Over the year-end holiday break, you might have seen the “Best Of” editions of the Associations Now Daily News, one each in Leadership, Technology, Money & Business, and Meetings, which gathered highlights from our coverage in 2013. One of Associations Now‘s five core topics—Membership—was left out because its regularly scheduled day of the week, Wednesday, fell on Christmas and New Year’s Day the last two weeks.

My personal impression is that membership is just as important as ever for associations.

So, to fill that void, I’ve gathered below some of the best Associations Now had to offer in Membership in 2013. (I know we’re already a week into 2014, but I hope you have room for one more slice of year-in-review pie.) I’ve also thrown in two favorites of my own membership coverage in 2013, a couple close-up looks at some unique work associations are doing that got a lot of positive feedback from readers. And, as a bonus, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite membership-related posts from the association blogger community and discussion threads from ASAE’s Collaborate forum, as well.

To look at all of these and discern a common, specific theme isn’t easy. They range from examples of member-engagement methods and case studies on membership growth to arguments for either the imminent demise or ongoing strength of the membership model itself.

But my personal impression after watching and writing about membership in 2013 is that membership is just as important as ever for associations. The details are constantly evolving, but the fundamental concepts of community and belonging remain as core drivers of association business models. In 2014, my colleagues and I hope to continue sharing the stories of associations finding new and inspiring ways to make their memberships thrive. Please keep sending us your ideas and suggestions.

Membership in the Daily News

• Electronics Association Helps Startups Get Foot in the Door, by Chloe Thompson, January 2, 2013
• Freelancers’ Union: How It Topped 200,000 Members, by Ernie Smith, March 25, 2013
• Academy to Members: Let’s Discuss Our Future, by Ernie Smith, April 2, 2013
• Nutrition Association Reveals Secret Sauce to Membership Growth, by Katie Bascuas, May 7, 2013
• Members Drive New Model for Hotel Group, by Rob Stott, July 1, 2013
• The AFL-CIO Evolves: How a Union Plans to Take On Declining Membership, by Ernie Smith, September 10, 2013
• Calling on Members: Tech Association Embarks on Statewide Tour, by Katie Bascuas, September 11, 2013
• When Your Members Want You to Stay Small, by Ernie Smith, October 4, 2013
• Top-Level Domains as a Member Benefit? Ask Your .Realtor, by Ernie Smith, November 5, 2013

Membership in the Magazine and on the Blog

• California Dental Association: Calling All Members, Associations Now, June 2013
  What does it take to make personal phone calls to 1,000 new members in a year? And is it worthwhile? Terry Fong at the California Dental Association can tell you, with a smile.
• Membership Engagement and Spending Data, All in One Place, August 28, 2013
  A look at the inner workings of one association’s data-tracking and scoring system for member engagement and spending. It ain’t pretty, but it’s a powerful tool.

Membership From Association Bloggers

• Membership IS the Value of Membership! by Shelly Alcorn, CAE, Association Subculture, February 1, 2013
• Cultivating Engagement: What Was the Catalyst? by Jeffrey Cufaude, Idea Architects Blog, March 7, 2013
• Should Associations Abandon the Relentless Pursuit of Membership Growth? by Andrea Pellegrino, Demand Perspective Blog, April 29, 2013
• Tracking Your Membership Engagement… It’s An EYE OPENER, by Tom Morrison, CAE, From Relevance to Revolution!, June 26, 2013
• Speaking of Failure: Lessons From a Membership Drive, by Deirdre Reid, CAE, Avectra Blog, July 17, 2013
• If You Could Only Offer Three Services, by Dave Phillips, CAE, Blog AEC, August 9, 2013
• Winning in Membership Marketing Even If You Are Wrong 99.5% of the Time, by Tony Rossell, Membership Marketing Blog, August 30, 2013
• Member Engagement? It’s…Well, It’s Complicated, by Eric Lanke, CAE, September 9, 2013
• Do You Know How to Be A Member? by Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE, Spark Consulting Blog, October 29, 2013
• The Future of Membership? by Mark Golden, FASAE, CAE, Golden’s Rules for Associations, November 19, 2013

Membership Discussions on Collaborate

Note: ASAE member login required.

• Market Potential, February 25-28, 2013 (7 responses)
• LinkedIn: Open or Closed Group, May 8-10, 2013 (8 responses)
• Membership Engagement Scoring, June 26 – July 2, 2013 (9 responses)
• The Printed Membership Directory Debate, July 25-29, 2013 (9 responses)
• Dues Cycle Change, August 22 – September 3, 2013 (8 responses)
• Best Practices in Renewal Invoicing, October 18-22, 2013 (7 responses)

Though this list is long, it’s certainly not exhaustive. If you have a favorite article, blog post, video, book, etc. about membership from 2013 not included here, please share a link in the comments below. Happy new year!

(iStock/Thinkstock)