Members will notice a slight increase in dues this year when they receive the first membership renewal notice scheduled to go out on August 15th by e-mail. The e-mail will include a link that will take them directly to the dues module on our secured servers. The last dues increase was in 2003. Without an increase, the ICA budget most likely would have been a deficit budget.
Besides the e-mail with the direct link, Account Manager is another way a member can process membership dues and sections management. After logging in to the MyICA page (the Members Only homepage), click on the "Pay Dues Invoice" link in the upper-right box. This lists any outstanding invoice in your membership account. The number on the left side of each entry is the invoice number; clicking that number shows the invoice details. Members who have subscribed to sections (divisions and interest groups) can make changes to those sections and the system automatically recalculates the total and returns you to the list page when you click "Continue." The absence of links means you have NOT joined any division or interest group; if you wish to be affiliated to a section contact Deandra Tolson, Member Services Associate (dtolston@icahdq.org) and she will be happy to assist.
When you are ready, click the "Check Out" button to submit your credit card information and pay your invoice. Be sure to wait for the payment confirmation screen to appear confirming completion. Please be aware that credit card processing time varies and can take several minutes depending on internet traffic; avoid double-clicking the "Submit" button or hitting the browser's "Back" button to avoid charging your credit card more than once. It is important to note that we have taken the necessary steps to make all our online payment processing sites secure.
Upon successful credit card processing, the system immediately emails a payment confirmation. We include enough information on the confirmation that most universities find it a suitable receipt for reimbursement. Should you need a copy in the future, one is always available online by clicking the "My Past Invoices" link also in Account Manager. Past invoices are listed as in the dues payment site and clicking on the invoice number generates a printable receipt.
"Keywords in Communication" is the 2009 ICA Conference Theme. A new complete version of the Call for Papers, which includes all the section Calls, has just been posted to the ICA web site. You can access the printable PDF document in Today's News and the Conference sections of the homepage, in "what you missed" on the MyICA page and on the Conferences homepage under Calls for Papers.
We have added a few new links to your web site! Links on the fly-out menu across the top of the web pages has links to our world map of communication organizations and to a list of open resource journals on the IAMCR web site. Members will also see the Publisher's Discount link a bit more prominently placed under the Members Only fly-out menu. It is also at the bottom of the MyICA Links list on the MyICA page. It lists publications available to ICA members for a discount from the regular retail price. Included publications are: ICA's Communication Yearbook and The Guide to Publishing in Scholarly Communication Journals from Routledge, Taylor & Francis' Popular Communication, The Communication Review, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journalism Practice, and Political Communication. Also on the list is Journalism from Sage.
And finally, be on the lookout for two new features coming very soon to the web site! Some of you may know that we added a Frequently Asked Questions link to the left navigation bar under the member login for ICA visitors. We are in the process of finalizing a Members' FAQ list as well. You should see that link showing up in your MyICA links soon. Don't forget you can manage your links-that is, add links to or delete unwanted links from the list-by clicking the Add/Remove link at the top of the list.
As well, we are introducing a new fundraising module to the web site that will make contributing to our association much easier! We will be sending you an invitation to go see the new section as soon as it is ready. It will facilitate everything from a simple one-time donation to on-going annual fund and planned giving programs, to including ICA in your will. It will also include methods that will allow us to automatically draft your account to fulfill your pledge if you don't care to hassle with it yourself. We will of course provide ample notification before each deduction is made.
As always, send me your suggestions if there is anything we can do to provide you, our most valued asset, with an association truly serving you!
Happy August!
Sam Luna
Director of Member Services
sluna@icahdq.org
