Innovation has always been a crucial part of effective association management, and it played an especially important role in helping organizations recover from the dip in total memberships during COVID-19. However, not every association prioritizes innovation. While associations considered extremely or very innovative are more likely to report increased membership, the majority of association executives only consider their organizations to be moderately or slightly innovative.

‍To earn the benefits of inventive association programs and offerings, you need to give your members experiences that no other organization can offer. Whether that’s exclusive Q&As with leading industry experts or upskilling workshops, make sure these opportunities are firmly aligned with members’ wants and needs.

In this guide, we’ll explore some key strategies for creating and communicating relevant and timely initiatives at your association. Let’s get started!

Target younger audiences.

For many associations, boomers and Gen Xers make up the bulk of their member base. While these members are important and should be valued for their expertise and years of experience in the field, your association also needs to engage the younger generations that will inherit the industry.

Younger members can help your association become more innovative by:

• Offering fresh perspectives. Younger members can introduce new ideas, differing points of view, and a refreshing energy to your association. They can offer solutions and ideas that you may have never thought of—plus, they understand what other Gen Z and Millennial professionals want from an association.
• Embracing technology. Young people may also be more tech-savvy and use cutting-edge technology regularly. Because they have their finger on the pulse of the latest technological advances, they may be able to recommend ways to use that technology to engage current and future members. And when your association is one of the first to adopt new tech, you’ll show prospective members that you strive to be a modern, forward-looking organization.
• Teaching lessons in adaptability. While any generation can be flexible and adaptive to industry changes, young professionals who had to navigate a pandemic at the beginning of their careers are especially resilient and quick to adjust. This is a great trait to have on your side as younger members can help your association quickly adapt to ever-changing trends and member needs. 
• Requiring the use of modern marketing strategies. Because they are so tech-savvy (and busy), younger generations often respond best to more creative, digital marketing strategies. Effectively targeting young people forces your association to get out of its marketing comfort zone and try out strategies like user-generated content or influencer marketing. 

In addition to using the communication channels and marketing strategies young generations are looking for, you’ll need to make sure your membership offerings resonate with younger people. 

Share networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and other initiatives that can help budding professionals grow their careers. For Millennials who already have years of experience behind them, highlight upskilling workshops, leadership coaching, sessions with influential speakers, and other programs that can take their careers to the next level.

Promoting these opportunities shows that your association has considered their needs and has what it takes to deliver positive, productive member experiences.

Leverage different types of media and technology.

One way to spur innovation is to experiment with new types of media and technology. For example, is your association using AI in its work to streamline operations, develop unique ideas for content, translate data into insights, and more?

In addition to AI, consider incorporating the following media and technology trends into your association’s offerings:

• User-generated content. This type of content puts members in the driver’s seat, allowing them to create the blogs, graphics, videos, and presentations that they are interested in. Video, in particular, can drive engagement, growth, and retention. To encourage participation, choose a reliable user-generated video platform that makes it simple for users to film, edit, and share their content.
• Mobile apps. Apps are easy for members to use on the go, and they offer personalized content, recommendations, and interfaces. For example, just as your preferred coffee shop app likely recommends the drink you order most often, an association app can recommend blog posts or forums that align with members’ interests. Additionally, you can set up real-time notifications, gamification elements like points, an in-app community, and more.
• Immersive e-learning platforms. Online learning helps your members keep their skills and knowledge sharp while earning credentials that could get them that coveted promotion or new role. Steer away from dry or bland learning courses and opt for immersive experiences instead. Implement videos, graphics, interactive elements like quizzes or matching games, and more. 

These options can help you shake up the status quo and give members new ways to engage with your association and other members. Plus, they give members more agency and encourage active participation, making them more likely to remember and connect with your communications, resources, and learning materials.

Try experimental member engagement strategies.

There are endless creative ways to engage your members, but understanding the main challenges they face in your field is the key to understanding which ones to move forward with. Here are a few common pain points for professionals along with innovative ways to address them:

• Members can’t keep up with rapid changes in regulations and technology, so your association creates a digital resources hub with breakdowns of the latest updates, industry report highlights, trend analyses, and tech tutorials.
• Members struggle to build their networks due to working remotely or in a niche specialty, so your organization configures an app to match them with virtual groups of members within the same field or with similar interests.
• Members have trouble maintaining industry standards, so your association designs a set of self-guided back-to-basics refresher courses, upskilling workshops, and micro-credentialing programs that they can complete within their small windows of free time.

Remember, it’s crucial to be able to measure the success of these programs and tie specific actions to outcomes. That’s why Fonteva’s guide to member engagement recommends setting key performance indicators (KPIs) that correspond with your goals to help you chart your progress and determine whether your efforts are successful. KPIs should also correspond with how you’re interacting with members—for example, use metrics like total attendees for events and click-through rates for email.

Collaborate with other organizations.

Similar to engaging younger generations, collaborations bring valuable new perspectives to your association. They provide an inside look at how other organizations operate, giving you the chance to learn from their more innovative strategies and offerings. Additionally, collaborations can expand members’ horizons, giving them a deeper knowledge of the industry.

Some of the organizations you could partner with include:

• Similar associations, either from the same or adjacent professions (e.g., nursing and pharmacy).
• Nonprofits that are relevant to your field and align with your values, which can help establish a culture of giving.
• Corporate partnerships, which Getting Attention notes can help you reach new members, leverage brand name recognition, access opportunities to collaborate, and even secure donations.

For example, let’s say your association for realtors invites a leader from an architectural association to speak about trending home designs at a conference. The engagement proves to be beneficial for both organizations, so you decide to combine forces on other, larger projects. 

These include a shared webinar series educating members about the intersections of architecture and real estate, a resource-sharing agreement, and even joint marketing efforts. Members of each association are much more informed about each industry and how they interact, giving them an advantage over other professionals. Additionally, resource-sharing helps both organizations accomplish more with less.

Seek and implement feedback.

Finally, remember to have feedback collection mechanisms in place such as surveys or polls. Ask members to weigh in regularly to gauge how innovative and valuable they deem your offerings. Consider sharing surveys:

• On a quarterly or annual basis.
• After conferences or other impactful events.
• With members who renew and those who lapse. 

Each of these surveys should be tailored to the situation or member. For example, a quarterly survey should ask broad questions about your association as a whole whereas a post-conference survey will hone in on event-specific items like the registration process or your speaker lineup. Make sure to compile their responses in your association management platform to track trends in responses and ensure no feedback falls through the cracks.

To continue attracting and retaining a healthy number of members, your association must take an iterative, inventive approach. Frequently audit your offerings and communication strategies to uncover what’s working and what’s not to best allocate your resources. Then, seek out ways to improve upon and expand those top-performing initiatives that will set your association apart from the competition.