The Membership Committee of ISSTD has been looking into ways of setting up a sponsorship program for membership. A few months ago, a working group was established with members Warwick Middleton, Rosita Cortizo, D. Michael Coy and Adithy, under the leadership of Abigail Percifield (Co-Chair, Membership Committee), to brainstorm ideas, create a sustainable structure, and concretize a plan for the program. Along the way, the Finance Committee contributed to this project. We are very happy to announce the launch of the sponsorship program directly through the ISSTD website!
When members can support one another, it creates a community that fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective advancement. With this in mind, the sponsorship program allows ISSTD members to sponsor the membership of an individual or individuals who lack the financial resources to join or renew. By sponsoring a member, you are actively contributing to their professional development via the opportunities for a higher level of engagement afforded by ISSTD membership.
In August 2023, this program will invite those who can sponsor individual(s) to fill a form showing their intention. The sponsors will then be guided to submit their donation. Once there are sufficient funds in the pool, the application for potential sponsees will be launched (at this point, we estimate a December 2023 launch. On a quarterly basis, the Finance Committee, through a formal process similar to those used for ISSTD’s grant funds disbursements, will select eligible sponsees and match them with sponsors.
Here is a link to the FORM for sponsors to complete. Sponsors must be ISSTD members. Sponsors can choose to be connected to their sponsees if they wish. Sponsors can be from any tier of membership.
We hope that this program will benefit many who are otherwise unable to become new ISSTD members or continue their membership. Potential sponsees and sponsors are welcome from all geographic regions. Gratitude to all those who have sponsored members in the past and to those who would sponsor members in the future! More information about this program can be found at the LINK. If you have any questions, feel free to write to membership@isst-d.org.