--- title: "Report: Members and Associations Split on Tech, Career Support" id: "68965" type: "post" slug: "report-members-and-associations-split-on-tech-career-support" published_at: "2026-11-10T21:25:17+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-10T21:25:20+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/10/report-members-and-associations-split-on-tech-career-support/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/10/report-members-and-associations-split-on-tech-career-support.md" excerpt: "Momentive Software’s survey found that members hunger for career advancement from associations. But associations deprioritize it." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "association management" - "career advancement" - "Member Engagement" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" - "Executive Leadership" - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Report: Members and Associations Split on Tech, Career Support AI-enabled algorithms the data of user in internet and make big data to the business Members are looking for their association to be a leader in technology and career advancement, according to a new report, but association professions haven’t all gotten the message. The [2026 Association Trends Report: The Innovation Mandate (opens in a new tab)](https://momentivesoftware.com/research-study/association-trends/) , released last week by the association technology firm Momentive Software, is based on a survey of 1,010 association members and 200 association professionals conducted last June and July. Gaining and maintaining tech-savvy is high on members’ minds this year. Members cited “keeping up with the latest technology” as their most-valued association benefit—a jump from 13th most-valued in last year’s survey. Moreover, 70 percent of members rate their association’s technology as very good or excellent, and two-thirds (67 percent) see an association’s use of AI as evidence that it’s innovative. Association professionals, however, are less enchanted with their own tech efforts. Only a third (32.5 percent) rate their technology so highly, and only 14 percent cite “upgrading/integrating new technology” as a priority. Professionals in the survey are generally emphasizing increasing membership, but neglecting the tech piece is a missed opportunity, said Tirrah Switzer, VP of Product Marketing at Momentive and co-author of the report. “The findings around keeping up with the latest technology, along with the AI piece, really tells us that members want practical, industry-specific education,” she said. “We have an information overload problem right now, and people need to know what’s relevant to their career and their profession.” > Nearly half of members say it’s very important that an association share job opportunities. Only 16 percent of association professionals feel the same. The report also notes another disconnect between members and association professionals when it comes to career advancement. That may contribute to softness in member satisfaction and likelihood to renew, both of which dropped in the new survey. The consequences are more acute when it comes to serving millennial members, more of whom are now seeking C-suite roles. “The millennials or mid-careerists tend to be the ones that associations are ignoring,” said Meaghan Johnston, Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Momentive and a co-author of the report. “They’re the ones that are the most concerning because they’re also a little more financially stable than gen Z. So those are the ones who could move to another association, they could realize they’re not getting the value out of their membership.” Another group that’s neglected by not focusing on career advancement: nonmembers. “Their number-one priority is job opportunities, and their second is career advancement,” Johnston said. “So it doesn’t matter if you’re a member or not—you want help advancing your career.” Even so, only 38 percent of the professionals surveyed have a member engagement strategy, and only a third of those said they use generation-based tactics as part of it. The weakness around tech prioritization and career support, Switzer said, should be a wake-up call to increase their efforts around both. “I think that organizations have to really look at their programming and double-check what they’re doing,” she said. “They have to ask, are we helping members as much as we can with AI and with technology in general? And as they look at their budgets, are they investing in the type of programming that is most valued?” [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#association management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/association-management/) [#career advancement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-advancement/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **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/) - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## 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%2F2026%2F11%2F10%2Freport-members-and-associations-split-on-tech-career-support%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !