ASJA 2025 Year in Review: Change, Community, and Outstanding Committees
If I had to sum up my goals for ASJA in 2025, a single sentence would work: “It’s all about community.” This sentiment guided all of ASJA’s efforts throughout this turbulent year.
Here’s a breakdown of the major events of the year for the 77-year-old organization, whose sole mission is supporting independent nonfiction writers of all kinds.
Winter: Back to the Big Apple
The year started with a bang as ASJA made our triumphant return to New York City after five years for the ASJA: Always in Fashion annual conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). We got great feedback on the location. FIT also became a significant sponsor based on our agreement to involve their journalism and marketing students in various ways, including an ASJA member-led student pitch clinic. The Client Connections networking event at the conference featured 42 clients – many more wanted to join us, but we were limited by the size of the meeting space.
The same week we celebrated the success of the conference, we learned that we would need a new association management company. The board spent the spring talking with 18 different association management companies, before doing in-depth interviews with three finalists. We ultimately chose C2 Association Strategies as our new partner, with a contract that took effect June 1. C2 has already helped us tremendously and feel like true partners in our mission of supporting the professional freelance writing community.
Spring and Summer: First Amendment Issues
Throughout the spring and summer, ASJA addressed a resurgence of interest in First Amendment issues associated with the new U.S. presidential administration. We signed onto many statements issued by other organizations that support press freedom. We issued our own statements calling for the reinstatement of the Voice of America and spoke out in support of journalists covering protests.
In June, our First Amendment and Advocacy committees organized a special webinar zeroing in on these efforts and what journalists need to know during these difficult times. Given the importance of the information, we’ve made the webinar playback free for all. You can listen to it here.
In preparation for our membership drive in late September and October, the board took two crucial actions. First, we streamlined membership requirements to better reflect today’s publishing industry. We now require four national clips for professional membership (down from six) and three regional clips for associate members (down from five). We also eliminated the six-month waiting period for former staffers who lose their jobs so they can join us right away, when they most need our resources and expertise.
Second, we reduced our annual membership dues. Instead of all members paying $235 per year, professional members now pay $179 per year, and associate members pay $159 per year. (As a reminder, ASJA operates on a calendar year membership. Please renew ASAP if you have not yet done so.)
Fall: An ASJA E-Book, Question of the Week, and More
As part of the fall membership drive, ASJA created an important member-only benefit: an e-book on working as a self-employed writer. “Building an Independent Writing Business: Your Guide to Thriving as a Self-Employed Journalist, Content Writer, or Nonfiction Author” by Publications Chair Michelle Rafter is 10,000 words of pure gold and draws heavily on highlights from ASJA resources and members.
ASJA’s Tuesday Coffee Chat and members-only Facebook group continue to thrive. Our newest community-building perk is the ASJA Question of the Week, a one-question weekly survey where writers can weigh in on some aspect of our shared writing life.
Two other recent innovations have attracted steady participation: an accountability group that meets weekly over Zoom for a solid hour of audio-off, heads-down work; and an affinity group for parents of young and school-aged children that meets monthly.
This fall we added a statement of support for First Amendment rights and the right to freelance to our homepage, right below the banner. It reads:
“ASJA stands in unwavering support of the First Amendment and firmly against interference, governmental or otherwise, with the media’s right to report impartially and transparently. ASJA also supports the right to freelance, so writers can create and earn independently without interference.”
Year Round: ASJA’s Committees Excel
Throughout the year, ASJA’s standing committees have done outstanding work. Here are some highlights:
Membership Engagement – The Membership Engagement committee organized our first-ever virtual open house for prospective members. They also threw a virtual holiday party that attracted 55 members. And they held a workshop on filling out your profile in the ASJA member directory. They also developed the member and new member outreach programs and have written several blog posts about the ASJA community.
Awards – Some 70 judges donated their time to read more than 300 articles and books to select the 2025 ASJA Writing Awards winners, under the watchful eyes of the Awards committee chairs. For the 2025 awards, we launched a special category for environment, climate, or sustainability reporting that carried a $500 cash prize. That brings the total of our cash awards to $3,500. The 2026 ASJA Awards will feature a new, special theme that will be announced in early January (the 2026 awards submission period will run from January 12 through February 2).
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) – The DEAI Committee guided the board on inclusive hiring practices during our management search. Members of the committee oversaw the organization’s scholarship program, which awarded five scholarships to deserving writers to attend the 2025 annual conference at FIT in New York. The committee also hosts monthly DEAI chats.
Virtual Education – This small but mighty committee of three dedicated volunteers organized 10 monthly webinars, all of which were well attended and received. Our most recent webinar, on generative engine optimization (GEO), attracted 81 participants.
Publications – The Publications Committee has continued to expand and refine the ASJA Weekly newsletter, which reaches close to 3,400 members and nonmembers every Tuesday. For the second year in a row, the ASJA Confidential news channel has ramped up operations, adding a strategic editorial calendar, running at least two posts per week, and publishing posts by a total of 30 contributing writers!
Client Networking – Out of many highlights, one of the standouts is the return of Virtual Pitch Slam after three years. Signups for the initial VPS in early December filled up in less than an hour. In 2026, this member-only benefit will take place quarterly; the next opportunity to pitch an outlet is slated for February. Watch upcoming ASJA Weekly issues for more details.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The emphasis on community will continue in 2026. Simply put, whatever storms 2026 might bring, we can weather them better if we do it together. ASJA programming, the extent of which is frankly astounding given our size and financial constraints, will be there to support you professionally.
Please also think about the “softer,” more personal ways you can contribute to the ASJA community. Participate in chats and groups. Chime in on the Question of the Week. Enter information on your latest paid projects into the Paycheck Database. Build out your member profile to help us promote our Find a Writer tool.
We also encourage you to submit your wins and other news to ASJA member news so we can run it in the ASJA Weekly for all to see. Volunteer to write an ASJA Confidential post. If you have a writing project to refer, think of an ASJA member. Strive for kindness and inclusivity in all your ASJA dealings.
If there’s a member benefit you want to see or something you think can be better, raise your hand and step forward to help. Contact us at asjaoffice@asja.org.
If there’s something about ASJA that’s not working for you, tell me. If you’re happy with how ASJA helps you professionally, tell your colleagues. The more members we have, the more we can grow our programming and be a resource for the next generation of writers.
We’ve spent the past two and a half years working to stabilize and streamline our operations. Now we’re getting ready to soar. Happy holidays to all!
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ASJA President and long-time member Darcy Lewis writes about health, medicine, and the business of health care from Chicago. She is a former National Cancer Reporting Fellow and Medicine in the Media Fellow.