Online Membership Directory
About six months ago, I got a call out of the blue. They're now a regular client … an absolute joy to work with! … pay promptly … and the work keeps coming …
A powerful marketing tool, directory listings come free with membership. All members are included with minimal information (name, street address, and business-only telephone). Members customize their entries with the information they choose: name, contact information, skills and specialties, brief promotional blurbs, and resume. Potential clients use the directory to find and get in touch with members nationwide. Many members report getting good assignments from clients who hired them after searching the directory for freelancers with the skills and expertise they were seeking. The directory —which was reengineered and got a facelift in summer 2008— is searchable by skills, specialties, location, name, or keyword.
Education Program
Members enjoy reduced tuition to EFA courses designed especially for freelancers to build and enhance editorial and entrepreneurial skills. Courses cover everything from basic copyediting to breaking into the corporate market to setting project rates. Courses, many of which are conducted online, are usually offered in the fall and spring of each year and are open to nonmembers as well as members.
Vocabula Review
Nominally a blog, the Vocabula Review is a rich online resource on the English language produced since 1999 by Robert Hartwell Fiske. Among its contributors is Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English. Vocabula offers various services and welcomes submissions. EFA members receive complimentary access with full membership. For more about the Review, visit the website or subscribe as an EFA member.
I'm [now] awaiting my first assignment from what could turn out to be another long-term client …
Job List Subscription
Included in the annual membership fee, the Job List postings provide members access to a wide variety of jobs, both freelance and full-time, in-house and at home. Clients from coast to coast and beyond —publishers, individuals, authors, businesses, and nonprofits— use this service (free to them), and many members get most of their work from EFA's Job List.
Email Discussion List
EFA's primary online forum is its lively members-only discussion list, where participants exchange ideas and advice with hundreds of other editorial professionals all across the country. Many members tell us the discussion list is one of the most enjoyable and valuable features of membership. The discussion list is free to EFA members and is a separate service from the Job List.
Facebook Page
Another online forum is EFA's fan page on Facebook. EFA members with Facebook accounts are invited to participate. This will in turn help the organization, the Job List, and membership generally.
EFA International on Twitter
EFA has a presence on Twitter as EFA International. We encourage EFA members with Twitter accounts to follow our tweets. Tweeting is a great way to make connections and stay apprised of EFA's latest news and events.
EFA on LinkedIn
EFA's group on LinkedIn is restricted to EFA members. It offers a mutually beneficial marketing presence. We encourage EFA members with LinkedIn pages to join the EFA group and include the logo affiliation on their LinkedIn profile pages.
Publications
The EFA newsletter, The Freelancer, is published bimonthly and is available to members only. EFA also publishes booklets on specialized topics of professional interest to freelancers.
Regional Chapters and Networking Groups
EFA has regional chapters and networking groups all over the country, and new ones form as interest arises. Meetings and other activities are listed on individual chapter pages. Chapter events are open to all members, guests of members, and freelancers interested in joining EFA. EFA also invites members to act as regional liaisons in areas without chapters. Liaisons answer questions on the organization and freelancing in their locale.
Meetings & Events
EFA offers freelancers a variety of meetings, social events, and networking opportunities. Meetings may take place at NYC headquarters, at regional chapters across the country, and by nationwide teleconference. They include expert panels, open-mike forums, special guest speakers, and joint meetings with related organizations.
On the lighter side, EFA holds receptions for new members, Scrabble night, and a much-anticipated holiday party. Less frequently, EFA sponsors national professional conferences designed specifically for its members (and open to nonmembers at higher fees).
Affinity Groups hold small monthly meetings, often with guest speakers, to explore interests and concerns on a more specialized level. Over the years, EFA members have formed affinity groups in such areas as medical writing and editing, business communications and public relations, el-hi textbooks, children's publishing, desktop publishing, and new freelancers, according to their interests.
Group Health Insurance and Discount Plans
EFA offers several health-care benefits —both insurance and discount plans— at group rates. These include health maintenance organizations, point-of-service plans, long-term care insurance, dental insurance, and discount plans. Insurance costs continue to rise, even at group rates, and insurers are less and less eager to provide coverage to associations. We are therefore not able to provide coverage in all areas, but strive constantly to add to the plans we do offer.
Better World Club
Better World Club is the environmentally friendly alternative to AAA, an auto club providing 24-hour nationwide roadside assistance, travel and insurance services. To be credited with the 10 percent EFA member discount, be sure to reference BWC promotion code TEFA2121. To learn more and join, visit the Better World Club website.
ZipCar
EFA members can now join and use ZipCar for only $25/year—for a savings of 66 percent. Available in an expanding number of locations across North America and the United Kingdom — including London, Vancouver, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Boston, and Minneapolis. Rent a car for a few hours or a full day, gas and insurance included. Visit the EFA Zipcar website to sign up.