Monday Buzz: New Membership Strategies for the Class of 2016
Two associations share their plans for succeeding with younger members. Plus: The year's hottest marketing trends, straight from SXSW.
Spring is almost here, which means college seniors will soon don their caps and gowns and head out into the professional world. With a new graduating class entering the workforce, this summer will be rife with membership opportunities for trade associations. Eager to welcome young members, organizations like the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) are making preparations to be more accessible and attractive to new grads making their first forays into their industries.
One of the biggest changes the associations are making is to their virtual meeting and media strategies, which both AICPA and APA have restructured, according to interviews with Folio magazine.
“We’re focused on building the future generation of CPA professionals, and we’re doing that by developing engaging career-awareness content for high school and university students,” Joanne Fiore, AICPA’s vice president of professional media, pathways and inclusion told Folio reporter Tom Zind. “We have a website that targets university students with a look and feel they can relate to.”
APA has also restructured the way it reaches new industry members, leveraging a number of communication trends to improve transparency, change the public perception of psychology, and see which benefits younger members are looking for.
“We’re looking at new ideas for how to make the APA relevant to existing and potential members,” APA representative Kim Mills said. “We’re posting more association-related information on the website, sending more communiques to members, and reaching out more to the media.”
For additional insights, keep an eye on Folio as it continues to publish Q&As with more panelists from the upcoming Association Media Summit.
Tweet of the Day
My advice for emerging association professionals | Reid All About It #assnchat https://t.co/7lDSEPJgGL pic.twitter.com/0RYfxi0dp7
— Deirdre Reid, CAE (@DeirdreReid) March 14, 2016
While AICPA and APA consider how to best bring new graduates into their associations, association tech expert Deirdre Reid has some valuable professional advice for those freshly entering an association as an employee.
Other Good Reads
Learn about this year’s hottest marketing trends, with Epsilon’s Chief Digital Officer Tom Edwards’ list of five of the biggest marketing and tech innovations featured at SXSW 2016, via VentureBeat.
Using Game of Thrones to promote awareness. The International Rescue Committee has partnered with actors of the hit HBO show to explain the harsh reality of refugees and global conflict.
It’s National Pi Day! And that means it’s time to check in with the Mathematical Association of America to see how members of the mathematics community are celebrating the holiday.
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