What’s in it for me lists the benefits each ArCHmember receives when they are a member:

A.   VALUE
ArCH dues is the best value in the world for professional architectural organizations: you get more bang for your buck than anywhere else, with annual dues less than 25% of other organizations, and a lot more benefits.

B.  STANDARDS BY WHICH YOU WILL BE JUDGED FAIRLY
See: RASOC  for the standards.  There is no other organization or anything else presently published on the planet that defines what the Architect’s Standard of Care is, much less: Residential Architectural Standards of Care.  ArCH is the only professional organization on Earth that has taken upon themselves this task and successfully defined it for Licensed Residential Architects.  This may not seem like much of anything important.  That is, until you one day come up against a contract dispute with a high-powered Attorney, who invents capricious reasons to try to defame you, your company and your livelihood.  Having an actual standard of architectural practice defined and in writing (and online) by a reputable professional architectural organization may be what saves you from such nuisance actions.  And before you ask: Yes: the RASOC is referenced and linked by URL in the ArCH AOA (Architect-Owner Agreement).  You and your Client willingly agree that your work standard will adhere to these standards and only to these standards.  Furthermore, the clause in the AOA indicates that the only actionable lack of performance in your relationship with your Client is your non-adherence to certain sections of the RASOC.  And therefore, use of the ArCHsuite™ of applications becomes very important: they are all coordinated with each other and support each other. This is far better than the wild and woolly Old West legal system under which most Architects today operate, with nothing to define what it is they should have done or not, with Attorneys taking pot-shots at them for all sorts of invented claims.  This one aspect will one day be worth its weight in gold to ArCHmembers who may find themselves dealing with a difficult situation.  Better to limit the aperture of claims to performance under a particular, well-defined standard.  And better for the legal system as well.

C.  AN AMAZINGLY THOROUGH SUITE OF PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTS & APPLICATIONS, COORDINATED WITH EACH OTHER, ALL FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Check out the ArCHstore.  You’ll start developing some appreciation for the intensive coordinative effort by other ArCHmembers who have labored on these applications over decades to bring them to the refined status of today.  And these applications have been created by Licensed Architects who design homes, not by administrative people trying to create something that only an Architect should make.

D.  SAVE CASH
Membership in ArCH = saving more each year than you spend on your yearly dues.  This applies to ArCHproducts and other shared information.

E.  SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DISCOUNTS IN THE ArCHstore ON ArCHproducts
ArCHproducts have been created exclusively for residential Architects.  For instance, ArCHspec™ was and continues to be for Architects designing homes (not giant museums or airports).  ArCHsuite™ provides a world-class bundled suite of the most productive applications from the ArCHstore, all combined into one deeply discounted value package.  Homes are the most complex project types on the planet.  ArCH understands this and produces products to help Architects administer, design and manage those projects.  What are ArCHproducts?  Forms of agreement, specification systems, specialty service acquisition forms, Project Account systems, Invoice formats, and much more.

NOTE: If you joined ArCH to only obtain the discount on ArCHproducts and then, a year later, decide to let your membership lapse, please think again.  Why: yes, while your purchase is forever, the contents are constantly being updated.  For instance: specifications and also agreement language.  If you simply bought the version that was available a year ago, you are now out of date and need to obtain the latest version, which you can, at a discount, IF you have remained a member.  But if you allow your membership to lapse, there is no discount.  Specifications and agreements and other ArCHproducts are always being updated to fix issues and update to the latest situations and latest practices.  Don’t drop out, because you can’t obtain any discount on the latest versions, if you are no longer a member.  Note: Specifications alone, are probably updated one to 5 times a month, in a variety of sections, over the entire spectrum of Divisions.  So don’t believe because you’ve bought them once and never obtained a discounted update, that you are good to go.  Things may have changed dramatically.  Word to the wise.

F.  GOOGLE #1 PAGE
ArCH enjoys the the #1 search term status for its website,. which means your FIND AN ARCHITECT page on the ArCHwebsite benefits from that top-ranking position on the Internet.

G.  YOU CAN DECLARE THAT YOU ARE A MEMBER OF ArCH
This provides your company with prestige, which encourages clients to hire you.

H.  ArCH IS THE ONLY INDEPENDENT ARCHITECTURAL SOCIETY IN THE WORLD SOLELY COMPOSED OF LICENSED ARCHITECTS WHO DESIGN HOMES.
This means the focus of the organization is on what you do, with no distractions from unlicensed entities.  You may believe there are other organizations with a similar demographic.  This is not true.  Do some digging.  You will discover that not all members in other large organizations are licensed.  And licensed Architects have a different agenda from unlicensed people.  Licensed Architects do a more thorough job.  They have to.  Their license depends on it, as well as public safety and the positive evolution of our profession.  Stand up for yourself and your profession.  Support the only independent global professional society whose membership is exclusively that of licensed Architects who design homes.

I.  FIND AN ARCHITECT DATABASE
Your company is listed in the ArCH Find An Architect database.  You are allowed to enter images and text about your firm on your very own firm webpage on the ArCHwebsite, along with one link back to your website. No other major architectural organization provides this in-depth service and exposure to you.  You must be a current member to continue enjoying this marketing assistance. And the high-ranking ArCHwebsite lists your firm multiple times on the Find An Architect page.  This service, at no additional cost to all ArCHmembers, alone, is more than worth the minimal yearly membership fee.

J.  ArCHforum™
ArCHforum™ expands the brain resources of your company at no additional cost to you.  ArCHforum™ is an online direct communication network, that allows members to create a new topic (or respond to another existing topic), then click Send, which sends that topic/comment to all other ArCHmembers.  Then, you can receive answers to your questions or input about subjects about which you may have inquired.  And the answers are from other licensed Architects around the world.  This is an amazing resource at your fingertips, as long as you are a member.

K.  GLOBAL ORGANIZATION
When you are an ArCHmember, you are part of a Global architectural organization.  This planet-wide perspective of residential architecture is not provided anywhere else.  Widen your horizons and understanding of what is going on in our profession, everywhere.

L.   ArCH AFTER YOUR NAME DISTINGUISHES YOU AS AN ARCHITECT FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
No other title provides you with this designation.  When people see “ArCH”, they know that you are a registered Architect, specializing in home design.  No other title provides you with the quality and identification ArCH does.

K.  ENJOY UNPARALLELED QUALITY OF PEER FRIENDSHIP IN ArCH
Knowing that only other members are also licensed Architects who focus on residential architecture means that you will have many things in common with other members and enjoy sharing concepts and solutions with each other.  And sometimes, just plain, old-fashioned friendship.  We all have issues and concerns at times.  Knowing you have professional friends all over the planet can only help you get through some things.  And having other Architects whom have experienced what  you’re going through can only help you deal with it.  What’s that?  You never got the “warm-fuzzies” from any other architectural organization?  Well, it’s all about being a human being.  We’re all on the planet together and we share the same occupation, so we might as well help each other deal with situations.  Great idea!  Why haven’t other architectural societies thought of this?  Check it out.  Other members of ArCH enjoy friendships that span the USA from corner to corner and even across oceans to far flung continents.

M.   ACCESS TO THE ArCH MASS page
(Marketing Architectural Services Successfully), which is free marketing advice from some of the best residential Architects on the planet. This is password protected.

N.  OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A PROJECT OF YOURS FEATURED ON THE ArCH BIG PICTURE SLIDE SHOW
Which is at the top of each ArCH webpage.  This rotating slide show features many ArCHmember projects.  ArCH insists that your copyright appear on each, so that the world knows you designed those projects, further exposing your firm to the public for possible engagement.

O.  HELP IMPROVE RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Which is ArCH’s motto.  You will be making the world a better place.  And you benefit from that, as well as the public and your peers.  Check out ArCH’s Goals.

P.  ArCHdes™ YEARLY DESIGN AWARD PROGRAM
You can enter your projects in the yearly ArCHdes™ (Design Excellence Selection) program.  There were about a dozen winners last year, all of whom were presented with an electronic award badge for posting on their websites, informing the world that they are an award winning firm.  Are you?  You can’t say that, unless you win awards, and you may have a reasonable chance of doing that in ArCH, if your firm designs quality projects.  But you can’t enter and you can’t win, unless you are an ArCHmember.  The price of the previous 2 year’s project entries was an amazingly low $49 per project entry.  ArCH endeavors to be a true value in all that it does for its members. And that’s important to understand: one of the main reasons ArCH exists is to help its membership.  Not provide jobs for hundreds of corporate administrative people (like some other organizations) but to improve the profession and do some good among ourselves and the profession.

Q.  CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECT (CRAfts™) Focus Team System
The one of a kind CRAfts™ system dovetails with the ArCHdes™ yearly design award program.  At the present time, the easiest path to CRAfts™ designation is to earn 10 ArCHdes™ design awards.  At that point, an ArCHmember in good standing may pay the CRAfts™ fee and apply for their CRAfts™ designation.  This means that those whom have gone through this process will become the ONLY Certified Residential Architects on the face of the Earth.  This program only exists for members of ArCH.  And even the term “Certified Residential Architect” is copyrighted as a Service Mark on the ArCHwebsite.   Check it out here:  CRAfts™ .

R.  ArCHforms™ AGREEMENT FORMS
No other global architectural society offers agreement forms like this.  Reviewed by over a dozen Attorneys and other practicing Licensed Architects (who design homes) over the course of the last 35 years, these agreements were created solely for the purpose of residential architecture.  These forms can help you avoid pitfalls that are inherent in other commercially-oriented larger agreements that do not have the proper background in residential architecture.  These agreements can help you sleep well at night, knowing that scores of situations have been managed for you, built-in to the agreements, helping you stay focused on the creation of quality homes.

S.  CEU LIBRARY
On the ArCHwebsite, there are links to hundreds of free online CEU courses that you can take from your armchair in your home office.  ArCH is also in the process of becoming a supplier of CEUs for its own ArCH CRAfts (Certified Residential Architect) program, currently in development (not meant to replace licensing of Architects or legal licensure in any country).

T.  CARING MEMBERS THAT CAN AND WILL HELP YOU
Many other organizations are large, corporate, uncaring entities.  Not ArCH.  ArCHmembers are like your architectural brothers and sisters.  ArCHmembers endeavor to help each other, with wise counsel, when requested.

U.  ArCH FOCUS GROUPS
Provides your will peer interaction focused on solving the problems in our profession.  Be part of the solutions.

V.  TRUTH, JUSTICE & THE ArCH WAY
ArCH represents what is good, strong and positive in the profession today.  Be part of the organization leading the way for the future of residential architecture.

W.  CREATION OF ArCH VIDEOS FOR YOUR USE
Such as the ArCHflik™: Value of a Licensed Residential Architect © Copyright 2015, Architects Creating Homes, LLC, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Which helps educate the public on the value of what you do.  In just a few short minutes, videos like this communicate effectively to your Clients why they need a Licensed Architect designing their home. All of us have experienced situations in which a prospective client doesn’t understand why you should be well compensated and why your services are even needed at all.  Having access to videos such as this can help you educate your future Clients, without you saying a word.