XYZ University: Bringing MembershipU to Life

Sarah Sladek has spent her career helping membership organizations prepare for the future. As the CEO and founder of XYZ University, a next-gen research and strategy firm, she’s worked with associations around the world who are: 

1. 1. Concerned about their future
   2. Want to engage the next generation
   3. Are facing declining membership

Across decades of research and consulting, she kept hearing the same thing from membership professionals everywhere:

• “I fell into the profession."
• "I don't know exactly what I'm doing."
• "I'm winging it.”

Despite being responsible for an organization’s growth, retention, and relevance, most membership professionals had no formal training and no peer learning community designed specifically for them. Sarah saw this gap early, and she knew it mattered.

The Disruptive Vision

The idea for MembershipU began more than ten years ago. After working for a major metropolitan chamber of commerce and seeing how inconsistent and diverse membership backgrounds were, Sarah started exploring solutions for developing true membership expertise.

She created an online course called "Millennials to Members" long before the industry was ready. Adoption was low, with many membership professionals feeling hesitant and skeptical of the value of online learning.

Still, the need was obvious. Sarah saw that membership teams were siloed, often isolated within their organizations, and lacking a broader place to meet other professionals, share best practices, and have the opportunity to learn from one another.

Ten years later, the timing, and the technology, finally aligned.

MembershipU was born as “the very first platform and learning community for membership professionals,” designed to bring training and community together in one experience.

Selecting a Strategic Partner

From the beginning, XYZ University knew MembershipU needed a platform partner who understood both modern learning and the essential role of community. That led them to Forj.

As Sarah explains:

“MembershipU couldn't be possible without Forj.”

The alignment between the two organizations was immediate and meaningful:

“Forj is very future focused and has a really strong value to community building. So the Forj values and company charter aligns with our XYZ University charter. It felt like a great partnership and meeting of the minds.”

By building MembershipU on Forj’s platform, XYZ University could deliver exactly what Sarah envisioned years ago:

A place where membership professionals can learn, connect, exchange ideas, and stay ahead of the curve — all in one unified experience.

Forj’s unique blend of community and learning infrastructure makes it possible for members to move seamlessly between courses, discussions, peer groups, and interactions with guest professors who are actively leading membership strategy today.

A Global, Community-Driven Learning Experience

MembershipU was designed to break down silos and empower membership professionals to learn from one another across industries and borders.

Rooted in global research, including a study covering members in “over 59 countries”, Sarah saw firsthand that organizations everywhere face similar pressures: changing demographics, shifting consumer expectations, evolving economics, and the need to build relevance in a competitive landscape.

The MembershipU community now gives members space to:

•  Take courses on core membership competencies
• Share what’s working (and what’s not)
• Participate in small and large group discussions
• Access guest professors and advisors who are “in the trenches” today membership-u-interview
• Stay on top of trends, insights, and emerging practices

Sarah believes this model reflects the future of associations:

“Wisdom is now very collective… We have to be open to new ideas, new perspectives in order to stay competitive.”

And Journey by Forj is what makes this kind of collective learning possible.

The Future of Membership is Here

Today, MembershipU is officially welcoming membership professionals from around the world. And now, the future she envisioned is no longer on the horizon — it’s here.