How EFA Makes Professional Learning More Accessible and Connected with Higher Logic Thrive Learn
Editorial Freelancers Association At a Glance
Organization: Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
Membership: Approximately 3,000 freelance editorial professionals
Featured Products: Higher Logic Thrive Learn and Higher Logic Thrive Community
Helping Freelancers Build Skills and Run Their Businesses
Freelance editorial professionals need more than expertise in their craft. They also need to find clients, manage a business, and build professional relationships, often while working independently.
For more than five decades, the Editorial Freelancers Association has helped meet those needs. The nonprofit association serves approximately 3,000 members, including freelance writers, editors, translators, and ebook formatters. Its education, community connections, and public member directory support professionals as they develop their skills and pursue work.
For Asher Fox, EFA’s Director of Education, a central part of that mission is helping members see themselves as entrepreneurs. Education supports both editorial skills and the practical responsibilities of freelancing, from managing finances to setting rates and finding the right clients.
The Challenge: Professional Isolation and Barriers to Learning
Working independently can leave freelancers without colleagues to turn to for advice or encouragement. EFA addresses isolation through regional chapters, affinity groups, and opportunities to learn together.
Digital tools are needed to support those connections, too. Previously, EFA relied on mailing lists for member communication and job postings. As its needs evolved, the association wanted more effective ways to organize discussions and manage its online community.
Accessing education created another challenge. Members had to navigate separate logins for EFA’s learning and membership systems, adding confusion when they wanted to access courses. EFA needed a more connected experience that made accessing education simpler.
Making Education Easier to Access and More Flexible
Single sign-on was a key reason EFA chose Higher Logic Thrive Learn, allowing members to access education from the online community without navigating a separate learning-system login.
Automated badges on EFA member profiles recognize completed courses and make members’ professional development visible.
Higher Logic Thrive Learn’s course catalog and search tools help learners find relevant education. The ability to sell individual course modules also gives EFA more flexibility in packaging its offerings. Alongside full courses, EFA can offer focused topics for freelancers balancing learning with client work and personal responsibilities.
Bringing Peer Support Into the Learning Experience
With Higher Logic Thrive Community, EFA creates dedicated discussion spaces for instructor-led and self-paced courses. These communities give participants a place to ask questions, connect with peers, and receive support from instructors.
For professionals who often work alone, that connection adds an important dimension to education. Course communities give participants a place to discuss what they’re learning and how it applies to their freelance work.
The platform also gives EFA modern community management capabilities. Threaded conversations organize discussions, while moderation tools and automatic filtering help staff manage participation. Email notifications provide a familiar connection for members accustomed to the previous mailing-list experience.
EFA appreciated the Higher Logic team’s responsiveness throughout the transition, particularly its help resolving issues as they arose.
Together, Higher Logic Thrive Learn and Higher Logic Thrive Community help EFA support members through:
- Connected learning: Course communities provide spaces for questions, peer discussion, and instructor support.
- Flexible learning options: Individual modules give EFA more ways to package education around specific topics.
- Simpler access to education: Single sign-on reduces login friction between membership and learning systems.
- Visible recognition: Automated profile badges recognize completed courses.
These capabilities support EFA’s broader mission: helping freelance editorial professionals build their skills, develop professional relationships, and navigate the responsibilities of running a business.
Looking Ahead: More Relevant Member Communications
EFA is also exploring ways to make member communications more targeted and easier to distinguish, including exploring smart campaigns and smart newsletters as potential next steps, a natural route after achieving what they have so far.
The goal is consistent with EFA’s approach to community and education: help members find the connections, information, and learning opportunities that matter to their freelance careers.
Interested to see how you can apply a similar approach, like EFA did, to your growing member base? Schedule time with Higher Logic to discuss what this could look like in action for your team.
We're here to help
Higher Logic would be happy to talk about how you can improve your online community experience and better engage members— just like TLI. Reach out and let us know what you’re struggling with!
