How to Support Your Members During a Widespread Crisis

Since the shutdown from COVID-19, many employees have been laid off, job seekers weighing their future career options, and students are left wondering if they'll be able to keep their job offers as summer start dates approach.

Your members may be hurting and are looking for career development opportunities to keep them productive and focused on their future. As the leader of your association, it's important to find the best resources that will help prepare your members for life after the pandemic.

Educational Resources

If your members were job searching before the outbreak caused the economic shutdown, chances are they're looking even harder how for new opportunities and materials to give themselves a competitive edge once normal hiring activities resume.

To best serve your members, try offering more online learning courses and certificates, since in-person events and training seminars are still up in the air. Determine which courses and certificates your members will benefit from the most by sending out quick surveys to see what they're interested in, then work with your LMS provider to start implementing the necessary materials.

If possible, another great way to help your members out during this time is to offer discounts or free online learning resources since many people and families are on tight budgets. Doing so can help increase your member loyalty since they'll see you actively trying to help them thrive in difficult situations.

It's critical to communicate appropriately with your members who have been directly affected by COVID-19. This is a sensitive time for many people, so portraying the proper message is necessary. You don't want to bombard them with promotional emails or social posts about purchasing an online course when financial struggles are at an all time high. Instead, convey they importance of staying on track and that you want to help them succeed in any way you can.

Here's a few other educational resources to add into your member benefits:

1. Virtual events and training seminars
2. Educational or Q&A Webinars
3. Virtual Member Networking Meetings

Other Career Development Resources

Even though some companies have put hiring on hold, there are still plenty of organizations looking to the future and are maintaining their plans to hire qualified candidates - especially in specific industries that have been deemed essential or have the ability to work from home.

Providing your members with an online job board increases their chances of finding their next career move and gives them the ability to find jobs specific to their industry and skill set. Hosting an online job board is also a great source of non-dues revenue for associations that don't want to increase membership dues during this time.

To take career advancement resources one step further, you can offer your members the ability to completely customize and visualize their career progression with a new Web Scribble product - Career Paths. Career Paths gives your members data-backed salary projections, projected career growth opportunities, required certifications for advancement and much more. Providing a member benefit like this can help your members visualize their future during stressful and uncertain times and give them a sense of hope. Not to mention this will help your association increase engagement and member loyalty!

As your members navigate through this difficult time, you can't forget that they joined your association because they saw value in a membership -  and now is the time to reinforce that mindset more than ever. You may not be able to provide every little piece to the puzzle, but showing you care by offering resources to advance in their careers is the perfect start.

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