By Impact Association Management
First posted here
Many associations are facing the issue of watching their association gray out. They have recognized the need to grow their young professional market but are left questioning how to do that. It is not an easy task to grow any segment of your association but this is especially true for young professionals. Younger generations are not seeing the need as much to join associations and/or don’t have the money to put towards an organization membership. If you are ready to put in the work to grow your younger members, here are a few resources they might be looking for out of your organization.
-
Resume guidance and building. One of the top reasons that young professionals join an association is to add something to their resume. Help them do more than list the name of your organization. Allow them opportunities to get involved in leadership or volunteering. In a more basic sense, help them review their resume! As an association, you likely have people who also fall into the age range of hiring their generation. Make this a benefit by providing a resume review and guidance program.
-
Provide and teach networking opportunities. Although associations are a great place for people to network, young professionals may feel new to the game. One idea is to provide new members in this market with tips on how to make the most out of networking events. Your organization should also make networking fun and stress-free by providing activities, educational events, and prompted topics for each event. This will help all attendees feel more natural and capable of creating organic conversations.
-
Don’t underestimate the power of webinars. Millennials and Generation Z are always on the lookout for ways to learn and grow in their profession. They also, however, need convenient ways to go about it. Webinars offer the perfect mix. Make sure you are sharing slides and recordings after webinars so that those who could not make it to the original can squeeze it into their busy schedule at some point.
If you are taking on the task of growing this segment of membership, you have to be willing to put in the work and time to get creative. Each generation wants or needs something that previous generations have not. Make sure to keep evolving your association to fit the needs of younger demographics so that your organization does not become obsolete.
