ASSAP New Membership rates
ASSAPs Membership Review and Pricing Adjustment for a Brighter Future in Anomalous Research
As we bid farewell to 2025 and embrace 2026, the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP) is excited to announce our Membership Review. With roots stretching back to 1981, ASSAP has long been a beacon for evidence-based exploration of the paranormal, high strangeness, and beyond. In this rapidly changing world—where information flows digitally, communities connect virtually, and investigations demand innovation—we're committed to not just keeping pace but leading the charge. This review, driven by our volunteer committee (who are members just like you), focuses on enhancing communication, training, events, and benefits to ensure ASSAP remains robust, relevant, and ready for the decades ahead.
We've already begun this evolution: overhauling our training programs with the Accredited Anomalous Investigator (AAI) and Registered Investigator (ARI) courses, the launching of Expert Panels, and booking the refreshed Seriously Strange Conference a year in advance. Now, we're tuning our membership structure to support even more value, including an increase in Seriously Strange magazine issues from two to three/four per year, 2 physical, aiming for 2 digital. We're also exploring ways to integrate the Anomaly journal into Seriously Strange. Blending print and digital formats to manage rising costs while maintaining that tangible quality many of us cherish. Additional digital editions could provide more frequent touchpoints, aligning with modern reading habits on tablets or smartphones.
This accumulated knowledge in our archives, journals, and Seriously Strange magazines remains highly accessible in the Members Section, offering over years of in-depth content that's been eagerly awaited by enthusiasts and academia.
We really need to invest in the IT technology behind the scenes; membership presently is an incredibly manual process and has been for a long time. Our membership presently is a fractured system, a combination of offline and online components. This needs to be brought up to date, perhaps with the introduction of a CRM system. Acknowledging that we are an approachable and grounded point of entry into serious paranormal research and education, these updates will streamline operations and enhance member experiences.
Addressing the Pricing Reality: Transparency and Sustainability
ASSAP's membership fees haven't increased in over 15 years—remaining at £20 for UK postal (with £15 concessions) and £5 for digital/international since around 2011—despite inflation, escalating printing, postage, and technology costs. UK cumulative inflation from 2011 to 2025 has been approximately 47.5%, meaning £20 in 2011 equates to about £29.50 in today's purchasing power. We've absorbed these through volunteer passion and low overheads, but to sustain and expand our offerings—like delivering 50+ live webinars annually (1.5–2 hours each with Q&A, organising guests, and a 250+ archived video catalogue), accredited training, grants, awards, early-bird event access and archive access —we must realign for fairness and longevity.
Delivering 50 webinars plus publications requires massive coordination (volunteers, Zoom, production, editing, printing/postage)—yet ASSAP sustains this affordably via low overheads and passion. Peers charge more for less frequent/accessible output; podcasts monetise monthly despite simpler production.
Effective May 1, 2026, new members signing up will see updated pricing:
- Postal Membership (Print + Digital, UK): £40 (standard)
- Concession Postal (Under 21, over 60, or unwaged): £30
- Digital Membership (PDFs via Members’ Area, International/UK): £20
To honour our loyal community, existing members renewing for 2026 will enjoy grandfathered rates: £20 postal (£15 concession) or £5 digital. This eases the transition while we build toward greater sustainability. Postage alone for recent issues like Seriously Strange 162 and Anomaly exceeded £1,400, highlighting the direct costs we manage to keep delivering exceptional content. ASSAP could sustainably raise to £20 digital / £40 physical without losing the "extraordinary value message", aligning closer to effort while remaining the UK's value proposition in serious paranormal research/education.
Extraordinary Value in Context: How ASSAP Stacks Up
Pricing isn't just about costs—it's about perception, value, and consumer behaviour. Research shows that while low prices can attract, they sometimes signal lower quality, especially against established brands. ASSAP has long been praised for undercharging given our output, but we're shifting to better reflect the immense volunteer effort behind our webinars, publications, training, and events. By tying increases to tangible enhancements—like more Seriously Strange issues—we aim to elevate perceptions without compromising accessibility.
Here's a comparative snapshot (based on 2026 data where available)
| Organization | Annual Fee (Entry Level, GBP) | Publications | Live/Interactive Content | Training/Investigations | Other Perks | Value vs. ASSAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSAP | £5 digital / £20 physical (£15 concession) * | Seriously Strange (multiple/year, 50+ pages, print/digital), Anomaly (annual, back-issues) online archive. | Approximately 50 webinars/year (weekly, Q&A, catalog) | AAI/ARI accredited (SPR-endorsed) | Grants, awards, events discounts, library, governance | Benchmark: Highest volume for lowest cost. |
| Society for Psychical Research (SPR) | ~£84 regular (~£56 concession) | Quarterly Journal & Magazine | Occasional lectures/study days | None formal | Extensive library/archive | Good academic depth but 1/4 live content; 4–20x pricier. |
| The Ghost Club | £35 UK postal (£30 digital); £25 overseas (£15 digital) | Quarterly journal | Monthly talks, investigations | Informal via events | Merch, social events | Strong on investigations; 5–7x ASSAP physical but fewer webinars. |
| BUFORA | ~£20–30 | Periodic bulletin | Investigations, conferences | Investigator network | UFO/UAP focus | Niche; comparable cost but less breadth/training. |
| Parapsychological Association | ~£87 professional (student ~£44) | Convention proceedings | Annual convention | Professional networking | Scholarly | High cost for limited ongoing content. |
| Rhine Research Center | ~£55 basic | Journal access | Monthly meetings | Courses extra (~£62–69) | Events discounts | Solid education but piecemeal; 10–15x ASSAP digital. |
| Paranormal Podcasts (e.g., Ghost Huns, Blurry Creatures) | £26–£365/year via Patreon | Bonus episodes/notes | 1–4 extras/month, lives | None | Ad-free, merch, bonus content | Entertainment-focused; 10–38x ASSAP for less structure. |
This positions ASSAP as unmatched: our £40 postal tier covers 3–4 Seriously Strange issues, plus 300+ print pages annually, weekly webinars, and more—all for extraordinary value for our membership. The production of which is volunteer-driven, by a small committee, and we want build on what we've achieved so far.
Building Brand Strength
We're drawing from non-profit best practices; tiered models like ours balance accessibility with sustainability by offering choices that match member needs. We've listened to feedback: many note we undercharge, but "cheap" can deter those seeking premium quality. By increasing value alongside price—more issues, buffed events, increased Education/Training program, calendar, refreshed content—we're fostering loyalty programs like grandfathering and transparent communications to keep you at the heart of our community.
We're not a high-street retailer driven by supply and demand, but in this curious bubble of anomalous investigation, we do want to supply more: deeper insights, stronger connections, and opportunities for all. Your input drives this—share thoughts via email. Together, let's ensure ASSAP thrives for another 45 years of sensible, approachable exploration.