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The Problem — The Engagement Gap Is Real

What Members Want vs. What They Get

The latest association research reports that over half of all members rely on their associations for networking, collaboration, and community opportunities, over LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms.

But most associations are built to deliver community in bursts, such as including an annual conference in the spring, a webinar series in the fall, and monthly newsletters in between.

Your members will log in for your events, and then they go back to their inboxes, LinkedIn feeds, and their existing professional networks — networks your association has no visibility or presence within.

Additionally, the gap between your last event and your next one is longer than you think. And it's during this time that your members choose to make their renewal decisions.

Members don't wake up on renewal day and decide whether to stay. That decision accumulates quietly across months of interactions, or months of silence. If your association wasn't present in the moments that matter, during a job change, an industry question, or a professional challenge, someone else was.

The Renewal Risk Nobody Talks About

Association research shows that the peer collaboration and community are now the number one driver of member renewal intent — the single largest factor behind recent year-over-year increases in member loyalty scores.

The associations with active online communities retain members better because their members feel connected year-round. They have a place to go when they have a question after association staff go home.

These are the members that have a professional home that exists beyond the four days of the annual conference. They have real connections with their fellow association professionals that exist both in the real world and virtually.

If you don’t invest in a virtual community space for your members, you risk the ability to retain them across the entire membership journey.