4 Reasons Associations Need a Young Professionals Committee

Providing professional development resources and support for your younger members can really raise the bar on your association’s membership success. But other than the typical resources like resume workshops, networking events, and learning opportunities that your association can provide to younger members, what other ways can you reach out to be a helpful resource? If you’ve exhausted all of your opportunities becoming an industry hub for those looking to begin a career, it’s time to think outside of the box. The great thing about associations is that they’re composed of a team of highly qualified individuals with knowledge on whatever industry they’re in.

Think about it, your association’s team has to know the in’s and out’s of the business in order to stay on top of industry trends and provide the best benefits and knowledge for members. So, why not form a committee dedicated to taking care of your young professional members?

‍Young professionals are the future building blocks for your association’s membership, so giving them a direct group of individuals to go to in times of struggle only makes sense. In fact, there are a ton of great reasons why a Young Professionals Committee could work wonders for your association and its members. Let’s take a look at 4 key reasons why your association should highly consider giving a Young Professionals Committee a shot in order to boost younger member engagement.

Reason #1: It’s resourceful

For any association, providing more benefits while spending the same amount of your budget to do so is a win win situation for everyone involved. Think about it this way, your association is able to provide more value for members and keep them engaged, and your members get a lot more out of their membership, making it much more appealing for them to stick around.

And with a Young Professionals Committee, your association can do just that. One of the best advantages of creating a Young Professionals Committee is that it’s a resourceful way to provide more for your members. By offering this trusted board for any members looking for more guidance in their professional journey, you’re able to pull together resources that are already in your association’s “bag of tricks” and reinvent them into a brand new benefit.

‍With a Young Professionals Committee, you’re able to get down to the bottom of what exactly it is young professionals want and are looking for in terms of career resources- all while not spending any of your association’s current benefit budget.

Reason #2: It’s inclusive

If you’re looking for a way for your association’s team to get closer and truly understand young professionals, what better way than to invite them to join in on your Young Professionals Committee? Let’s face it, it can be quite the challenge to get to the bottom of your young professional member’s needs. With the industry constantly changing and professionals coming out of college all of the time, it’s not easy to keep up with the pace of everything going on.

‍However, by inviting young professionals into your committee, you’re giving them the chance to influence how your association treats its younger members- including what benefits are provided, what resources they create, and many other aspects. In return, it allows your association to engage more with its younger members and learn about their wants and needs. The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) does a great job of allowing others to partake in their Young Professionals Committee activities. They give a full explanation of their committee right on their website for anyone interested in joining. They also provide information on the next meeting and how to join their committee, making it easy to attract new committee members left and right.

Your association can mirror the approach that MACC has taken by offering a way for your members to take part in your committee’s goings on. Provide them with the information needed to join in, post about your scheduled meetings and open them up to members, and make it an appealing offer in order.

Reasons #3: It’s lucrative

With a Young Professionals Committee at hand, your association can figure out exactly how to attract more young members to its membership- and with that, bring in more dues revenue. Attracting younger members to your association is vital for the long-term success of your membership. But why is this? Well, if you can meet your members at the start of their career journey and keep them interested, you can ensure they stick with your association for a while, becoming loyal members. And after all, member retention is another vital part of your association’s success. While H.O.M.E (Housing Opportunities & Maintenance for the Elderly) is a group focused on the wellbeing of senior citizens, they know the value of having a good young professionals board. In fact, they even share some tips and tricks of their own on how to get going with a Young Professionals Committee.

It seems that there’s room for any association to create a program like this in order to attract more members and bring in more revenue. If you want to ensure your association’s own Young Professionals Committee is doing the best it can to bring in more member dues, there are a few things you can do. To start, you want the group to be influenced and based around the wants and needs of young professionals- meaning you need to have their input and influence at all times. You also want to keep up with industry changes as your young professionals grow and advance. Allow room for new ideas and growth as members change career positions and information shifts over time.

Reason #4: It generates ideas

As an association, it can often be challenging to come up with new and fresh ideas to keep your younger members engaged. Especially with a young audience, it can be tough to keep the attention and time of members when so much goes on around them in their own lives. But with a Young Professionals Committee, you have an activity that allows your association to sit down with members and actual young professionals in order to come up with new ideas and ways to keep your young members happy and engaged.

‍Think of your Young Professionals Committee meetings as a giant think tank. If you invite in young professionals and members of all sorts to come together and generate ideas together, you may get perspectives and plans for activities that your association’s team wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Consider holding monthly meetings with your association’s Young Professionals Committee and make them open to members to sit on and even join in. Not only will it show your members that they’re allowed to come and engage with your association’s work, it will also bring in new mindsets that could help you problem solve and create better opportunities for young professionals in the future.

‍While there are plenty of reasons for your association to start up a Young Professionals Committee of its own, use these 4 reasons to jumpstart your progress, and your association can generate more engagement from younger members.