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Every media
member in POMA has an important role to play within
the organization. When the board or directors
developed two membership categories for media
members it did so based on many considerations and
with a focus on building an organization that could
be a valuable and comfortable home for a wide range
of communicators – from the journalist who has
mastered the craft and made communications his or
her life’s work to the next generation of
journalists -- focused on the traditional outdoor
sports.
No matter where
you are in your communications career, if your
committed to communicating the heritage and
enjoyment of hunting, shooting, fishing, and
trapping, POMA is your home; and your fellow POMA
members value you and the important contribution you
make to the organization and the future of our
media professions.
Two membership
categories are available to communicators, Voting
and Associate. All POMA members, regardless of
membership category, have full access to all of the
benefits and services offered by the organization.
However, POMA acknowledges that as it strives to be
inclusive, at the same time it believes that key
decision-making should be conducted by the members
who produce the largest volume of journalistic
material.
Voting
Members earn the membership status through a
high-level of production.
Members attain
voting status through
a high
level of production
that arguably suggests they have the
greatest vested interest and are well suited
for making the decisions that determine the
organization's proper direction.
Associate
Membership is a stepping-stone that can lead in
several directions.
For the
entry-level communicator, it is an opportunity
to learn, network with other communicators –
those just building careers and those who have
enjoyed long and successful careers, and grow in
general.
For
communicators in the latter stages of their
careers, it is a proper way to step back
and hand over the reins and direction of the
organization to those who are in the midst of
their careers, while remaining involved in POMA,
contributing as a communicator, and mentoring
others to ensure the future of the profession.
For
communicators who produce a substantial volume
of outdoor-related work but not enough to
qualify as a Voting Member, it is a way to
belong to the only fraternity of communicators
dedicated specifically to the traditional
outdoor sports – hunting, fishing, shooting and
trapping. Should you decide to grow your
communications business or enjoy the good
fortune to produce a larger volume of work, you
may reclassify to a Voting Membership at any
time.
POMA members do
not need to be Voting Members though to make a real
difference in the organization. Through speaking
out, service on committees and a sense of
commitment, every POMA member helps the organization
accomplish its mission.
As you consider
the different communications memberships and what
they mean, consider the centuries-old path that a
professional travels during his or her career. We
begin as an apprentice, as we learn our craft and
work toward building the craft into a career. When
we become skilled craftsmen, producing work at the
highest level, we enjoy the benefits and
responsibility of great influence over our
profession. Then, as we look to the future and the
culmination of our careers, our responsibility
shifts from driving our profession to cultivating
the next generation of professionals.
Images © 2005 LL
Dovey
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