--- title: "Monday Buzz: Mapping Your Membership Journey" id: "40612" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-mapping-your-membership-journey" published_at: "2017-11-28T00:32:09+00:00" modified_at: "2017-11-28T00:32:09+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/28/monday-buzz-mapping-your-membership-journey/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/28/monday-buzz-mapping-your-membership-journey.md" excerpt: "Designing a membership journey map will help your group better understand what your members go through when interacting with your organization. Also: Stop trolls from ruining your online community." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "journey mapping" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Mapping Your Membership Journey Nearly every success metric for your organization can be improved by better understanding your members. To get to know them better, consider mapping their journey with your association. “It allows you and your staff to get on the same page about what your members think, want, need, and feel—and when—so you can better serve them,” writes Callie Walker in a recent [post for the MemberClicks blog (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/member-journey-mapping-walking-a-mile-in-your-members-shoes) . A journey map also “allows you to see where gaps might lie in terms of what your members are experiencing versus what you’re actually providing—or *think* you’re providing.” How should you get started with a journey map? Be sure to have well-considered membership personas to aid in comprehending their goals, challenges, and pain points. And take a close look at the data surrounding how your members interact with your association, including when members drop off and the performance of your programs. ### Trouble with Trolls > Lessons from [#imdb (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/imdb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > in @martech_today Great piece on balancing [#community (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/community?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > participation [https://t.co/EzXavHEprQ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/EzXavHEprQ) > with avoiding trolls who can kill your community. > > — Rob Wenger (@rwenger) [November 27, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/rwenger/status/935195055194861568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **We all know that trolls can poison an online community.** An archivist organization recently had to [shut down its main discussion listserver](https://associationsnow.com/2017/11/archivists-association-closes-discussion-group-that-became-toxic/) because it had become so toxic. But, don’t let bad online behavior stop you from serving your members. The *[MarTech Advisor (opens in a new tab)](https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/personalization-chat/trolls-can-kill-your-online-community-dont-let-them/)* shares a few tips for halting trolls in their tracks. Community managers are often the first line of defense against trollish abuse. If you’re serious about developing a fruitful online community, you’ll need to hire one, and as your community scales, you may need more than one. “A good community manager moderates comments and discussions to ensure that content is appropriate and constructive,” says Hunter Montgomery, CMO of Higher Logic. “When they first come on board, your community manager can work with other staff to develop a ‘terms of use’ document for discussions and other community spaces.” ### Other Links of Note **Are you ready for #GivingTuesday?** The CauseVox blog provides [several last-minute ideas (opens in a new tab)](https://www.causevox.com/blog/last-minute-giving-tuesday-ideas/) to help your campaign make a splash. **As Whitney Houston’s famous song says,** “I believe the children are our future …” But *Nonprofit: Always Fresh* says that it’s incumbent on the nonprofit sector to also pay attention to the [needs of older adults (opens in a new tab)](http://nonprofitaf.com/2017/11/kids-are-the-future-so-are-older-adults/) . **Social media delivers a constant barrage of information.** Harvard’s *NiemanLab* talks to an expert about how social media [may be making it harder to think (opens in a new tab)](http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/11/slow-down-heres-how-the-speed-and-structure-of-twitter-have-made-it-harder-to-think/) . [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: [#journey mapping](https://associationsnow.com/tag/journey-mapping/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#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 - [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/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleUnderstand Your Members on a Deeper Level Through Journey MappingOctober 3, 2022](https://associationsnow.com/2022/10/03/understand-your-members-on-a-deeper-level-through-journey-mapping/) - [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/) ## 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%2F28%2Fmonday-buzz-mapping-your-membership-journey%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !