ASQ has been carefully designing membership benefits to help the growing needs of quality professionals. These benefits include exclusive access to quality knowledge, solutions and resources to solve challenges, and skill development to advance one’s career. ASQ is committed to providing an enhanced membership experience, professional networks, tools, and solutions to help its members advance their products, services, and industries. The more ASQ members utilize their benefits, the greater the value they obtain from their annual membership dues.

Member benefits have been segmented into several broad categories:

• Leadership development

• Recognition
• Financial savings
• Intangibles

• Developing knowledge and skills

• Advancing one’s career
• Networking
• Professional development

ASQ’s website provides an extensive list of benefits for members, and potential members, to easily identify everything their dues entitle them to. However, there are also many non-advertised but meaningful benefits that astute members learn over time. This article will help shorten that learning curve!

ASQ’s website provides a high-level list of member benefits under, “developing knowledge and skills,” but the many outstanding publications provided by ASQ’s technical communities are not listed but are also available to members. In addition, ASQ's research librarian can provide members customized and personalized research support to more than 30,000 articles, benchmarking reports, industry research and case studies at each member’s disposal.

Advancing one’s career can be simplified by exploring employment opportunities published on ASQ’s online job board, Career Center. While having the proper experience and credentials are vital for career growth, advancing one’s career is easier when they are able to provide tangible proof of their expertise. This proof can easily be provided by obtaining one or more of ASQ’s 18 internationally recognized professional certifications, most of which are transferrable across industries. Certifications show initiative, a commitment to one’s profession and they can only enhance one’s credentials, there is no downside. As proven through Quality Progress’ “Annual Salary Survey,” those with a certification, on average, earn more than comparable peers.

Unless one recertifies, many of ASQ’s certifications expire after three years. The effort and expense to recertify may seem like a detriment, but recertification can be leveraged into a seasoned professional’s favor. Recertification units are earned through professional development, continual learning, volunteering, and knowledge sharing (presentations, publications, and course instruction). One can more easily justify the expense of attending a training course or conference by highlighting that critical recertification units will be earned. Volunteering provides networking opportunities and enables one to hone their leadership skills in a non-work environment. Lastly, pushing oneself to write, speak, or instruct will benefit the author/presenter as much, if not more, than their readers/audience.

Networking is a highly touted benefit of ASQ. Face-to-face networking is accomplished while attending a conference or at a local Section meeting. Virtual networking can be done through the myASQ on-line platform and through many of ASQ’s social media outlets. Nearly all ASQ (geographic) sections and (technical) divisions utilize one or more of the common social media platforms available today (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.)

Professional development is attained through course and conference attendance (member discounts are provided) and—now more commonly—via webinars. Most of ASQ’s divisions and some of its sections provide free webinars. Many of the webinars are recorded allowing ASQ members to access this highly valuable information when it is convenient for them.

ASQ provides its members to opportunity to develop their leadership skills though its geographic and technical communities. Volunteers can learn best practices and hone their business skills (budgeting, marketing, project management and strategic planning) as well as their communication and soft skills. Members can give back to the profession as they simultaneously network with their peers and polish their skill set.

Recognition is arguably ASQ’s greatest contribution to the quality profession. ASQ’s awards program includes medals, testimonial awards, its prestigious Inspector of the Year Award, Member Leader Excellence Award, and much more. Divisions and sections also provide awards such as the Inspection Division’s Cooper Award given annually to the volunteer of the year. ASQ’s International Team Excellence Award is the world’s premier team recognition program—awarding achievements in improved performance to organizations of all sizes.

Financial savings abound! Members receive discounts on ASQ products, certification exams and renewals, and on conference and course registrations. Some sections and many divisions provide scholarships for members attending college and well as for their children, grandchildren, and friends. Members can receive a reduction in their dues (up to a complete waiver!) if they should find themselves unemployed. Lastly, full time students receive a 75% reduction on their annual member dues.

Not to be forgotten are ASQ’s monthly member gifts, ASQTV, and advanced memberships. Based on a monthly theme, the bundled member gift typically includes free e-books, webinars, and publications. ASQTV is a YouTube-like channel dedicated to a wide variety of quality topics. Lastly, ASQ provides advanced membership grades of Senior and Fellow. At no addition cost qualified members can upgrade to Senior Membership (it is not age dependent) which provides additional benefits. A Fellow represents the upper echelon of the quality. In addition to peer recognition, ASQ Fellows receive a free registration to the World Conference on Quality and Improvement the year they are inducted as well as a framed certificate, a pin, an annual luncheon and a specially designated ribbon for their name badge at select ASQ conferences.