Resources for Community Success

In the earlier part of this century, I gained experience in corporate online learning and later shifted my focus to digital transformation for association education. I believe that corporate education design innovations are slightly ahead of association trends, I intermittently attend corporate training conferences put on by ATD, Learning Guild, and Training Magazine to stay current. I recently attended and spoke at Training Magazine's conference in Orlando, which is a quasi-community of practice for corporate L&D departments. Here's what I learned at the conference that is relevant for member-driven learning.

As 2022 comes to a close, we're approaching nearly three years of disruption to the way we live and work. The events of the last several years have changed everything, and many of us still don't feel like we have a firm grasp on the "new normal."

As association leaders reflect on their priorities, many are making a shift in their strategies for the coming year. In an era where member needs are rapidly changing, and it’s becoming harder and harder for associations to keep pace, member retention is critical. 

Retention has always been an important component of an association’s membership strategy—the organization can’t grow if existing members outnumber those joining. Despite this, many associations have traditionally dedicated more energy to attracting members than keeping them. 

Association leaders can no longer take for granted that once a member joins, they’ll stay. In an increasingly customer-centric environment, you must keep pace with the experiential expectations of the modern member. And that means working hard to forge meaningful connections beyond the day they join.

The factors that drive retention are varied, and it’s sometimes difficult to determine which matter most. These five methods to boost member retention will point you to key areas that make the most difference. 

This fall, Forj convened a group of association leaders for an exclusive Think Tank on the intersection of community and member experience. These thought leaders came to the table to discuss their proven approach to member engagement and their ongoing community-building strategies.

Your association provides knowledge, resources, and a community that help members learn, grow, advance their careers, and forge long-lasting connections. Of course, fulfilling that promise requires robust and reliable technology that creates a sense of belonging and elevates the member experience.

The "customer first" mentality has long been at the heart of many organizations' strategies. But as consumers' habits, behaviors, and expectations evolve, it's become clear that the old ways of thinking about customer service have made many of those strategies obsolete.

As associations have worked to innovate, there has been a proliferation of point solutions. Too often, your association’s systems and content are siloed, and these silos create a threat to the member experience.

Members are seeking places to connect with their peers and doing so on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. But those public platforms aren’t necessarily fit for asking questions, having respectful dialog, and engaging in social learning. Your professional associations is uniquely equipped to build community that fosters safer and more meaningful connections.  

“If you can drive people to your community, that’s where the magic happens,” said Terri. “Most of our members are looking to learn from each other, so we’ve built a community where social learning is at the core.”

Associations today are seeing a gap between member groups, driven by everything from career stage to values and beliefs. Meetings members where they are involves understanding expectations, evolving journeys, and enabling contributions from all.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a member who doesn’t cite “community” as a driving force behind their decision to join and engage with a professional association.