Association professionals and members have different perspectives around the importance of technology, especially around training and AI, according to a new report.

A New Era of Associations: The Transformational Power of Technology, released last month by Momentive Software (formerly Community Brands), is based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. association members and more than 200 association staffers. The report notes that there are particular areas where professionals underestimate the importance of their products for members, most prominently access to job opportunities, career advice, and mentoring.

“When we look at the results as a whole, there’s one really consistent message, and that is association professionals continue to not believe career advancement benefits are as important as they are,” said Tirrah Switzer, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Momentive. “Members truly believe that career advancement benefits are some of the most important, whether that’s job opportunities, training, professional development, certifications, et cetera. That gap between members and pros continues to grow, which I think is a little disturbing to see.”

According to the survey, association professionals are focusing instead on meetings and events, which they give disproportionate attention compared to members. Some of the reason for that focus may be associations’ traditional use of meetings as a main revenue driver, especially since the pandemic. But Switzer also attributed the disconnect to outdated perceptions about the value of meetings.

Nearly half of members say they use AI in some form weekly, while only 18 percent of association professionals say they are using it at all.

“Back in the day, events used to be the channel in which you got all your professional development,” she said. “You went to the annual conference, and that’s where you got your education credits. Now there’s just-in-time learning. People want to learn in the moment. There are virtual events, webinars, webcasts. People are learning all year round. So associations may need to shift their mindset a little bit: Events may not necessarily be a benefit, but they’re a channel to deliver your benefits.”

Another disconnect the survey revealed concerns generative AI. According to the survey, nearly half of members (48 percent) say they use AI in some form weekly, while only 18 percent of professionals say they are using it at all. Moreover, few association professionals (13 percent) say their organization has an AI policy. The divergence is even broader when generational breakdowns are factored in.

“When we think about that next generation of members, Gen Z, a majority are using it weekly or and daily,” Switzer said. “That’s a huge disconnect.”

That disconnect matters because the study spotlights a growing correlation between member satisfaction and a perception that their association is an early adopter. In the 2022 edition of the survey, 72 percent of members who said their associations were early adopters said they were very satisfied with their membership. In the new survey, that percentage has spiked to 81 percent. 

“That correlation has been going up pretty steadily,” Switzer said. “We definitely see that [perception of an association as an early adopter] continues to really impact satisfaction, connection, and likelihood to renew.”

[Drazen Zigic/istock]