Tom,
If you have, and pay for,
IICRC certifications, you haven't joined an association, you've paid to maintain your certifications. Likewise, if you paid the $200 to be a
Certified Firm, you haven't joined an association (although you are required to join one to be a CF).
It took an association (the IICRCA) to offer a cash benefit to the Certified Firms, and did so at no additional cost to the CF!
____________________________________________________________________________________
A lot of what an association does isn't that easily relatable to "spend a dime get a dollar" but some benefits are exactly that simple.
If you pay the $200 to be an
IICRC Certified Firm, you not only get a variety of benefits, you qualify for $200 of IICRCA scholarship money that can be used toward any
IICRC training. $200 to get $200 - plus other stuff.
If you joined CCINW and opted for the benefits package, you'd pay $395 per year and not only get a variety of benefits, you qualify for $500 of scholarship money that can be used for ANY type of business training, from SFS to community college to attending the IICRCA/RIA or IICRCA/ISSA conference and tradeshow. $395 to get $500 - plus other stuff.
If that math doesn't make sense, get out there and buy more lottery tickets for your retirement fund!