--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Membership Lessons From Social Clubs" id: "31522" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-membership-lessons-from-social-clubs" published_at: "2015-12-22T20:03:05+00:00" modified_at: "2015-12-22T20:03:05+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/12/22/tuesday-buzz-membership-lessons-from-social-clubs/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/12/22/tuesday-buzz-membership-lessons-from-social-clubs.md" excerpt: "How one social club is keeping relevant with younger audiences—and growing membership at the same time. Also: Conflict's a-brewin' in the craft beer space; this clever video is proof." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "gun clubs" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Membership Lessons From Social Clubs How do you keep something as formal as a swanky social club relevant to members? You adapt to changing social trends. [The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlights the current success of the Wisconsin Club (opens in a new tab)](http://www.jsonline.com/business/wisconsin-club-about-to-turn-125-years-old-b99636303z1-363204211.html) , which will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year. The organization is reaching new financial highs and is maintaining a strong handle on membership—which currently stands around 1,500. The organization’s success in convincing new members to join the club, which costs $2,832 per year, is partly due to its willingness to adapt, offering something a lot less formal than what you might have found if you’d walked into the club even 20 years ago. “Back in 1994, guys couldn’t walk in here without a sport coat and tie,” noted John Constantine, the club’s general manager, in an interview with the *Journal Sentinel*. The organization slowly changed its approach to allow for more casual patrons, adding in a sports bar, among other spaces. These additions have boosted business significantly for the social club, and the casual rooms do four times as much business as the formal areas. And when it comes to membership, the club—which has locations in downtown Milwaukee and in a country club near the outskirts of the city—courts younger members as well. “We’ve increased membership every year for the past 20 years,” he added. “We have not gone backward once. We have to make sure we don’t overlook the younger professionals in the city.” That matches the findings of the National Club Association, which has emphasized the role of younger generations as members [in recent research (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nationalclub.org/clientuploads/Navigating%20the%20Future/NTF_Highlights_Final-web.pdf) [PDF]. ### They Want to Belong **Speaking of millennials and membership,** Colleen Dilenschneider is all over the way they approach joining a cultural organization. Check it out in her latest *Know Your Own Bone* video. Dilenschneider, the chief market engagement officer at IMPACTS Research & Development, says that younger adults have a higher level of interest in joining a museum, zoo, or other cultural institution than older people do. In addition, their reasons for joining differ significantly from older generations. “[W]ith the exception of free admission, the primary benefits of membership according to millennials are less transaction-based than are the responses from their preceding generations,” [she notes of the research (opens in a new tab)](http://colleendilen.com/2015/12/21/the-membership-benefits-that-millennials-want-from-cultural-organizations-data/) . “Millennials care about ‘belonging,’ ‘supporting,’ and ‘impact.’” Watch the video above for more highlights from IMPACTS’ research. ### Other Links of Note **Beer people know how to have fun:** The American Homebrewers Association’s latest clip, featuring the teams behind HomebrewersAssociation.org and CraftBeer.com, [covers the art of “sabering” (opens in a new tab)](http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/news/how-do-you-open-your-beer/) —and does so with the sweep of an action movie. Associations of all stripes should take notice of the production values on this one. **You’ll have plenty of time off this holiday season:** Why not use it to practice your headline-writing skills? [Read this blog post and get back to us in January (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.leadpages.net/how-to-write-an-effective-headline/) . **Trying to deploy a new operating system around the office?** The process can take some time, but if you’re looking for an example on how to do it right, [what better place to look than Microsoft (opens in a new tab)](http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-microsoft-deployed-windows-10-inside-the-company/) ? They make Windows, after all. (Wisconsin Club handout photo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#gun clubs](https://associationsnow.com/tag/gun-clubs/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F12%2F22%2Ftuesday-buzz-membership-lessons-from-social-clubs%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !