WABC Affiliate Member Standards

WABC offers two levels of professional membership for business coaches at various stages in their careers–newer and part-time to experienced. The WABC Affiliate Member standards are advanced standards for qualifying and requalifying for WABC membership, based on business experience and coaching experience. You will refer to these standards when you’d like to know what’s required to become a WABC Affiliate Member intended for newer and part-time business coaches.

WABC Affiliate Member Standards

ABOUT WABC AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

Type of Membership

WABC Affiliate Membership is our professional entry-level membership for individuals. It recognizes those who are emerging, new and part-time business coaches and who represent many professional roles (e.g., leader, manager, internal or external business coach, external consultant).

Granting Institution  

WABC Affiliate Membership is granted by WABC, headquartered in Canada.

HOW TO EARN WABC AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

You are eligible for WABC Affiliate Membership if you:

  • Are transitioning into a business coaching practice or are practicing part-time* as a business coach, in alignment with the WABC Business Coaching Definition;
  • Are providing, or will provide, business coaching services (e.g., one-on-one or team coaching) and possibly other related services and activities (e.g., business coach training, speaking engagements, publishing and/or research about business coaching);
  • Have enrolled in or successfully completed an appropriate formal evidence-based business coaching training program or assessment (WABC Accredited® programs highly preferred)**;
  • Have, or will put in place once you are accepted as a WABC member, appropriate business coaching service agreements with your business coaching clients, coachees and/or business coach training participants;
  • Have less than 3 years of business coaching experience, though you may have more (includes coaching in the private, public and nonprofit sectors);
  • Have at least 7 years of business or organizational experience (includes coaching and non-coaching work in the private, public and nonprofit sectors);
  • Have a reputation for integrity and sound character;
  • Agree to abide by the Terms of Membership, the WABC Code of Business Coaching Ethics and Integrity, the WABC Professional Standards for Business Coaches, the Terms and Policies and any other standards, terms, conditions, rules, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines that may be adopted; and
  • Meet other requirements that may be established from time to time by WABC.

Your application must include a current résumé/CV or outline verifying your background experience. 

* Means you intend to provide business coaching services over the next year, or are in the first 3 years of a business coaching practice, or have fewer clients than required for WABC Full Membership.

** If you have not enrolled in or successfully completed an appropriate formal business coaching training program or assessment (WABC Accredited routes highly preferred), then you may be asked to participate in a membership eligibility interview. 

HOW TO MAINTAIN WABC AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

You must continue to meet the qualification standards by renewing annually. The renewal process is quick and may be completed online.

HOW TO LIST WABC AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP

Current holders of this membership may list it in several ways. Please log in to your dashboard for further guidance and access to applicable WABC logos.

Credential Verification

At WABC, we support credible business coaches, and another way we do this and maintain our high standards as a professional association is through our credential verification service. This service requires members who hold academic degrees or professional designations from organizations other than WABC to have those credentials verified by us if they wish to list them in materials that display WABC trademarks (e.g., WABC logo, WABC Affiliate Member). For full details, refer to our Credential Verification Policy.

REVISED DATE NOTE:
This revised edition reflects both improved text and changes to the WABC Affiliate Member standards. Regarding changes to the standards, these changes are found within the “HOW TO EARN WABC AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP” section above. Specifically, the changes are:

  • Have enrolled in or successfully completed an appropriate formal evidence-based business coaching training program or assessment (WABC Accredited® programs highly preferred)**

** If you have not enrolled in or successfully completed an appropriate formal business coaching training program or assessment (WABC Accredited routes highly preferred), then you may be asked to participate in a membership eligibility interview.