Membership Matters

By Perri Guthrie, ISA CAPP, Vice President

When I think about it, ISA is all about membership. As a society of appraisers, ISA’s mission is to “Advance Excellence in the personal property appraisal profession.” This means us!

Dedicated committee volunteers, ISA Sentergroup staff and our board of directors are all continuously working together to offer opportunities to advance our methodology training and product knowledge. We have also generated a broad scope of marketing tools for members’ appraisal practices and have enhanced individual market share reach by way of active social media platforms. ISA resources that include online and onsite educational course offerings, webinars, annual conferences, mentoring and networking programs continue to provide us with a full spectrum of 21st century professional connectivity.

That said, ISA membership is not merely about a list of services, it is also about experiences. By embracing collaboration, ISA membership adds significant value to members’ businesses and lives. As many of you know, our ISA culture encourages its members to share their ah-ha moments. Our growth and development as appraisers, and our better understanding of sometimes complex appraisal puzzles, are linked to these experiences: a fellow ISA member presents a unique and difficult appraisal assignment at conference; a certified ISA member generously offers his or her expertise to a newcomer; an ISA member, although a great distance away, is there in a moment by video conferencing to discuss project strategy and approach with colleagues. I believe we have all been the beneficiaries of these consequential connections. These priceless attributes of our membership, these critical “inside” opportunities and relationships afforded to our members, are often overlooked and can be difficult to calibrate in a dollar-and-cent equation of our annual membership fee.

As we continue to grow our own appraisal practices, ISA continues to work to develop membership to the benefit of our collective welfare. By building our membership, we can sustain our commitments, advance our core set of values, bring vitality to our society, and explore new business opportunities together.

Without ISA educational programs, without a set of standards for qualified personal property appraisers, without a network of like-minded colleagues and without the advocacy and support of ISA, I think it would be fair to say that the extent of our knowledge and breadth of our abilities as personal property appraisers would be greatly diminished.

ISA’s Membership Development Committee, chaired by Michelle Conliffe, ISA CAPP, with the support of Kirsten Rabe Smolensky, JD, ISA CAPP, has been diligently working on member recruitment. The committee is NOT asking for money, but rather for people. It is our worthy organization of people, those with personal property appraisal desire and/or expertise, who strengthen ISA and make membership matter!

However, the efforts of the Membership Development Committee need not be restricted to committee outreach alone. All members are ISA ambassadors, and all members can be good stewards of our organization by sharing its benefits with others who may share similar professional interests.

Do you have an acquaintance that is in need of an open door to an independent profession? Or do you perhaps know a student looking for job inspiration and seeking a career path? Have you worked with another professional in a related field who might find appraisal methodology education attractive? By sharing your ISA membership experiences with these individuals, you help contribute to the life and spirit of our organization.

In a recent report regarding not-for-profit organization sustainability, a survey question was asked: “What is the single most important reason people give as to why they have joined an organization?” The greatest number answered: Somebody asked me.