Participation in Social Work Membership Organizations: Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing Society
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Participation in Social Work Membership Organizations: Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing Society Tim Davis 1 & Tami Radohl 2
& Kristen
Humphrey 3 & Matthew Benorden 4
Accepted: 5 October 2020/ # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Professional membership organizations provide a wide range of services to and on behalf of the members of the profession. These services range from legislative advocacy to promote and protect the profession, to outlining practice guidelines for service delivery. Though these services benefit the entire profession, increasingly smaller numbers of professionals are joining and maintaining their membership in the organization. Furthermore, inclusivity continues to be of concern as membership numbers in such groups appear to reflect primarily Caucasian descent. As such, a state chapter of a national social work organization in the Midwest commissioned a study to explore member satisfaction, understand why members join and/or stay with the organization, and utilize this information in chapter development activities. Utilizing a survey distributed to its membership, the authors asked closed and open-ended questions geared toward detailed information and responses. Members shared concerns around lack of communication and recent changes in the national organization. Members are generally satisfied with the organization and valued the connection to the profession as well as the work the organization does on behalf of social workers; however, the authors challenge that we, as a profession, can do more to be inclusive and strengthen diversity within professional memberships overall. Recommendations are offered to improve membership satisfaction and retention. These include advocacy for clients and the social work profession, guidance for members regarding how to get involved, and the importance of connecting with peers and colleagues face-to-face. Keywords Membership satisfaction . Professional organizations . Social work
* Tami Radohl [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
Journal of Policy Practice and Research
Introduction Group membership is on the decline in the USA. In a Guardian poll, memberships within various volunteer organizations have decreased including involvement with unions, business/industry associations, political parties, local community organizations, churches, and environmental groups (Lewis 2016). Similarly, concern exists for declining membership within professional organizations (Yohn 2016). As organizations fight to remain relevant for their members (Agarwal & Islam 2016), social work is no different. For instance, within the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), social work’s primary professional membership organization, membership retention rates have been declining since 2005 (McKinleyAdvisors, 2015). Through their mission statement, NASW purports that their role is to “promote, develop, and protect the practice of social work and social workers” (2020). Whether through lobbying, commun
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