To Join/ Renew IABC, please contact Giselle La Ronde West at membership@iabctt.com or visit IABC international www.iabc.com and fill out the online membership form.

Membership can be transferred within a company to a new person who replaced the position of the original member. However, the following criteria must be met: " The original member must have at least three months left on the membership and the membership is a professional membership, not a 500 Club membership, student, retired, or other type of lifetime membership. " The original member is no longer with the company. " The employer sends a request to transfer the membership on company letterhead, which may be faxed or mailed to IABC headquarters. Please include current information of the new member: name, title, phone and fax number, e-mail, and mailing address and the name and member ID of the original member.

International dues are CDN$ 264.48 (includes CDN $ 46.40 Application dues + CDN $65.00 Chapter dues + CAN $2 shipment admin. fees).

Renewing members do not have to pay the $46.40 application fee.

There are several types of IABC membership:

1. Professional: Membership in this category are for persons joining as individual practitioners
2. Corporate Package: Corporate packages offer discounts to groups of five or more employees from the same company. To initiate a package, payment for all members must be made with one check or one credit card charge (dues for current IABC members will be pro-rated according to time left on the membership). Packages also offer discounts on IABC knowledge products and the annual International Conference. A higher value "Gold Plus" package is also available, offering on-site training, PR opportunities for the company, and special pricing on IABC products and events. See the section on Corporate Packages below for more information.
3. 500 Club: So-named because only 500 members will be allowed to participate (and over 450 slots have already been taken), The 500 Club offers lifetime IABC membership for US$1000. (Chapter dues must still be paid annually in order to keep the membership active.
4. Student: Student memberships are available to full-time students of colleges, universities and other educational institutions as well as part-time students working toward a degree, or a certificate program in canada, who are not presently working in the communication profession. Students must ensure that their application and payment is received at headquarters at least 60 days prior to their graduation date. International dues for students are US$42. Additional local chapter and regions dues may apply. Students get all of the benefits of Professional membership (with the exception of summer issues of Communication World), but have to fulfill strict proof of student status requirements. To apply for student membership, students must submit when joining or renewing:
   
   
   • A student ID (fax or photocopy)
   • One of the following: (a) Copy/Fax of a recent transcript with name of the institution, name of the student, and a date including the year . (b) Copy/Fax of a class schedule provided by the Registrar with name of the institution, name of the student, and a date including the year . (c) Copy/Fax of a receipt for tuition payment with name of the institution, name of the student, and a date including the year.
   • Students must also provide the month and year of expected graduation. No student application will be processed before receipt of all three of these items.
   
   
5. Student transition: Professionals who have graduated from a degree program from an accredited institution in the last year are eligible for the student transition rate. For student transition members, the regular application fee is waived, and the student pays half of the international dues plus full district and chapter dues. Members can only have one year as a student transition; they must then become professional members at the full professional rate. To apply for student transition rates, please email IABC secretariat at 621-3830. Applicants will need to fax proof of degree conferral after enrolling with the Service Centre, which can be one of the following:
   
   
   • Dated letter from Registrar on letterhead of an accredited institution stating date of graduation (must be within last year) and degree conferred.
   • Photocopy of diploma from accredited institution stating degree and date conferred (must be within last year).
   • Photocopy of transcript from accredited institution stating graduation date (must be within last year) and degree conferred.
   
   
6. Retiree: Individuals who have been professional IABC members for at least five years, are retired from employment in the communications industry, and are at least 55 years of age are eligible for retiree status. International dues for retired members are US$42.
7. Fellow and Honorary: These membership categories are conferred upon members by the IABC international executive board in recognition of service to IABC and the profession. Nominations can be submitted to headquarters. Contact the Leader Centre at leader_centre@iabc.com for more information on submitting nominations.

The benefits of membership can be broken down into five categories: Networking resources, job-searching assistance, learning opportunities, affinity programs, and recognition (accreditation and awards).

Professional, student, student transition, retiree, and most corporate package IABC memberships are 12 months, starting from the date the membership is processed. Some memberships are lifetime memberships: 500 Club and Fellow. Multi-year corporate package memberships are available as well.

The easiest way is to visit www.iabc.com/update. Fill in the appropriate fields with the new information, and be sure to click update. You will be notified that your update is successful. You cannot change your name (e.g. if you get married) online. Alternatively, members can e-mail their changes to service_centre@iabc.com .

IABC bylaws prohibit refunding dues for any reason when a membership terminates.

Registering with the member centre on our web site can be a little tricky because it is case-sensitive. Be sure your use of upper and lowercase match your IABC record. Another common error is to put a space at the beginning or end of the data entry field. If you do this, the web site will recognize it as a character and therefore will not recognize your information. If you still have problems please e-mail the Service Centre at service_centre@iabc.com