--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Rethinking Nondues Revenue" id: "40474" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-rethinking-nondues-revenue" published_at: "2017-11-09T22:07:27+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:14:15+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/09/thursday-buzz-rethinking-nondues-revenue/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/09/thursday-buzz-rethinking-nondues-revenue.md" excerpt: "Associations shouldn’t put all of their revenue channels into the membership basket, but your organization could probably be smarter about your nondues money sources. Also: how to recruit young volunteers." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ad revenue" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Membership" - "volunteers" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Rethinking Nondues Revenue Nondues revenue streams can come from a variety of sources, including publications and conferences. But your association may be employing too many and diluting your central mission. While all organizations need money to serve their members, a [recent post from Association Success (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/less-is-more-non-dues-revenue) suggests that the quality of your nondues revenue channels matters more than the quantity. “Cast a critical eye over the projects meant to be bringing in revenue at your association,” writes Garth Jordan. “Is 80 percent or more of your revenue coming from 20 percent or fewer of your products?” It may be time to cut certain e-books, conferences, or sponsorships that require a lot of effort without a lot of return. Trimming the fat can also help to improve how you serve your members. “If you direct resources towards making your top products provide the best experience possible, they won’t come up lacking when it comes to your members’ needs,” says Jordan. “Products must be more enjoyable, more discoverable, and meet the needs of your audience.” ### Young Volunteers > 5 Ways to Entice Young Professionals to Volunteer – [https://t.co/NShJOW5M4F (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/NShJOW5M4F) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#volunteers (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/volunteers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Talley. (@TalleyMgmt) [November 9, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/TalleyMgmt/status/928655574623051777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Recruiting volunteers is tough,** and you may expect activating young volunteers to be particularly difficult. But that’s not necessarily so. The [MemberClicks blog shares (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/5-ways-to-entice-young-professionals-to-volunteer) a few tips for recruiting next-gen volunteers, which may be easier than you think. Young professionals like having a positive impact on society. When trying to recruit them, just be sure to communicate the good effects that their volunteering will have. The post also recommends making volunteering a social effort and presenting opportunities for microvolunteering. ### Other Links of Note **Do you trust Google’s featured search snippets?** According to HubSpot, [only 7 percent of survey respondents (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/featured-snippets-trust) said they consistently did. **Communications to-do lists can get out of control.** *[Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2017/11/07/5-strategies-guard-list-doesnt-belong/)* shares a few strategies for keeping them streamlined. **If you’re looking for high-quality, affordable stock images,** *[Social Media Examiner (opens in a new tab)](https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/stock-video-stock-image-stock-audio-resources-creators-marketers/)* shares some resources you can use. (Image Source/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#ad revenue](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ad-revenue/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#volunteers](https://associationsnow.com/tag/volunteers/) **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/) - [VideoSmart Ways to Solve Your Nondues Revenue ProblemNovember 28, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/11/28/smart-ways-to-solve-your-nondues-revenue-problem/) - [VideoHow Associations Can Build Nondues Revenue on a BudgetNovember 29, 2022](https://associationsnow.com/2022/11/29/how-associations-can-build-nondues-revenue-on-a-budget/) - [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/) ## 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%2F2017%2F11%2F09%2Fthursday-buzz-rethinking-nondues-revenue%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !