4 Ways to Provide More Professional Value to Association Members

When it comes to your association’s membership, one size will never fit all. You need to have a dynamic attitude for all stages of your members’ lives, which requires hard work and attention to detail. If your association is one that attracts all types of individuals as members, you may find that offering one type of benefit or discount doesn’t fit all member needs. In fact, you probably have a wide range of members, many in a different professional position or stage. So, how can you keep them all content and engaged?

From those new to the professional world to retirees and everyone in between, there are ways your association can reach everyone with the same amount of value. So, if you’re looking to up your professional value game to members of all shapes and sizes, you’ll love what we’ve put together for you within this article. Keep reading on to learn how to reach members at all professional stages and increase overall membership value along the way.

Meet member expectations

Want to figure out how to really support members through every stage of their professional journey? Then you’ll want to learn more about who they are both as individuals and as a group of career-driven people. Meeting member expectations is all about understanding member personas.

‍While you do have a diverse group of members, there are some similarities and commonalities that can be made in order to make member satisfaction an easier process to handle. In order to do this, you’ll want to refer to member data and feedback. If you’ve ran surveys in the past about what problems members face, you’ll have no problem finding professional queries to solve. If not, consider creating a survey to run in order to get the best data possible for your association. You can then segment your members into groups that make sense to you. This way, you’ll have a way to manage such a large membership by common professional needs and expectations.

Continue benefits that work

No matter where members are at in terms of their career, some things stay consistent. And chances are, your members are still looking to continue their professional growth and education whether their just starting or long into the career.

‍If you have educational opportunities that are already incorporated into your association, you’ll want to keep them around and even highlight them based on where your members are in their career. Do you have resume workshops and interview courses? You’ll want to market them to members that are just starting their journey into a new profession (think about your younger members). If you have retired professionals or those who are well into their career, you want to take existing educational benefits that work for them- things like mentor opportunities or webinars to learn brand new skills. Continue to offer those professional benefits that are already in place, but direct them towards the correlating members to improve efficiency.

Certifications always work

Again, if you’re looking for a benefit that holds its value no matter the professional stage members are in, you’ll want to incorporate certifications and credentials into your current list of benefits. For those that are growing their career, obtaining brand new certifications can help them stand out amongst their competition and learn new skills they can take into their budding career.

And for those that are in the later stages of their career journey, they’ll want to continue maintaining those certifications and credentials to not lose that knowledge they’ve built up over time. There are so many certifications that you can offer members depending on the industry your association focuses on. Do your research, ask members what they’d like to see offered, and take the next steps from there. Certifications are a benefit that works for almost everyone, so don’t take them for granted when building up a professional enhancement strategy.

From getting hired to hiring

As members get later into their career, they’re going to want to start hiring professionals of their own. So, you’ll also want to consider benefits that help with the hiring process. With the right career center or job board on your association’s website, you’re providing a benefit for both members looking to find a job and members looking to hire qualified professionals.

This works well for younger members and experienced professional members. If you’re looking to learn more about finding the right job board software for your association, we may be able to help. Don’t let professional value become something that slips your mind when servicing your members. No matter their goals or experience, there should always be an option for them to grow and thrive professional with your association.