Forj recently hosted a live webinar titled Are Gen Zs Joiners? How to Engage the Next Generation of Members with author and membership expert Sarah L. Sladek. She discussed proven strategies for engaging young association members and shared valuable insights on next-gen membership engagement research. During that session, we deployed several poll questions to our audience of over 300 live attendees to do a status check on how their organizations are currently engaging with young members. The results: Gen Z will be the future of association growth, but they don't feel a sense of belonging. Now is the time to start engaging them in a meaningful way.
Who exactly is Gen Z?
Generally speaking, Gen Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012. The older members of Gen Z are already in the workforce, with another wave leaving college and high school over the next several years. Gen Z is globally connected, well-informed, with a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit. They want to see change in the world, and they are also willing to hold individuals and organizations accountable to the standards and morals that they believe in.
What does the data tell us?
Over the past 5 years, most association leaders have experienced a significant amount of operational change, often for the best, but this means that a lot of time was spent navigating those choppy waters. Without dedicated focus, it was easy to overlook the emergence of Gen Z members as an important part of the overall membership base.
Because of this, there is a lack of understanding when it comes to Gen Z, their needs, and their desires. A disconnect has occurred leaving Gen Z members feeling like they don't belong.
What can you do as an association leader?
The interest from Gen Z members is there, they just don't quite feel the sense of belonging that they are looking for. The good news is that association leaders can bridge that gap by focusing on community, collaborative learning, and opportunities that allow Gen Z members to "join the club" and feel included without too much friction.
Gen Z has experienced multiple periods of significant and rapid change, from growing up through the pandemic to emerging into the workforce during the generative AI boom. The best thing that associations can do to engage them is commit to meeting them where they are while continuing to adapt to stay relevant.
To get started towards building a relationship between your association and Gen Z members, assess where you stand today. Benchmark the demographic breakdown of your membership base by career stage and age so that you can track success and growth over time.
Next, rethink your Gen Z engagement strategies, or establish a strategy if an existing one doesn't exist. Do you have programs geared towards matching them with more experienced mentors? Do you have free pilot programs to expose them to your association while they are still in high school? Think about things that you can do to pique their interest and start building a relationship built on trust and learning. When they feel a sense of belonging they are much more likely to become long-term members.
Finally, remember to stay agile and open to change in your operations and your approach to Gen Z. The world is changing rapidly, and the associations that move with the times while continuing to advance their mission will be the ones who succeed.
Stay tuned for more insights, strategies, and updates from Forj to help you build thriving associations and communities! Don't forget to follow Forj on Linkedin, or access more community and learning resources.
