Notice of Dues Increase for 2024

GCA is dedicated to serving our members and our industry and is committed to prudent stewardship of member and sponsor dollars. For the past four years, we’ve done so by expanding your member benefits and seeking out operational efficiencies — all while keeping dues unchanged. However, rising costs and market conditions have made it impossible to do so, and dues will increase effective with the 2024 membership year.

You can view the new membership fees here.  

GCA has historically increased dues every two years and did so in 2016, 2018, and 2020. As we were just coming out of COVID-19, the Board elected not to institute an increase in 2022. In the four years since our last dues increase in 2020, the cumulative rate of inflation in the US has been 18.11%. Some areas, such as meetings and events, have seen even higher spikes. And, just as these increased costs over the years have impacted your business, they have affected each aspect of GCA and the service we provide. After thorough research and discussion, the Board has made the decision to increase dues for the 2024 calendar year.

While there is a slight increase in dues this coming year, we also continue to expand the benefits for you and are proud of all we have – and will continue – to offer. In this past year, we: 

• Expanded *Noted: The Greeting Card Expo, enhanced exhibitor value, and kept our exhibit space rates at the same price as the previous year. 
• Identified members with targeted skills, expertise, and leadership qualities who are dedicated to volunteer service that keeps GCA growing value for you. 
• Partnered with Barnes & Noble and Paper Source to bring Louie Award Finalist and Winning cards to the shelves of over 600 retail stores nationwide. 
• Re-launched the GCA Community where we share resources, connect, network, and build community. 
• Released the results of the 2022 Industry Data Report on greeting card sales, trends, and statistics to help you make better business decisions.  
• Brought back Workshop + Retreat in person for the first time in four years. 
• Grew 2022 Louie Award entries by 62% over 2021 entries.
• Continued to offer exclusive space in *Noted Village sections at winter and summer shows at NY NOW, Atlanta Market, Las Vegas Market, and Dallas Market. 
• Hosted in-person GCA Meet Ups for members to have a chance to connect, network, and socialize.
• Collaborated with Keep US Posted on a Mother’s Day Card Writing Event on Capitol Hill where members of Congress could experience firsthand the value of greeting cards and USPS service. 
• Introduced the GCA Book Club – a bi-monthly book club where members met to discuss the book, their takeaways, and ideas for how to expand learnings to grow their business.  
• Focused on the most pressing issues facing USPS to advocate on behalf of GCA members and the citizen mailer with a focus on maintaining 6-day-a-week delivery and limiting stamp price increases.  
• Continued to hold the popular bi-weekly Town Hall meetings where members can connect, share information, and stay abreast of GCA activities. 

Looking forward to 2024, we will continue to expand your membership benefits, including: 

• The addition of Gifted: The Creative Gift & Home Expo to create a vibrant, unique, community event alongside *Noted. 
• Quarterly webinars to replace the virtual Workshop + Retreat. These webinars will be $25 each for non-members but will be free for GCA Members —a $100 value 
• Expanded Louie Awards categories to actively promote industry diversity, inclusivity, and participation by historically underrepresented makers. 
• Partnering with Faire to feature select Louie finalists and winners in a GCA Community section for enhanced visibility and findability. 
• And more!  

We are committed to providing you and all GCA members with growing and relevant services and programs to assist in your personal development and your professional success and growth.

*Dues paid to the Greeting Card Association GCA) are not deductible as a charitable contribution because GCA is a 501(c)6 organization.  Additionally, dues paid to GCA are not fully deductible as a business expense due to its lobbying efforts. For the 2024 calendar, 10% of your annual dues paid are not deductible.