Find out what’s most important to today’s association members.
As you look for new ways to provide greater value for your association’s members, it can help to understand what’s most important to members today. Part of the 2023 Association Trends Study by Community Brands dives into the viewpoints of members of professional membership organizations to help understand what members want and need in today’s world.
Let’s look at some key findings from the study about what members value.
What association members value today
1. Top member benefits from past years are now even more important.
Members in the study were asked to rate the importance of key benefits provided by their organization. As it turns out, top benefits from previous studies are even more important in the 2023 study – with training, certifications and credentials, fueling industry growth, advocacy, and help with career advancement all up significantly from 2022.
In comparison, association professionals’ (Pros’) priorities align with members when it comes to advocacy and industry trends. However, as in past studies, Pros greatly underestimate the value of key areas, including certifications/ credentials, job opportunities, and help with career advancement.
2. Some member priorities differ based on career stage.
As seen in past studies by Community Brands, some member priorities differ based on member career stage. For example, job opportunities and help with career advancement are important to members in the early and middle stages of their careers.
When looking for job opportunities, members in the study say they are most likely to use LinkedIn and Indeed. However, they are significantly more likely to view professional membership organizations as the best source for getting a quality job offer. These findings point to an opportunity for associations to provide a greater breadth of career resources to become THE go-to career destination for their members and their industry or profession.
3. Members want professional education and training from their associations.
When it comes to professional education and training, members in the study say they turn most to their employer or professional organization – even more than when this same question was asked in 2021. Between those top sources, more members rate the quality of professional education and training from their professional organization as “excellent” than those of their employer.
The study indicates that members are relying more on their professional membership organization for professional education, and perceived value in sources like LinkedIn and Google is declining. This finding suggests an opportunity for associations to attract more members who are dissatisfied with generic sources of professional development by delivering excellent and specific professional education experiences.
