6 Ways to drive member engagement in your association

An association is most meaningful when its members are highly engaged.

Member engagement can look differently according to its industry or community, but usually includes how often members participate in activities, contribute their resources for the advancement of the association, advocate for its interests and build relationships with other members of the association.

Why is member engagement important?

• Membership retention: If members are disengaged, they won’t renew their membership. In a survey of membership organisations, 50% of associations consider the lack of engagement to be the main reason members didn’t renew.
• Innovation: Creativity is fostered from diverse member perspectives.
• Support: Whether financial or not, support is important for both members and the association itself.
• Promotion: Members help spread the word and credibility of the association.
• Achievement of goals: Active participation in the association’s activities as well as the contribution of resources and expertise ensure that the association hits its targets and fulfils its mission.

Practical strategies to engage your association members

1. Offer membership benefits

Engagement is a product of exchange; giving value drives involvement.

Offer membership benefits and encourage your members to use them. Providing significant value to your members in the form of benefits can provide opportunities for them to interact actively with your association and other members and stakeholders in the community.

Membership benefits could include access to exclusive events, priority treatment, access to online libraries, industry publications and other valuable exclusive content. Discounts and special deals on products and services can be very popular, too, and help connect the association to other businesses and organisations in the community.

Consider offering learning and development opportunities for your members too. By attending webinars, pursuing certification programs or learning from other qualified members, the community can stay active in the association.

2. Use personalised communications 

When communicating with your association members, leverage personalisation tokens. Address them by name and adjust the content of your message to match their interests and preferences. Ensure that the content is relevant to their stage of involvement with the association.

Personalisation demonstrates your attentiveness and can make your members feel valued. It will also help grab their attention, increasing the likelihood of email opens and click-throughs, and increased engagement for your upcoming events.

It’s important to reach the various members through their preferred channels whether email, text or a particular social platform—all to help drive higher engagement with your communications.

3. Invite members to support a charitable cause

Invite your members to join in philanthropic efforts. By participating in such causes, your members actively align with your association’s values and enjoy a sense of purpose. Teaming up for such a purpose also strengthens member relationships, creating a sense of community and a welcoming environment that encourages further engagement in the association.

Commitment to social responsibility reflects positively on your association’s reputation, boosting member loyalty as they’ll be proud to be a part of the organisation.

4. Create an awards program

Offering an awards program allows you to recognise and celebrate exceptional members. Such acknowledgement instils a sense of pride in the recognised members, encouraging them to maintain and even increase their participation.

The buzz surrounding your awards program can equally drive member engagement and retention within the association. The possibility of being recognised can be a reason for your association members to up their engagement.

Rewarding certain acts and levels of commitment to your association inspires more members to aspire to that level of participation and commitment.

Find out how to run a successful association awards program.

5. Solicit feedback and stories

You can boost member engagement by collecting and using their feedback and stories. By soliciting such information, they provide valuable feedback for the association. It also provides assurance and recognition that their perspective and outlook matter to the association.

Their feedback can drive informed decision-making to ensure that the association’s initiatives are better aligned with members’ needs and interests. Likewise, collecting and sharing members’ stories, experiences and testimonials breeds pride, sympathy and connection. All these breeds engagement in the association.

Stories of success can motivate other members to participate actively in hopes of recording similar success.

6. Foster online community with interactive content

An online community serves as an exclusive platform for association members to connect, participate in discussions and share thoughts regardless of time and location. It will nurture cordiality among members, keep them in the loop about upcoming events and encourage registration and other forms of participation.

Creating interactive content such as polls, quizzes, surveys and interactive multimedia prompts members to engage with the content. Such content facilitates experiential learning and drives repeated visits, all of which enhance member engagement.

Increasing member engagement is an effective way to guarantee the sustainability and growth of your association. Try implementing these association member engagement ideas to drive greater participation from your members.