don’t have to be a member of Agile Alliance in order to be a practicing Agilest, but I am optimistic in believing that our engaged members deem their membership in Agile Alliance as a necessary component of every Agilest’s toolbox and career journey–a priceless and essential tool that provides access to shared communities, information, and resources.
For members reading this article, thank you for your continued support. For the many online readers who are not yet members, I hope you’ll consider joining this diverse community of Agilests, a community whose value proposition cannot be reduced to a quid pro quo.
–Tonya Farmer
Director of Membership and Meetings
![[Case Study] Lessons from descaling 25 Scrum teams](https://www.agilealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/descaling-teams-1200x630-1-150x150.jpg)
![[Case Study] Lessons from descaling 25 Scrum teams](https://www.agilealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/descaling-teams-1200x630-1-300x158.jpg)
