This year's data shows a sharper version of a pattern we've tracked for years: members and Pros still agree on the fundamentals: community, advocacy, and industry growth, but they continue diverging on the things members say matter most day to day: career support and technology.
The job opportunities gap highlighted in last year’s report continued to widen this year, and a benefit that barely registered two years ago, keeping up with the latest technology, jumped to the single most valued benefit members report. At the same time, Pros still rank integrating new technology and AI near the bottom of their own priority list.
While the report often reveals similar findings each year, the good news is that despite the widening career opportunity gap, a bigger opportunity lies beneath the data. Members already see themselves as early adopters, ready to push their industries forward with new technology. What they're waiting for is an association willing to lead that push instead of trailing behind it.
Heading into 2027, 67% of members say using AI shows their organization is innovative and up-to-date, highlighting that members have already decided what role they want their association to play. This is the moment for associations to put their entire industry at the forefront of innovation, instead of just trying to catch up to what their own members already expect.
This report shows where that divergence is sharpest in career support and technology, what members are asking associations to build, and where the strategy and infrastructure behind it stand today.
