Club raises dues $1 per month for most members

National Press Club dues will rise $1 per month next year for most Club members.

The Club’s Board of Governors approved at its Oct. 21 meeting the $12 increase in annual dues for 2025. The board acted after an informal vote was taken at the Oct. 18 General Membership Meeting.

There was no quorum at the GMM, so the vote was a sense of the membership. Nearly every person in the audience of about 50 supported the increase, which will help the Club fund priorities and keep pace with operational costs.

“We have a high number of hands up,” said Club President Emily Wilkins. “More than I was expecting.”

The higher dues will be applied to all membership categories except students, spouses and inactive members.

The extra funding comes as the Club launches a major initiative, the Press Freedom Center. The non-profit organization, which will be housed within the National Press Club Journalism Institute, was part of the Club strategic plan approved earlier this year.

The PFC will become the focal point of the Club’s press freedom work, such as advocating for the release of journalist Austin Tice in Syria, providing support for exiled journalists and other international and domestic efforts.

“The idea was to take it all, bring it under one banner, up the branding...and really formalize what we were doing,” Wilkins said at the GMM. “Put a process in place so once everyone in this room is gone, the Center is still there and is still able to help journalists who are really in need.”

The Club has pledged $500,000 toward the Center, while the NPCJI has pledged $100,000.

“This has very much been a collaboration between the Club and the Institute,” Wilkins said. “I see this as an investment that’s going to [offer returns] many, many times over.”

The PFC will formally launch next month.

Club finances are strong, Treasurer Alisa Parenti said at the GMM.

The Club is increasing its room rental and banquet business, as a strong post-pandemic recovery continues, and its investment accounts are growing briskly.

“The Club is doing quite well,” Parenti said.

Club membership stood at 2,538 total members as of Oct. 1, an increase of 1.7 percent month-over-month and 1.6 percent year-over-year. The Club consists primarily of 1,336 journalist members, up 4% since last year, and 1,045 communicator members, which was down 1.8% from last year.

The strongest growth category is young members, which increased 13% since last year to a total of 312.

“The Club’s membership trajectory, for the most part, is on the upswing,” Membership Secretary Mark Schoeff Jr said at the GMM.