Does Your Member Organisation Have A Value Perception Problem?
Many member organisations are facing gentle to moderate declines in membership levels. They don’t have a value proposition problem - they have a value perception problem. Their members don’t know the full scope of what they offer because many member benefits are either hidden or not effectively articulated. When it comes time to renew, if members cannot link solid value to the fees they pay, it can be an easy cut, especially for smaller practices during times of economic volatility and regulatory pressure.
The challenge is even greater for early stage professionals, their needs are different from mid and late stage professionals. Networking, practice-building and credential acquisition are key to their success, whereas more established members focus on advocacy, reputation and community.
In 2026, regulatory changes, AI advancements and digital technologies are adding an extra layer to the mix of considerations.
How To Bridge The Value Gap
If an association uses blanket messaging, value perception drops. Member organisations may be evolving their offering but are stuck in an ‘Old Guard’ perception trap. The best way out of this is to audit exactly what members need at stage, responding and developing communication plans to speak to each category of member about how the offering serves them. Then rolling out this messaging out in the places that these members spend time. Is that over email, networking events, social media, AGMs, conferences, website?
If your organisation has a great ‘Join Us / Member Benefits’ website page, yet doesn’t strategically remind members of everything it offers, members will lose sight of value over time. They may forget to renew or feel that the organisation is stagnant as they don’t see or hear about the benefits and updates that relate to them.
Engagement is essential - members will leave associations and societies when they don’t feel connected.
How To Bridge The Communication Gap
Every time you hold a governing body, branch or special interest group meeting, you are gathering mines of information - feedback, challenges, solutions, insights, events. By bringing this information together, you can build out member category insights that can be used to speak to these audiences effectively.
For example, if you have a specialist Practice Management group, and HR/legal challenges are raised, document them, not just for minutes, but for your communications staff / team. An update, linked to your associated member benefits serve key purposes - showing that the organisation is actively involved in current issues for the profession, and as a reminder of the services you provide.
An example of this: the practice management group discusses the use of AI by practice admin staff in relation to GDPR and creates a response. They produce an update including this response and a link to the HR member service for further support. This is loaded to the website member section as a news update or blog, a snippet is added to the member newsletter and a social media post is developed for the organisation’s social media accounts linking back to the website.
Use your channels to communicate how you are addressing member challenges regularly. Stay top of mind & don’t let members forget why they joined in the first place.