4 Ways Your Association can Use Member Profiles to Grow Membership

Depending on your association’s member platform, there are a myriad of ways to customize and enjoy the features of creating a member profile. Actually, there are probably more ways to use member profiles than you can count on one hand.

While member profiles can help your members get the most out of their membership, it can also help your association learn more about what members like about your organization. You can study what features they use most, take note on how they set up and customize their profiles, and in the long run use this data to grow your membership to bigger and better rates.

Taking your member profile use to new heights can mean a lot of positive change for your association and even for your current members. So, here are 4 ways your association can use the member profile feature of your member platform to learn more about members, grow membership, and keep everything functioning at tip top shape. Keep reading on to learn more about how you can change things at your organization for the better!

1. As a fact sheet

Let’s get the most obvious statement out of the way first: Your member profile database is a prime hub for key facts about your members. If you’re looking to learn more about who your members are at their core, member profiles will do the trick.

Member profiles exist for your members to list any key information they find relevant and to share it with your association’s staff. This can be basic info- things like name, address, contact information- or it can get a little bit more in depth. You can learn a ton about your membership’s demographics- from occupations, to ethnicity, to education, and more.

Using your member profiles to refer back to important facts about members can save you the stress of having to keep all information at the top of your head at every moment of the day. By having this data secured within your member platform, you’ll be set whenever you need to reference back to a specific piece of knowledge.

2. As a trophy case

You want your members to be rewarded when they achieve things within your association, right? Of course. So, giving members a place on their member profile to showcase their certifications, certificates, and overall achievements can do just that.

The technology of member platforms now allows for so many updates and changes to the way you run a normal member profile. And many technology tools out there allow members to showcase digital badges and other forms of certifications wherever they like. It only makes sense to dedicate a section of their member profile to the things they’re most proud of.

This can also help your association keep track of things when members make accomplishments. Congratulating members on their recent badge additions or passed certifications can help them feel valued within your association, so don’t miss out on the power of a good “job well done” email.

3. As a document sharing service

Want a way to share important documents with your members such as resumes, schedules, volunteer hours, or more? Allow for certain association staff to have access to document sharing on member profiles.

Sharing your documents by attaching them to member profiles gives you an organized way to keep track of which members are getting access to which documents. It’s also a way for members to check in for any expected documents. All they have to do is visit their profile to see what’s been recently shared.

Conversely, you should also be able to allow members to pin documents to their profiles. If they’re looking for professional assistance from your association, they may find value in pinning their resume, work portfolio, or cover letter to their profile. This is great if your association provides mentorship where you would be reviewing and revising their professional documents before an important job interview.

Sharing documents via member profiles can add a new, purposeful dimension to your member platform.

4. As a social media hub

If you’ve been looking for a foolproof way to grow your association’s social media audience and get members looped in to all the updates you post, look no further.

Having members link their social media profiles on their member profile can allow you to link up with them on more platforms than your typical member hub. You can then be sure to include them in any social media posts you make, interact with them when it matters, and start dynamic conversations that can lead to better engagement.

Be sure to have members leave their Facebook accounts, Twitter and Instagram handles, LinkedIn profiles, or any other relevant social links that could be used for better communication. You can encourage them to do so by showing them all the great social media content they’re missing out on from your organization. With great interactive media and written blurbs on your social profiles, they’ll be sure to join in on the action.

Your association’s member profiles don’t have to just be a place to store surface level information about members. Make it into something fun, valuable, and interactive with these 4 fresh tips.

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