Membership Categories

Welcome to Life Stories Australia

The Association of Life Story Professionals

Life Stories Australia Inc (LSA) promotes the craft of documenting the life stories of people and organisational histories, and seeks to further the professional interests of its practitioners.

Members of LSA strive to help individuals, families, communities, organisations and businesses preserve their stories across a broad range of mediums including but not limited to print, photographic, image, audio, film, digital and mixed media. As professional storytellers, LSA members bring an objective and experienced voice to their client’s story and provide a level of professionalism that goes beyond what the client could have achieved alone.

Goals

Promotion

• To promote LSA as the recognised, professional industry benchmark for the recording, preserving and sharing of personal life stories and organisational histories
• To promote awareness and appreciation of the value of preserving life stories and organisational histories
• To promote LSA and its membership in the media and other relevant forums in Australia
• To maintain a public register of LSA professionals and facilitate access to potential clients in their geographical area and preferred format.

Professional services

• To establish and maintain a code of ethics and professional standards
• To provide support, networking and collaborative opportunities amongst members
• To provide members with links to external relevant educational and professional organisations.

Are you interested in joining Life Stories Australia?

If you write, record, produce or contribute professionally to life stories, and would like to join our association, here are our rules of membership and member benefits. Please select from the options below

Categories	Acceptance criteria	Member benefits	Annual Subscription
Australian Member	Currently working as a Life Story Professional (LSP) in Australia (also includes biographers, memoirists, personal historians, oral historians, audiographers and videographers etc), on a part-time or full-time commercial basis. To be eligible for full membership, applicants must show they have completed any combination of three of the following projects in the life story area: 1. Published a life story book, audio or videography project for a client for a professional fee; 2. Conducted life story writing or guided autobiography classes for a professional fee; 3. Coached or mentored an individual to write their life story for a professional fee; or 4. Any combination of these projects for a minimum of three projects for a professional fee. You will be required to show evidence of meeting these criteria in the application form, with supporting qualifications, skills and other experience. You will be asked to sign and abide by the LSA Code of Conduct.	Benefits of being an accredited full member of LSA Promotion as a member of LSA -Listed in member directory on website and Facebook page with profile and website -Can advertise on LSA website -Can post blogs and articles on LSA website -Can use LSA logo on own materials Networking and collaboration -Opportunity to attend peer support and/or networking meetings to share business knowledge, skills and strategies -Opportunity to give and receive referrals, to subcontract, to collaborate or form partnerships with other life story professionals and business/vendor members for design, editing and publishing etc. Professional upskilling resources -Access to our Members-Only resources via our website. -Opportunity to access professional development upskilling sessions and workshops on various aspects of life story work. -Links to relevant articles and professional organisations, education and training courses.	$125
International member	Same as full member	Same as full membership. Please note, LSA will not be marketing or advertising in countries other than Australia.	$100
Allied Member	Working in the life story space as an editor, illustrator, educator, literary agent, publisher, printer, bookseller or other related occupation	Same as full membership. Please note, LSA will be actively promoting life story professionals only.	$125
Associate Member	Emerging life story professional – just starting, having a career pause, or doing voluntary, honorary or hobby life story work.	Access to our Members-Only web resources. May join our private Facebook page. May attend peer support/ networking meetings. Can be listed on our website with your name, phone number and either an email or web address.	$80
Supporter/friend	You are not engaged as a Life Story Professional but interested in being connected, and supporting the Association as a volunteer.	Will be invited to attend any LSA social functions, will be listed as supporter on website, may join private Facebook page	By donation minimum $20
Invited Honorary Member and Life Member	An Honorary Life Member is invited to this role in recognition for invaluable contributions and services to LSA, for example, ongoing mentoring, advice to Board, PR and other forms of advocacy and support	Full membership	nil
Philanthropic contributor and bequests	Platinum, Gold, Silver	Will be invited to attend LSA social functions, will be listed as supporter on website and may join private Facebook page	Silver under $1,000 Gold under $5,000 Platinum over $5,000