As associations face increasing competition from other communities and specialized content providers, creating an engaging member experience is more important now than ever. However, many organizations still struggle to define what engagement really means, let alone respond to shifting expectations effectively.

Whether you’ve noticed a decline in member engagement or you simply want to get ahead of the game, understanding the current state and future trajectory of engagement is essential to maximizing association success. In this guide, we’ll review everything you need to know about improving member engagement.

Why Is Member Engagement So Important?

According to the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, increasing engagement is a powerful catalyst for driving membership growth and strengthening associations, yielding increases in:

• Member participation. Associations are experiencing an upward trend in member participation across various activities, which positively correlates with overall growth.

• Non-dues revenue. Associations are increasingly exploring non-dues revenue channels to reduce reliance on traditional sources, and engaged members typically spend 22% more than non-engaged members.

• Membership retention. Associations seeing increased engagement are more likely to report growth in one-year and five-year membership and higher renewal rates.

Clearly, member engagement is the cornerstone of a thriving association. But certain types of engagement are more valuable than others. The report reveals that the pursuit of continuing education and professional certifications is among the top reasons members join associations, and associations that report increases in certifications are also more likely to report membership growth and renewal rates. In other words, engaging members through opportunities that align with their priorities is a key driver of growth.

For example, healthcare professionals may prioritize continuing education opportunities that support license renewal or certification in a specialty. Providing access to content through a learning management system (LMS) tailored to professional requirements in the healthcare industry establishes your association as a critical career resource, driving long-term member engagement and loyalty.

Current Trends in Association Member Engagement

As member expectations evolve, so must the strategies associations use to meet them. Today’s most successful organizations are leveraging data, technology, and personalization to create more valuable membership programs.

Emerging trends include:

• eLearning opportunities. Considering members’ expectations surrounding continuing education opportunities and their overwhelming preference toward eLearning, associations are increasingly focusing on their educational offerings. Studies show that 78% deliver online educational content using an association LMS, which offers the tools needed to deliver engaging learning experiences.

• Personalized experiences. According to Getting Attention’s marketing statistics, 72% of people say they only engage with marketing messages that are personalized, and associations are responding accordingly. More and more, organizations are leveraging member data to segment communications and offer tailored content.

• Online communities. Associations aren’t just relying on infrequent, in-person conferences or events. Instead, they’re facilitating online interactions for better community-building. Community engagement software is increasing in popularity, providing tools that allow associations to engage their members online.

If you’re looking for the most important member engagement trend, it’s putting members’ needs first. Whether they’re looking for robust learning experiences, personalized communications, or a space dedicated to connecting with your organization and other members, meeting members’ expectations is the key to engaging them.

The Future of Member Engagement for Associations

To proactively address member retention challenges and strengthen connections, associations should focus on the following strategies to future-proof member engagement.

Measuring Member Engagement

Organizations that effectively measure performance are better positioned to achieve their goals. Develop a robust system to track and analyze engagement, focusing on metrics such as:

• Event attendance and registration trends

• LMS logins and course completions

• Newsletter open and click-through rates

• Volunteer hours logged

• Member satisfaction

Equipped with this data, associations can make informed decisions to implement the engagement strategies that will most resonate with their members.

Mapping the Member Journey

Rather than relying on generic, one-size-fits-all engagement tactics, leading associations identify distinct member personas and map each touchpoint in their journey:

• Initial interaction. Members become aware of your association and consider the benefits of joining. Your association can research prospective member segments to learn about their motivations and present your value proposition in alignment with them.

• Onboarding. New members are welcomed into your association and introduced to your offerings. You can use what you know about the new member’s priorities to suggest relevant courses or community discussions.

• Renewal. Members review their experience and decide whether they want to continue their membership. Your association can evaluate the member’s involvement history to determine what’s most important to them and remind them of relevant benefits if they stay.

To ensure your association is engaging members at each phase of their journey with your organization, build a membership funnel and decide how you’ll address members’ needs at each point.

Utilizing Technology

As members' priorities evolve, so should your association's offerings. Staying relevant requires your association to invest in tools and strategies that enable it to pivot quickly to meet changing member needs.

1. An engagement management system (EMS)

Before adding specialized tools like an LMS or an online community, your association should have a solid technological foundation. Historically, organizations have relied on basic databases that resulted in siloed information. Disconnected technology leads to event data, educational progress, marketing, and membership renewals being stored in completely different places.

To future-proof your member experience, consider using an engagement management system (EMS). Unlike a traditional CRM that stores contact information, a purpose-built EMS, such as iMIS®, tracks every interaction a member has with your association in real time. 

Having an EMS as your core technology provides several benefits for member engagement, such as:

• A single source of truth: An EMS eliminates data silos by consolidating a member’s event registrations, dues processing, community participation, and LMS course completions into one unified profile.
• Engagement scoring and reporting: By capturing every touchpoint, association staff can automatically calculate engagement scores, understand exactly where a member is in their journey, and step in to prevent lapsed memberships.
• More personalized communications: When all data flows into a central EMS, your team can trigger automated, highly targeted communications. This helps deliver personalized engagement opportunities exactly when the member needs it most.

By establishing an EMS as your central hub, all of your other software tools can integrate seamlessly, creating a highly personalized experience that drives long-term member loyalty.

2. A learning management system (LMS)

Professional development is another important non-dues revenue driver, and specialized technology can help you deliver courses and certification programs to your members.

When associations embrace comprehensive software solutions, they can offer top-of-the-line experiences that remain relevant to members’ expectations.

Member engagement is an evolving relationship between your association and its community. It requires a holistic approach, through which your association deploys thoughtful strategies and measures its progress over time. With a thorough understanding of members’ needs and priorities, your association can develop lasting connections that secure their long-term loyalty.