Over the past several months, much of our work has focused on what we want ISSTD to be able to offer our members and the broader field over the next several years. Inevitably, those conversations eventually come back to resources. There are two areas where I think member support could have a particularly tangible impact right now: our Member Sponsorship Program and the Mosaic Society.
The Member Sponsorship Program is one place where we are seeing the limits of our current resources fairly directly. When the program launched, we saw a significant initial response from members willing to sponsor someone who otherwise might not be able to afford membership. Since then, the number of new sponsors has leveled off, while we continue to have substantially more people seeking sponsorship than people available to sponsor them.
We are also beginning to look at what happens after that first sponsored year. Some preliminary data suggest that many sponsored members are not renewing once their initial sponsorship ends, despite the tiered membership discounts available in subsequent years. We do not yet know why. Cost may remain prohibitive, there may be other barriers we have not adequately considered, or the program itself may need to be structured differently. We are currently trying to understand those factors and, more broadly, whether the Sponsorship Program is viable in its current form.
This is one of the many moments when member participation can directly affect what happens next. We will be doing another round of matching sponsors with members seeking sponsorship before the end of the year. If you value this program and want ISSTD to be able to continue offering a pathway into the organization for people who cannot otherwise afford membership, please consider becoming a sponsor. We have people waiting, and the number of members willing to sponsor someone is part of what will determine what this program can look like going forward.
Another way to support ISSTD is through recurring giving to the Mosaic Society. Mosaic Society members choose an amount to donate each month, and this is an area where even fairly small contributions can add up quickly across our membership. ISSTD now has approximately 1,700 members. If every member gave $5 per month, that would be $8,500 each month and more than $100,000 over the course of a year. Of course, we do not expect every member to participate, but even 10% of our membership giving $5 per month would bring in more than $10,000 each year.
One of the challenges ISSTD faces is that we have to think carefully about whether the programs and opportunities we offer can generate enough revenue to cover their costs. I know that focus on revenue generation is not always popular with our members, and ideally it would not need to play such a large role in deciding what we can offer. A stronger base of recurring donations would give us more freedom to make those decisions differently. If we know that we have reliable funding available to absorb a loss on a program we believe is valuable, we can focus more on its benefit to our members and the field and less on whether every individual offering needs to pay for itself.
The same is true for investments in the organization itself. A substantial and reliable base of recurring donations could allow us to hire additional staff, expand what we are able to do, and have greater confidence that we can continue supporting those expenses in future years. That is why even relatively small recurring donations can have an impact beyond the amount of the individual gift.
Set up recurring donation here
Our Board currently has 100% participation in giving to ISSTD, and I would love to see that culture of giving extend more broadly across the organization. I also know that members support ISSTD in many different ways. Some volunteer substantial amounts of their time, some teach or serve on committees, some contribute financially, and many are already doing several of those things at once. My hope is not that everyone will be able to give, but that those who can and who want to see these efforts continue will consider doing so.
If the Sponsorship Program is something you believe ISSTD should continue, this next matching round is a particularly good time to sponsor a member. If scheduled giving makes sense for you, consider joining the Mosaic Society by making a recurring donation at an amount that works for you. Across an organization of 1,700 people, those individual decisions can add up quickly.
And, as always, I am deeply grateful for how much our members already give to this organization. I see more of that work now than I ever have before: the hours spent in meetings, teaching courses, reviewing materials, answering emails, mentoring colleagues, building programs, and doing the countless other things that rarely get recognized but without which ISSTD simply would not function. I know that asking for financial support comes on top of all of that. Whether what you are able to give is your time, your expertise, your financial support, or some combination of them, thank you. ISSTD continues to exist because so many of you continue to decide that it is worth investing in, and I remain extraordinarily grateful that you do.
With all my gratitude,
Abigail