ACI Blog
Looking for fresh ideas for your association? Look no further - our blog is a chance for you to pick our brains virtually, see what’s working for our clients, and identify approaches that you might like to adapt.
Looking for fresh ideas for your association? Look no further - our blog is a chance for you to pick our brains virtually, see what’s working for our clients, and identify approaches that you might like to adapt.
The best way to ensure the longevity of your association is to bring in new, younger members. Attracting these Young Professionals is a question most associations have grappled with. Many associations understand that Young Professionals are the future, but attracting and retaining them as active association members can be challenging.
Young Professionals are naturally tech-savvy and live life at a faster pace. The changes forced on all of us by COVID-19 – working from home, hosting virtual events, and holding meetings by Zoom and other virtual platforms – is more congenial to them than it has been to older members of the work force. As we begin to plan for a post-COVID-19 world, it seems that many of these digital activities are here to stay to some extent, and that’s where your Young Professional members can help your association thrive.
Here are a few ways your association can attract and appeal to Young Professional members, and include them in constructive and productive ways:
Invite young professionals to volunteer and involve them in your committees
Many Young Professionals often have fresh perspectives and creative ideas. Inviting Young Professionals to volunteer with your association and join your committees in meaningful ways allows your association to harness those ideas and benefit from them.
It’s important to recognize that Young Professionals’ perspectives may be different from what older members think, and that’s the point. You’ll need to be aware that “business as usual” won’t necessarily provide a future for your association, so you’ll want to maintain an open mind about your Young Professionals’ ideas.
Offer the type of content Young Professionals are seeking
Most Young Professionals are very tech-savvy and like to consume content instantly and online. Make sure your website is up-to-date and easy to navigate so that Young Professionals can easily find what they are looking for.
Young professionals prefer multi-media content, with video being particularly popular. Offering a wide-range of exclusive, members-only content using as many media as possible is an attractive selling-point for many potential Young Professional members.
You’ll want to ask how you can represent your association’s activities and values (see below) in ways easy for Young Professionals to consume, and to make it available through many different channels – YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and so forth. Remember, it’s about the ideas, not the words.
Increasingly, Young Professionals will join an association because of shared values
While many professionals have similarities in what they seek in the workplace (such as respect, fulfillment, and security), many Young Professionals also seek moral alignment from their work. According to Forbes, things like diversity, equity, and inclusion are highly valued by Young Professionals, which means they will likely seek these values from your association and weigh it heavily in their decision to become a member.
The value your association brings not only to the Young Professional, but also to your shared community and the stakeholders you serve, matters more than ever.
Be clear on your association’s values in terms of the triple bottom line: people, profit, and the planet. This allows you to present those values more accessibly to Young Professionals and get their buy-in.
Offer useful networking opportunities
In a digital age, with tools like LinkedIn at our disposal, it is easier than ever for Young Professionals to meet other Young Professionals in similar fields and at similar places in their careers. However, it’s more difficult for Young Professionals to meet people from different career levels and in different disciplines. This is an area where your association can offer value to Young Professionals through membership. Make your association’s membership essential by offering high-quality networking and career-building opportunities that Young Professionals might not otherwise have access to.
Don’t forget Young Professionals in your programs
As an association, you have probably spent time thinking up incentives to attract student-members: discounts, special resources, and exclusive events, among others. However, after graduation, when Young Professionals are newly entering the workforce, many of these special offers disappear – sometimes when they are needed most. Don’t forget to bridge that gap to keep Young Professionals interested and engaged!
Young Professionals value training and education
Young Professionals understand that in a competitive workforce, it is important to always be learning, growing their skillset, and adapting. Offering exclusive opportunities to earn certifications and designations will certainly be a motivating factor for a Young Professional to join your association.
Regularly hosting workshops, online training, mentorship, and learning opportunities designed to help Young Professional members develop professionally will make your association more appealing to younger generations of workers.
Think in terms of interactivity. Young Professionals don’t want just to be lectured to – they want to be involved in their continuing professional education. Case studies, allowing them to both gain and apply new concepts in real-world situations, can be helpful here. Look for opportunities to encourage discussion.
By implementing these tips, your association will be well on its way to attracting Young Professional members and harnessing all that they have to offer to ensure you continue to thrive in an ever-changing world!
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