Help shape the RGD Membership experience in 2026
Written by Ruth Farrugia RGD, City of Côte Saint-LucThe RGD staff is truly a wonder to behold, doing so much for such a small but mighty team. But did you know that the RGD also counts on a massive team of volunteers?
I’ve been volunteering on RGD Committees for years and it has been a fulfilling and fun experience. You understand what it means to be part of a professional organization and see how it works when you volunteer and meet other people who care about it as much as you do. I have met many dedicated, talented, kind and funny people along the way.
There’s nothing like seeing ideas come to life, an experience designers are familiar with. As co-chair of the Membership Committee (along with my amazing co-chair, Kyle Schruder RGD), I’ve seen first-hand how our volunteer Committee Members come up with new ways to make RGD Membership better all the time.
How the Committee works
Each RGD Committee is made up of 10 to 20 professional Members, including Affiliate, Associate and Certified RGDs. The full Membership Committee meets monthly for a one-hour virtual meeting, while our smaller working groups meet throughout the month to advance specific initiatives and bring proposals back to the Committee.
At our monthly virtual meetings, we have a great time connecting, bringing our varied backgrounds and experiences, to focus on the benefits for and experience of RGD Members. It’s work, but you see the fruits of your labour… and benefit from them too!
The Committee has found ways to connect our Members with each other on the RGD Slack Community, through our Virtual Communities and at the Membership Booth at DesignThinkers. We've worked hard to support and nourish these opportunities for connection as the RGD grows across Canada and beyond.
We welcome new RGD Members with our Welcome Wagons, finding out why people became Members and introducing them to what they can expect through their Membership and how to make the most of it.
As we look ahead to 2026, we are seeking new Committee Members interested in contributing to this work—whether that’s helping to shape the RGD Slack Community, re-envisioning the Book Club, supporting our Professional Awards (Branding and In-House Design Awards), working on the next Creative Earners Survey, proposing new Member benefits or assisting with Member recruitment and engagement.
"I’ve been involved with the RGD Membership Committee for a long time, beginning as Chair, when I served on the Board over six years. Since then, I have had the privilege of meeting so many amazing designers, many of whom I now consider friends. My experience has underlined the fact that the RGD is a true community of creatives. And I have been lucky enough to watch as we've extended our reach across the country, no longer existing just in the major urban centres on the east coast.
As one of the initiating presenters of the RGD’s Welcome Wagons, a quarterly virtual meet-up that provides both a presentation of key benefits and a walk through of rgd.ca for new professional Members, I have heard many stories of of how designers find their way to the RGD. Time and again, the key contributing factor is the desire to connect a community of like-minded people, who are there to support and mentor each other, because so many of us work alone or remotely and/or with people that don’t understand what we do.
I am reminded, each time I participate in a Welcome Wagon, that all we have in this world is each other. Creative people are passionate and need connection. We like to be left alone to focus, but being collaborative is an integral part of our being. Speaking as a more senior person in this field, giving back, passing on my experiences and bringing people together to do so is rewarding for everyone involved." — Brenton Long RGD, Director, Client Happiness at Fusion Design Group Inc.
“I’ve benefited so much from the RGD over the years—from webinars to connecting with other designers both online and in person. As a freelancer, I spend a lot of time working solo, so the RGD community has been an important way for me to stay connected, build real relationships and even turn those connections into client work. Volunteering with the Virtual Communities has been a meaningful way to give back to a community that’s supported me throughout my career.”
Sheree Stephenson RGD
We’ve got the established Members covered too, by liaising with firm owners and our retired RGD Emeritus Members.
We’ve revived past initiatives, like the Designathon, and are introducing new ones, like a new Sustainability Guide.
We also work to get the word out about all the great discounts available to RGD Members! Curious about those? Check them out here and share them with fellow Members. New benefits keep coming!
Ruth Farrugia RGD
City of Côte Saint-Luc
Ruth uses her creative talents to inform and delight at the City of Côte Saint-Luc (a municipality in the West End of Montreal), where she has worked for over 20 years as their in-house graphic designer with a special passion for print design. Fishtank Communications, her independent studio, focuses on clients within the arts and non-profit sectors. She is co-chair of RGD’s Membership Committee—where she helped to kick-start the Virtual Communities initiative, serves on the RGD Board, and has been a member of the Events Committee and judged student competitions.
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