3 ways to deliver greater member value from your association

Want to attract members and keep them around longer? Here’s how to give members more value from their membership with your association.

As an association professional, providing your members with the value they seek is job one. It’s how you attract and retain members.

But what do your members really want? And how can you provide them with more of what’s important to them?

Let’s look at three ways your association can deliver greater member value – even when you have a small staff.

What members value most

To deliver more member value, you first need to know what’s important to them. The 2024 Association Trends Study sheds light on what members want.

The study asked association members to rate the importance of a list of key member benefits. Members say that key areas of value include getting industry-specific information and the latest news in the industry as well as job opportunities and help with career advancement.

But here’s something interesting: When association professionals (Pros) were asked a similar question about what they think members value most, responses show that they underestimate the value of some key areas – especially when it comes to career development. They also overvalue some areas – particularly when it comes to providing targeted, valuable content.

So, how can you take this data and use it to provide more member value? Let’s look at three things your association can do.

Three ways to deliver greater member value from your association

1. Deliver the content your members value most.

You might be saying, “Wait! You just said that associations are overvaluing the importance of providing target, valuable content.” That’s true. But let’s look at what might be at play here.

Members say they want industry news and information. That’s content, right? So, the overvaluing of targeted content by associations suggests an opportunity for associations to focus the content they share with members more on what members really seek versus what associations think they want.

Here are two ideas on how to do that:

Look to the other benefits members value most.

Look back at the list of top important benefits from the 2024 Association Trends Study to see the other benefits that members place high on their list of valued benefits and focus your content on those topics. For example:

• Industry news and information – Be sure you’re providing your members with the latest news, research, and reports for your industry or profession.
• Code of ethics – Let members know about the standards you help to set for their profession/industry and the importance of a code of ethics. Share any updates to your code of ethics, and make sure your members know the violation procedures for your organization’s code of ethics.
• Training – Take time to increase the quality of your professional learning opportunities, giving members a wider variety of ways to attain the education they need to fulfill requirements and further their careers. Regularly share information about these trainings.
• Advocacy – Let members know how they can further the causes that impact your profession or industry.

Ask for member input.

• There’s no better way to know what your members truly want than to ask them. For example:
• Send a periodic survey to gather your members’ thoughts and ideas about the content your organization provides them.
• Read what they’re saying in your online community.
• Host focus groups with various audiences of members to find out more about their needs and how you can deliver greater value.

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2. Offer an online resource center.

Offering an online resource center is a highly effective way to deliver member value. Your members turn to your association to stay in-the-know about industry news and information, and giving them a one-stop online place to access your organization’s resources provides them with a convenient way to access this high-value benefit.

Offering an online resource center is easier than you might think.

First, you likely already have content that can be brought together in one location for your members. Look across your organization and make a list of the current content you provide. This might include:

• Industry papers
• Papers, ebooks, and infographics that your organization has written
• Your association’s blog and online magazine articles
• On-demand webinars
• Recorded conference sessions
• Videos

Second, you can tap others to help brainstorm and create new content. For example:

• Ask your board members to send you ideas each week or each month about industry news or research that would make good topics for articles, papers, webinars, or conferences.
• Pay attention to what your members are talking about in your online community.
• Send a survey to your members to better understand the topics that are most important to them.
• Ask members to volunteer to help create content to ease the burden on your staff. This has the added benefits of getting members more involved and giving them more exposure in your industry.
• Invite corporate sponsors to co-sponsor and co-produce content.
• Show your board members your list of upcoming content needs and ask them to help you produce content.

Third, use your association’s online community as the place for your resource center. Using your online community is a particularly good option because it gives members a place to view and share information while connecting and collaborating with each other.

3. Offer an online career center.

Job opportunities and help with career advancement continually rank among the most important benefits to members. A great way to deliver more member value in this area is by offering your members an online career center.

An online career center is a one-stop place for your members to search for and find jobs and resources that help them move their careers forward.

Ideally, your career center should include an online job board that allows job seekers to search and apply for relevant jobs in your industry. It also should include career advancement resources to give members the career advice, coaching, data, and tools they need to plan and grow their careers.

Launching and managing an online career center might seem like a big task when you have a small staff. But it can be much easier than it seems.

For example, YM Careers offers job board software built for associations. YM Careers makes it easy to build an online career center with a modern online job board and a career planning portal. And if you don’t have staff available to manage job board sales and marketing, YM Careers can help you showcase your job board to employers and job seekers.

Also, YM Careers integrates with YourMembership AMS. They work together to help you create great member experiences and deliver big member value.