--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Benefits of a Trial Program" id: "42495" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-benefits-of-a-trial-program" published_at: "2018-05-03T21:08:21+00:00" modified_at: "2018-05-03T21:08:21+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/03/thursday-buzz-benefits-of-a-trial-program/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/05/03/thursday-buzz-benefits-of-a-trial-program.md" excerpt: "No one wants to implement a program that is doomed to fail. To prevent an expensive mistake, use a trial program. Here’s how to get started. Also: If your volunteers aren’t as productive as you need them to be, the..." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Membership" - "trade programs" - "volunteers" 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/) » Thursday Buzz: Benefits of a Trial Program Associations are under constant pressure to provide new and better value to members. One way to experiment with new offerings without spending a ton of money is to run trials. “When you offer a trial program to a group of participants, you can watch how they use the program and learn what they really value—instead of making assumptions about their needs and preferences,” writes Jared Loftus in [new post for Rasa.io (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.rasa.io/trial-program-experimentation-part-i/) . You can open trial programs to a wide audience, but if you’re looking for deep feedback, you may want to keep participation limited. “If you decide to select participants, pick those who are representative of your overall target audience,” says Loftus. Make sure you pick companies, chapters, or individuals that reflect the majority of your members. Trials are also a good way to repair a strained relationship. “You could also use the trial as an olive branch,” he writes. “Offer participation to a chapter with whom you’ve had a less than ideal relationship.” ### When Volunteers Fall Short > Why do volunteers volunteer and then not do the work? Why don’t member want to volunteer? What do volunteers fear? [https://t.co/5xV5wGMLDq (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/5xV5wGMLDq) > [#AssnChat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AssnChat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#CSAE (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSAE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Amanda Lea Kaiser (@AmandaLeaKaiser) [May 2, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AmandaLeaKaiser/status/991771853021679618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Volunteers are an important part of many associations**, so much so that when they don’t deliver it can be a real setback. So why do those who step forward to volunteer wind up letting you down? Amanda Kaiser spoke to a bunch of volunteers to find out why they’re not engaging and she [notes a common theme (opens in a new tab)](http://www.smooththepath.net/2018/05/01/association-volunteers-do-not-engage-because-of-time-and-timing/) : timing. You may be asking for help during a busy time of year, or you ask for too much time. Worst of all, someone has volunteered previously and found it to be a waste of time. “To get volunteers engaged, fix the issues that arise because of time and timing,” she says. ### Other Links of Note **Journalism is currently reinventing itself** in ways associations could learn from. The Membership Puzzle Project takes a look at the newsrooms that are putting a [focus on membership education (opens in a new tab)](https://membershippuzzle.org/articles-overview/reinventing-journalism-education) . **Are you posting the same message across all of our social channels?** The Hootsuite blog shares a [few tactics to try to instead (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hootsuite.com/cross-promote-social-media/) . **Public speakers have a lot of the same bad habits.** Here are [tips for breaking them (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/40567260/want-to-be-a-great-storyteller-first-break-these-habits) and becoming a better storyteller from *Fast Company*. (iStock / 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: [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#trade programs](https://associationsnow.com/tag/trade-programs/) [#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 - [VideoMix Old and New for More Memorable EventsNovember 6, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/11/06/mix-old-and-new-for-more-memorable-events/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleEight Steps for Taking Your Certification Program InternationalSeptember 11, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/09/11/eight-steps-for-taking-your-certification-program-international/) - [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%2F2018%2F05%2F03%2Fthursday-buzz-benefits-of-a-trial-program%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !