Where Your CEU Dollars Go – Choosing State Associations and Nonprofits That Reinvest in the Profession

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There comes a point in every court reporter’s career when the shine of the profession gives way to the reckoning. We look around and realize that the industry we pledged to uphold is being pulled in too many directions, its integrity strained by forces that do not share our values or understand our craft. In that moment, the question becomes not how loudly we complain, but how thoughtfully we choose who and what we support.

For decades, I have watched reporters work long hours, pass punishing certification tests, master realtime, endure impossible scheduling, and still show up with professionalism and precision. We do this not for glamour, but because we believe in the sanctity of the record. That belief, however, is increasingly being tested by a flood of glossy marketing, self-appointed saviors, and organizations more interested in brand-building than in preserving the profession itself.

Every year we are asked to pay dues, attend conferences, enroll in continuing education, and donate our time and money to causes that claim to champion stenography. The invitations arrive dressed in urgency. The messaging warns us that if we do not act now, we will be left behind, uninformed, irrelevant. The tone is seductive, sometimes even shaming. It leans heavily on fear, belonging, and loyalty rather than on transparency and substance.

This is where discernment matters.

When you send your hard-earned money to an organization, you are not simply purchasing access to an event or a certificate. You are endorsing a structure, a mission, and a set of priorities. You are deciding whether your investment fuels the collective future of court reporting or quietly supports someone else’s personal enterprise.

State and national associations were not created as vanity vehicles. They exist to represent us, to advocate on our behalf, to protect regulation, standards, and certification, and to serve as the institutional backbone of our profession. These organizations may not always be fashionable. Their committees may move slowly. Their politics can be frustrating. Yet they are governed by bylaws, subject to nonprofit law, required to disclose financials, and accountable to membership.

When they generate revenue, whether through dues, conventions, or continuing education, that money is reinvested into advocacy efforts, training, student outreach, scholarship programs, professional development, and the unglamorous but critical work of preserving stenography’s legitimacy within the legal system. That is not an abstraction; it is the infrastructure that keeps our seats in courtrooms from disappearing entirely.

Contrast this with the growing landscape of personality-driven ventures marketed as movements. Branded retreats, exclusive masterminds, “inner circles,” and influencer-style events now saturate our professional space. The language is aspirational and emotionally charged. The visuals are polished. The promises are grand. But behind the carefully curated aesthetic often lies a simple reality: revenue flows upward, not back into the profession.

There is a difference between education and monetization disguised as community. There is a difference between leadership and a personal empire built on the labor and loyalty of reporters who believe they are buying into preservation rather than profit.

Continuing education is a prime example of this fork in the road. Reporters must earn CEUs to maintain licensure, yet not all CEUs serve the same purpose beyond compliance. Education offered through legitimate nonprofit associations is structured, reviewed, approved, and aligned with ethical standards. It builds skill, reinforces professionalism, and strengthens the collective knowledge base of the field. The funds generated are channeled back into the ecosystem of court reporting itself.

When education is marketed as a premium lifestyle experience or an exclusive brand moment, the benefit often narrows. The focus shifts away from strengthening the profession and toward elevating the persona of the organizer. That may be a profitable business model, but let us be honest about what it is. It is not preservation. It is commerce.

This does not mean that all for-profit ventures are inherently malicious. It means they deserve scrutiny and clarity. It means reporters have the right to ask who profits, how, and whether those profits serve the collective good or simply sustain an individual platform.

A seasoned reporter learns to follow the money, not the spotlight.

Before committing to any organization, program, or event, it is reasonable to ask whether it is a nonprofit or a private business. It is appropriate to inquire about board structure, financial transparency, and oversight. It is prudent to explore where revenues are allocated and whether they feed advocacy, education, and sustainability for stenographers as a whole.

Reputable organizations do not bristle at these questions. They welcome them. They answer them. They publish the answers openly. That transparency is not an inconvenience; it is a hallmark of legitimacy.

What should concern every reporter is the normalization of emotional pressure tactics masquerading as professional opportunity. Urgency. Exclusivity. Loyalty tests. Social media campaigns that resemble lifestyle branding more than institutional advocacy. These are tools of persuasion, not proof of mission.

You are not failing your profession by declining to participate in something that does not align with your values. You are not betraying your peers by refusing to be swept into every new trend that promises salvation. You are exercising stewardship.

Stewardship, in this context, means remembering that court reporting is not a social club or a marketing niche. It is a profession grounded in precision, neutrality, and accountability. It exists to serve the integrity of the legal record, not to feed the optics of inspiration.

We owe it to ourselves, and to the next generation of reporters, to protect the institutions that still fight for us at legislative tables, in regulatory hearings, and inside the corridors of power. That protection does not come from flashy branding. It comes from sustained support of organizations that put the profession above individual recognition.

This is not about vilifying ambition or innovation. It is about proportionality and honesty. Support the groups that demonstrably reinvest in the profession. Prioritize CEUs that strengthen collective competence. Reward transparency. Demand accountability. Question narratives that position one personality as the singular savior of an industry built on thousands of disciplined professionals.

The culture of FOMO has no place in a profession built on measured precision. Fear of missing out should never override discernment, nor should polished imagery eclipse the practical reality of where your money travels after the applause fades.

Every dollar you spend is a vote. Every endorsement is a signal. Every registration confirms a direction.

Make those choices with intention. Choose organizations that protect your license, your livelihood, and the legacy of stenographic integrity. Choose education that builds the profession rather than monetizes its panic. Choose transparency over charisma and substance over spectacle.

Saving court reporting does not happen in curated photo ops or exclusive circles. It happens in advocacy rooms, legislative chambers, classrooms, and courtrooms, where seasoned professionals continue to defend a craft that deserves better than commodification.

We are not merely participants in this industry. We are its guardians. And guardians ask questions before they write checks.

StenoImperium
Court Reporting. Unfiltered. Unafraid.

Disclaimer

“This article includes analysis and commentary based on observed events, public records, and legal statutes.”

The content of this post is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. All opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are based on publicly available information, industry standards, and good-faith concerns about nonprofit governance and professional ethics. No part of this article is intended to defame, accuse, or misrepresent any individual or organization. Readers are encouraged to verify facts independently and to engage constructively in dialogue about leadership, transparency, and accountability in the court reporting profession.

  • The content on this blog represents the personal opinions, observations, and commentary of the author. It is intended for editorial and journalistic purposes and is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
  • Nothing here constitutes legal advice. Readers are encouraged to review the facts and form independent conclusions.

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Published by stenoimperium

We exist to facilitate the fortifying of the Stenography profession and ensure its survival for the next hundred years! As court reporters, we've handed the relationship role with our customers, or attorneys, over to the agencies and their sales reps.  This has done a lot of damage to our industry.  It has taken away our ability to have those relationships, the ability to be humanized and valued.  We've become a replaceable commodity. Merely saying we are the “Gold Standard” tells them that we’re the best, but there are alternatives.  Who we are though, is much, much more powerful than that!  We are the Responsible Charge.  “Responsible Charge” means responsibility for the direction, control, supervision, and possession of stenographic & transcription work, as the case may be, to assure that the work product has been critically examined and evaluated for compliance with appropriate professional standards by a licensee in the profession, and by sealing and signing the documents, the professional stenographer accepts responsibility for the stenographic or transcription work, respectively, represented by the documents and that applicable stenographic and professional standards have been met.  This designation exists in other professions, such as engineering, land surveying, public water works, landscape architects, land surveyors, fire preventionists, geologists, architects, and more.  In the case of professional engineers, the engineering association adopted a Responsible Charge position statement that says, “A professional engineer is only considered to be in responsible charge of an engineering work if the professional engineer makes independent professional decisions regarding the engineering work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional engineer’s physical presence at the location where the engineering work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the engineering work.” If we were to adopt a Responsible Charge position statement for our industry, we could start with a draft that looks something like this: "A professional court reporter, or stenographer, is only considered to be in responsible charge of court reporting work if the professional court reporter makes independent professional decisions regarding the court reporting work without requiring instruction or approval from another authority and maintains control over those decisions by the professional court reporter’s physical presence at the location where the court reporting work is performed or by electronic communication with the individual executing the court reporting work.” Shared purpose The cornerstone of a strategic narrative is a shared purpose. This shared purpose is the outcome that you and your customer are working toward together. It’s more than a value proposition of what you deliver to them. Or a mission of what you do for the world. It’s the journey that you are on with them. By having a shared purpose, the relationship shifts from consumer to co-creator. In court reporting, our mission is “to bring justice to every litigant in the U.S.”  That purpose is shared by all involved in the litigation process – judges, attorneys, everyone.  Who we are is the Responsible Charge.  How we do that is by Protecting the Record.

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