EFA members are all freelancers experienced in a wide range of professional skills, subject areas, and media. Here is a list of editorial services that our members offer.

While the EFA is headquartered in New York City, our members live and work all over the country and in over a dozen nations abroad.

As a member, you will have access to

• a library of free webinars and 20% off all our education offerings designed to strengthen and enhance your editorial and entrepreneurial know-how
• our Job List services and your customizable EFA Member Directory listing—a powerful promotional tool
• chapters in various cities and regions, as well as affinity groups formed around shared editing interests or identities 
• virtual and in-person events
• the EFA Community Forums and Discord server, bringing members from around the world together to exchange ideas, ask and answer questions, and seek and offer advice.
• e-newsletters, including the Freelancer (exclusive to members) and What's New at the EFA

Visit the Benefits & Resources page to learn more.

Yes—in fact, we offer a Student membership for individuals matriculated in a current course of study who are interested in working in the editorial field, as well as Emerging Professional membership for those who have been working in the editorial field for less than three years. Visit our Join page to learn more about the different membership types and check out our Resources for New Freelance Editors for suggestions on gaining editorial and freelancing skills through the EFA and beyond.

By all means. Many of our members belong to other professional associations—a strategy that offers additional networking and educational opportunities. At the same time, many members of other organizations find that the EFA offers things that those others don’t, so they join the EFA. From time to time the EFA holds joint programs with other associations, which often gives people the chance to explore other career opportunities in the freelance world.

The EFA supports many of the organizations that have the resources to serve as advocates for their members, including the Authors Guild, ASJA, and the National Writers Union. Under the Directory & Job List menu is a link to the Code of Fair Practice, published originally by the Freelance Editorial Association, which merged with the EFA in 2000. The EFA does not offer legal support to members nor does it support any political causes.

Most people in the US can get coverage through the national marketplace (healthcare.gov). Open enrollment for ACA Marketplace plans opens November 1 and closes at midnight on December 15 of each year. All plans cover essential health benefits,  pre-existing conditions, and  preventive services. A special enrollment period is available for those who have missed open enrollment. Some states have their own exchanges, and deadlines may differ from those of the national marketplace.

Depending on income, you may qualify for an insurance plan with tax credits or for Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The HealthCare.gov Blog can help you keep up with the latest information. Issues relevant to freelancers are dealt with on the page about Health coverage if you’re self-employed.

The EFA offers different types of memberships:

Visit our Join page to learn more about the different membership types.

Generally, the EFA doesn't offer membership cancellations or refunds. However, you may continue to take advantage of all the benefits of membership until it expires. If you have any questions about our cancellation policy, please contact Community Manager Khiteriara Brown at khiteriara.brown@the-efa.org.

Membership begins the month you join and ends twelve months later. That is, it runs from the date you joined to the end of that month of the following year (or second year, if you joined for two years).

No. EFA membership is open to individual freelancers for mutual support and advancement. To help keep dues low for all, we have individual memberships only—no group, joint, or company-level memberships. Each employee must have their own account.

Guest accounts are for those who would like to take courses and webinars, attend events, and/or join our guest mailing list to receive the What's New at the EFA e-newsletter or the Education e-newsletter announcing new offerings.

For anything else—including getting discounted or free webinars and courses and access to our Job List services and your customizable EFA Member Directory listing—paid membership is the way to go. Visit our Join page to learn more about the different membership types.

Clients: Please note that you don't have to register as a guest or member to submit Job List posts.

When you log in to the community homepage, you'll be prompted to either upgrade your membership or have the option to continue as a guest. (Don't worry—you'll only be prompted once per day, regardless of the number of times you log in to the site.) Or you can visit the Join page whenever you're ready to upgrade to full membership.

General guidelines on rates and rate ranges are available under the Directory & Job List menu > Editorial Rates submenu.

You may call our main line at +1 212-920-4816, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET to hear a menu of options to connect to the appropriate EFA staff member.

Once you're logged in to the membership platform, you'll be redirected to the Dashboard view (the default for logged-in members). Under the Dashboard dropdown menu, click on My Profile. Tips on optimizing your profile for potential clients are available on the EFA Member Directory & Job List 101 page.

Once you're logged in to the membership platform, you'll be redirected to the Dashboard view (the default for logged-in members). Under the Dashboard dropdown menu, click on My Profile. There, you can change all of your contact information. Thank you for keeping it up to date so that we can stay in touch!

First, check that your primary email address is correct (it's a mandatory field in the Account Information section in My Profile). Scroll all the way down to the Additional Information section and make sure you've selected Yes from the dropdown menu to receive Job List notifications by email (see screenshot below). Don't forget to  save your changes!

If those are correct, the issue may be with your email client—check your spam, junk, promotions, trash, bulk mail, or similar folders in case EFA emails are being misdirected away from your inbox.

Note that you can always find the active Job List Posts on the website (you must be logged in to the community to see this page). 

You’ll find links to different versions of the member logos on the EFA Directory & Job List 101 page (in the Making the Most of the Member Directory section).

Memberships can be renewed starting on the first day of the final month of your membership period (one year or two years). For example, if you join any time in January for one year, your renewal month will be all of the following January. We will send you a reminder email (with a link and instructions) on the 1st of the month and, if you haven’t yet renewed, on the 21st of your renewal month.

Your membership expires at midnight (ET) on the last day of your renewal month. Your membership is then in a 30-day grace period. Although your membership has expired, you can still sign in to the website to renew. When you sign in, you’ll see links for renewing. Upon expiration, we send you an email notice (with a link and instructions for renewing).

After the grace period, you can still renew by, first, signing in to the website, and then proceeding with payment. This is sometimes called “rejoining.”

If you have questions about or difficulties with this process, please contact membershipcoordinator@the-efa.org.

You can find both your membership type and the expiration date by going to My Profile, then clicking on the Payments & History link in the left menu, then on the Membership tab on the right side of the page.

If the email address you used with the EFA previously is still active, click the Forgot Your Password? link on the right rail menu of the community homepage, then follow the instructions to create a new password to log back in. You will be prompted to rejoin.

If you cannot sign in to the online community, please contact EFA community manager Khiteriara Brown at khiteriara.brown@the-efa.org. Include your full name and the email address you previously used with the EFA so she can best assist you.

Make sure that you've set your subscription preferences to receive the emails you want by going to My Profile > About tab > Edit > Email Preferences in your dashboard. You may change your subscription preferences here at any time (see screenshot below).

Add info@the-efa.org and the EFA’s domain name, the-efa.org, to your address book or list of approved senders, or whitelist them, in your email program and with your spam filtering service or software. Check your spam, junk, promotions, trash, bulk mail, or similar folders in case EFA emails are being misdirected away from your inbox.

Click the Forgot Your Password? link on the right rail menu of the community homepage, then follow the instructions to change your password to log back in. If you cannot sign in to the online community, please contact EFA community manager Khiteriara Brown at khiteriara.brown@the-efa.org. 

Only paying members appear in the Member Directory. Guest membership allows you to register for EFA courses and webinars, attend some of our events, sign up for our What’s New at the EFA and Education newsletters, and receive occasional emails from us.

Paying members can create a full profile that includes a profile picture, bio, editorial categories (skills, specialties, etc.), PDF resumes, certifications, etc. Only members have access to the Job List. If you would like to learn more about EFA member benefits, visit the Benefits & Resources page. You also may view descriptions of the different membership types we offer by visiting the Join page.