How to Ask Your Employer to Pay for Your Membership

Showcasing the importance of your professional development is essential to your growth as a professional. Initiate a conversation between you and your manager that highlights the reasons your organization should invest in you. Paying for your annual YNPN Chicago membership fee is an easy and affordable way for your employer to contribute to the future of the nonprofit sector.

Introduction

Asking cash strapped managers for professional development funds can be slightly nerve-wracking. Often times money is so tight that professional development opportunities don’t make it into the budget. Investing in a YNPN Chicago membership is a tangible way for your employer to support your growth. At $35 annually, YNPN Chicago membership presents a smart and cost-effective way to take advantage of a variety of professional opportunities at a low price.

Approach

Broaching this subject in a scheduled check-in with your manager shows initiative and an interest in your own professional development while abiding by existing works structures. An advantage of YNPN Chicago’s programming is that it rarely occurs during the work day and won’t hinder your ability to complete your day-to-day tasks.

From here, you can go into describing what skills YNPN Chicago membership can bring to your current position. Try to put yourself in your manager’s position and think “How can membership improve this person’s contributions here?”

Several YNPN Chicago programs cover skills that benefit teams when employees are able to use them successfully. Programs like the ones listed below cover skills that should accompany transitions like promotions, changes in roles, or scaling, but often aren’t due to tight finances.

• New manager strategies

• Managing up

• Nonprofit finance workshops

• Public speaking in the workplace

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a month, members receive discounts on all of the events listed above. To see the full list of YNPN Chicago membership benefits, click here.

Being a part of YNPN Chicago’s member-only events, you’ll be able to chat with peers, share best practices, and grow together.

Not only have you made a convincing case for an investment in your professional development, but hopefully you’ve also mentioned that it’s one of the most affordable professional network memberships in the city! It all comes back to our goal of providing valuable and accessible professional development opportunities to the mission-driven professionals of Chicago.