Charting a Course for Your Association’s Future in a Changing Landscape

Associations play important roles in protecting, promoting, and advancing the interests and needs of the industries and members they represent, but the landscape in which they operate is evolving. This is why driving growth means balancing steadiness and innovation. You still need to lean into your strengths to continue providing the services and support members rely on, but you also need to be ready to experiment and adapt so you’re poised to deliver the value tomorrow’s membership wants. 

On a recent episode of Learning by Association, Bill Sheehan, global head, association strategy at D2L, talked with Bob Moore, MA, MS, FASAE, CAE, executive director of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians and the ACOFP Foundation, about crafting a forward-thinking strategy to navigate the currents of change. Here, we’ll share three takeaways from their conversation. 

1. Find New Ways to Attract New Audiences 

When thinking about this, there are two questions you need to consider. 

First, how do you build programs to give them maximum appeal? This often means exploring where your association’s revenue comes from — something we tackled in a previous post — and the membership models you have in place. Would it make sense, for example, to offer a tiered model to lower the barrier of entry for prospective members who are interested but have never been part of an association before and have yet to realize the benefits membership can bring? 

Second, who are the stakeholder groups you should focus on drawing in? During our conversation, Moore touched on the work his association has been doing to reach new potential members, including other influential decision-makers beyond physicians. “If we can talk to an office manager who could see benefit in connecting that office team in a way that provides resources to them to provide better care and make the case all the way through their organization,” Moore says, “they can get access to resources that they might not have otherwise had.” 

2. Engage the Next Generation in New Ways 

There’s no doubt that membership demographics are changing. According to MGI’s 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, in 2023, generation Xers and baby boomers accounted for 31 percent and 32 percent, respectively, of an association’s membership, while generation Z made up 9 percent. In 2024, we saw gen Xers and baby boomers drop to 26 percent and 29 percent, respectively, while gen Z jumped to 11 percent. 

These shifts can present opportunities and hurdles for your association. Early career professionals might still appreciate the larger value that being part of your association can bring, but how they hear about you, why they get involved, and what entices them to stay active might be different than older members. 

Moore highlights a unique approach ACOFP is using to increase its visibility among younger prospective members, particularly students. “The students I was talking about, sometimes they get to a point where they don’t even remember or know they’re members … because they signed up at a college career fair and got on a list,” he says. “So how do you continue to stay in front of them through your communications?”  

To confront this challenge, the association is getting creative, using geofencing around colleges so that it comes up quickly when people are searching for it and doing a lot more on social. “We’re shifting the way we think about outreach,” Moore says. 

3. Build Strong Partnerships That Deliver Real Value 

Collaboration with vendors and suppliers can be crucial for enhancing member value, diversifying revenue streams, and maintaining credibility and relevance. Moore notes these are the conversations he has when meeting with corporate partners. As he says, “It’s got to be a win-win.”  

Moore explains, “We have to genuinely know that we’re approaching this on the same page and that you’re going to meet your goals, we’re going to meet our goals, and it’s going to be a win for our members.” 

In a previous Learning by Association episode, Sheehan shared his experience at an association that represented the landscape industry. He went to its members and asked them, besides salary, what their biggest expense was. The answer: tires. Yet when he looked through the vendors the association worked with, none of the big-name tire manufacturers were on the list. So, he approached them with a clear message and an enticing question: Your product is our members’ number one expense. Would you like to be part of our association? 

Sheehan explains, “Sometimes, you’ve just got to step back and look at things objectively and say … what’s [our members’] biggest expense? It might be learning. It might be clothing. It might be laundry. Find those and say, ‘Are they part of your plan?’ And if not, guess what? There’s a brand-new revenue stream of hundreds of companies that would want to reach this audience.” 

Set Your Association on a Strong Course Forward 

Your association isn’t alone in facing uncertainty and change. The pace and scale of these shifts can feel overwhelming. However, waiting for the waves to subside isn’t going to move your association forward. You need to find ways to move with the current — experimenting with innovative approaches, finding new ways to attract new members, and forging stronger relationships with partners.  

Taking a proactive stance can help your association navigate any storm and keep setting itself apart as a steadfast, trustworthy leader.