Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1361593
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION APRIL 14, 2021 Page 23 Continued on page 24 The Value of a Trade Association Membership By Todd Ginter, PSAI's Director of Marketing M ay I take a moment to talk about what you are doing right now? Right at this moment? You are reading Association Insight from the Portable Sanitation Association International, the trade association of the industry in which you make your living. If you are a regular newsletter reader, you know you are not really reading an ordinary publication. Newsletters you usually receive from church or your local community center will have information on upcoming events, some announcements, and a calendar. They are often just a few pages and are meant to be scanned rather than read. What you are reading right now is a robust and useful guide to enhancing and strengthening your business. It is filled with articles that are meant to inform, educate, and motivate you. One thing you can do with a PSAI newsletter that you wouldn't do with a standard newsletter is go back and find useful information in past editions. On the PSAI's website you can view our newsletters all the way back to January 2020 and even view quick synopsis of what each newsletter contains. Remember something from further back but can't find it? Give us a call and we'll search the archives for you. Reading industry relevant information in an association newsletter is one of the reasons you decided to join and remain a member of the PSAI. I know it is not always easy to know every benefit, option and opportunity you have as a member of the PSAI. That is why, over the next few articles in upcoming newsletters, I will be highlighting resources, information, and benefits that come with being a member of the PSAI. But before I dive into those, I thought I would take a little time first and also refresh your understanding of what a trade association is and why it is so important to be part of one. A trade association can be loosely defined as a group of people or companies who voluntarily come together to solve common problems, meet common needs and accomplish common goals. Common is the key word here. A trade association is uniquely positioned to serve the common needs of an industry. Without a trade association, the industry is also open to increased government intervention and public scrutiny. Simply put trade associations are needed. A common industry platform established by a not- for-profit trade association has the power to achieve what an individual company cannot accomplish alone. This common platform requires an investment of all the individual parts of the industry, from the educators, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, etc., all working together to build up the industry. In return, this working together will benefit the individual parts. Without this investment, the common interests of the whole break down.