Societies are open to all genealogists, with and without a computer. Local or ethnic societies are a great place to get information on regional records and their availability. This is information that may be hard to come by otherwise. Societies help set priorities and seek public and private investment to keep records available to genealogists everywhere. Organizations with many members carry more weight and can often accomplish what individual researchers cannot.
Genealogical societies form a solid foundation upon which the genealogical community rests.
But in many cases, this foundation is crumbling. Many societies are suffering from declining memberships and a crippling lack of volunteers. If these institutions that have given us so much are to survive, they need your support on both a local and national level. By helping societies, you are in essence, helping yourself.