Over the summer, I was presented the opportunity to participate in the Association Trends Millennials to Members course. Out of nine modules, I chose Creating Must-Have Membership. In today’s economy, it is vital that associations focus on the needs and interests of their members in order to stay afloat. As they put it in the module, nothing else matters!
Create Value
As baby boomers start making their way out of the work force and millennials continue to move in, it is imperative to create value for your members. The value of membership in associations is constantly changing because the wants, needs, and the audience of associations is changing. Some key areas to focus on to ensure your association survives include making sure your association:
- is meaningful, unique and motivates people to take action
- communicates a purpose or a passion
The question you need to ask yourself is how your association brings value to its members.
Millennials Are Here to Stay
Generation X and Generation Y currently hold the greatest potential for growth in associations. Recruiting millennials as members can help your association to grow, as they can provide knowledge in certain areas that baby boomers may not feel comfortable with. In turn, baby boomers can provide millennials with experience they’ve gained throughout the course of their careers. Everyone has something to teach and something to learn, so engaging these two groups can help your association grow exponentially. Two-way mentoring programs are a great way for these generational groups to interact and obtain knowledge that they may not have received otherwise.
30 Day Challenge
A challenge was presented within the module to find 30 people and have a conversation with each over the course of 30 days. Three questions were suggested to ask:
- What is especially challenging for people in your age group right now?
- Think of an experience when you felt like you really belonged. What did the organization do or the experience provide to make you feel that way?
- What one word would you use to describe success?
In asking these questions, I found that the answers varied greatly. Baby boomers found some newer technology challenging whereas millennials found that they are constantly having to “prove” themselves.
I urge all of you to come up with a few questions and conduct your own 30 day challenge.
Generational Gaps
There was a skit in the module that I found rang very true for myself. The skit portrayed a baby boomer and a millennial working together to set a meeting. The baby boomer incorrectly pronounced Skype and changed the topic when the millennial mentioned social media platforms and SEO. The baby boomer asked if the millennial could attend their meeting and she agreed, asking what platform would be used, naming several platforms. The baby bomber replied, “The conference room… right over there”.
I find that working with a lot of my association’s members can sometimes be challenging due to generational gaps, very similar to the skit that was shown. I do agree, however, that two-way mentoring can play a big role in integrating multiple generations together. I now understand why it’s a great idea to engage various generations in associations.
Kyle Schaller is a Member Services Associate for the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA).
