We made it again. Once again one of IFAJ’s guilds has arranged a tremendous congress. Great thank you to the congress organisers and the Canadian guild who showed us so many interesting places, people, and operations. We really were able to enjoy not only the agriculture in Alberta, but also the food, culture, and nature of the region.
I’m always so impressed by the fact that IFAJ volunteers year after year manage to put up such professional events. Since I’ve once organised a congress I know how much work and efforts it takes. Even a lot of work which is invisible as long as everything goes according to plans.
I was also very pleased that we during the congress were able to welcome yet another member guild to our global network. AJAI, Agriculture Journalist Association of India, became our 60th member. India is one of the world’s most important agriculture producers and has a long tradition of free press, so it’s very gratifying to be able to include them in our network.
One of the main issues at our Delegate Assembly was the question about raising the national guilds’ fees to IFAJ. It became the most intense and longest discussion. Even though the proposal from the Presidium only was a raise with 0.50 Euros, or 0.25 Euros for those with reduced fee, quite a few voices were against the increase.
The fees to IFAJ has been the same since 2002. During those years IFAJ has developed tremendously. With 60 member guilds in six continents today we can finally call ourselves global. We can offer much more activities, awards, press tours, and other member benefits than we could 20+ years ago. We have a global office which offers lots of support to the whole organisation. And in my personal opinion we are a much more professional organisation than we were in 2002.
But that also comes with a cost, though not much more than the cost of a couple of caffe lattes per year for each member.
I can see that the fee can feel high in countries with a low GDP, but that’s why they only pay half the fee. I have bigger difficulties to understand how the raise can be such a big thing in countries with higher incomes.
Someone said that IFAJ has enough money on the bank not to need a fee raise. It’s true that we have a substantial amount on our bank account, but it’s not enough to be financially safe. Without any fees or sponsor money, our bank savings would be gone in three years. And today’s fees doesn’t even cover the cost of our Global office.
Although we really appreciate our sponsors it is not totally uncontroversial for an organisation with independent journalists to be forced to depend on sponsor money. Besides that we can never be sure about how many sponsors we will manage to attract.
It could, of course, be that the critics don’t think they get enough value for their money. If that is the case I regret that. I feel quite sure that IFAJ never has been able to offer its members more benefits than we do now. We offer professional development and story gathering activities around the world, as well as programs that are accessible remotely so any of your members can benefit.
Maybe it’s not the right activities, maybe you require something else? Then I will urge you to tell us what you want instead. What can IFAJ do for you to be more valuable in your professional life? What do you miss?
IFAJ is its members. Without you we can’t be a useful and enjoyable network. Without you we can’t attract any sponsors. Only with your input, engagement and proposals we can evolve and enhance the organisation.
But to take advantage of this the individual member also has to be active. IFAJ is not the Presidium, Global Office or even the Executives from each member countries. We are only here to help execute the decisions of the Delegate Assembly and keep the business going. So, be an active member and take advantage of the member benefits IFAJ offers. And if you want something else, please come forward with your requests.