More than half of our respondents said conference and meeting attendance has dropped. Professional associations were more acutely affected than other associations, and professional associations in the healthcare industry were harder hit than other professional associations.

Stagnant growth and a dent in what was once associations’ biggest non-dues revenue driver have forced many to rethink their strategies and shift their focus.

In light of recent performance trends, we wanted to understand associations’ current priorities. A majority of respondents reported that reducing member attrition is their top focus, followed closely by increasing new member acquisition.

We discovered that non-dues revenue from our respondents’ education programs was twice as likely to have increased as to have decreased. Half of the respondents also reported increasing sponsorship revenue.

Many of the association leaders participating in our scan have honed a new focus on blended education, community learning, and content generated collaboratively.

We asked respondents which of their internal partners are helping them engage, acquire, and retain members. Those who are leveraging talents in education and marketing reported the greatest growth in membership.

In many associations, membership, education, and marketing are the “power trio” driving the member value proposition. Developing the partnership between your education and marketing leaders can help you capitalize on the interconnected nature of learning and community.