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Assessing Value: The Cost of Meat and Potatoes
An Open Letter to an Advocate Who Questions Her APHA Membership Received last week from Esther (not her real name): If you would please clarify a few things I’d really appreciate it.It’s time for my PACE membership to renew and I am trying to decide whether to spend that money. I want to have my name listed in your directory in the future, but your Premium membership is quite out of my budget. . Do you not offer beginner discounts? Secondly, I currently am an unemployed family caregiver and have no income. A basic renewal at $49, which is more in my budget, is only for 6 months time, why not a full year? And it really lacks access to the meat and potatoes of your site which would most benefit me starting out in this line of service. So as you may have gathered, I’m at a crossroads for renewing at this point in time. I’m trying to understand the real value in APHA membership for me. Perhaps you have other financial options for people in my situation? I do look forward to hearing from you. My reply to Esther: You are not the first person to ask me about discounting the price of membership. In fact, I have been asked that for years. Because I want you to understand the answer thoroughly, I will simply direct you to a post that includes the answer and its reasons. You asked about a “beginner membership” – that is exactly what the PACE membership is, at less than half the cost of the “regular” membership which is the Premium. PACE stands for Patient Advocate Career Exploration. It’s for people who want to learn more about the profession, but aren’t yet committed to it. Once committed, the right membership is the Premium, and that opens the door to all the benefits we make available. You asked about the “real value” – and my answer is this: it has taken us a great deal of time, and some major expense to develop the resources we offer to advocates. You asked specifically about the…