Equal opportunities for professional development a needs assessment for a non-profit professional organization /

by Shindley, Lynda R.

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) Twin Cities' chapter offers several opportunities for professional development. Distance members, defined as being approximately 20 miles from the meeting venue, do not have equal opportunities to participate in scheduled educational activities. This needs assessment identified satisfaction levels and recommendations for improvement in providing professional development opportunities for distance members. One-hundred thirty-six Twin Cities distance members received a 20-question survey via e-mail. Though there was only a 13%response, overall, the results indicated that distance was an important factor in not attending local meetings and special programs. Though respondents had participated in professional development opportunities, they had not volunteered in leadershiproles. Additional issues were related to cost of the programs (e-g., Webinars) and the content level related to years of professional experience. Distance members indicated that they would participate in . . 11 activities offered through virtual technology. Recommendations from this study include benchmarking with other chapters and investigating volunteerism and motivation; however, one important recommendation includes creating an Education Committee to oversee professional development and investigate methods for providing distance members with easier access to professional development activities. The Graduate School University of Wisconsin Stout Menomonie, WI