How to Turn Passive Members Into Association Advocates

It’s no secret that an engaged member base is essential to a thriving association. After all, your
members provide the interest and revenue your organization needs to create offerings that
benefit not only them but also their professional field as a whole.

However, your membership strategy can hit a standstill  (opens in a new tab) if you don’t give the members who are
already involved more meaningful ways to engage. Without those additional opportunities,
longtime members may get bored with the basics and become disengaged.

When you do step up your member engagement efforts  (opens in a new tab), this loyal segment can become your
association’s strongest contributors and also inspire others to get involved. Let’s look at three
strategies for making this vision of cultivating association advocates a reality.

Create a Mobile-Friendly Member Community

Many of your members likely joined your association to connect with other professionals in their
industry. A member community  (opens in a new tab) provides the perfect opportunity to fulfill that desire on demand,
which also leads to consistent active engagement and a more valuable member experience.

Online member communities have existed for many years, both on dedicated association
platforms and through third-party channels like Facebook groups. However, Clowder’s memberengagement software guide  (opens in a new tab) points out that “your association exists not only in a digital-first
world, but a mobile-first one…Especially if your association members skew younger or tend to
spend most of their workdays on the go, you may consider investing in software with mobile
engagement capabilities to meet them where they are.”

To build an effective member community via an association mobile app  (opens in a new tab) or similar platform, make
sure your chosen solution includes features like:

• A news feed that members can customize to their preferences
• A resource library where you can upload documents, slide decks, videos, and other
  reference materials
• Member forums that facilitate discussion of industry topics
• One-to-one messaging to allow for secure, convenient networking
• Group and chapter segmentation so members see the information most relevant to
  them
• Event and conference management to integrate one-time and ongoing engagement
  tactics
• In-app advertising and sponsor features for an extra source of nondues revenue

Ensure members are automatically invited into your member community when they join so they
can quickly ramp up their engagement.

Offer Higher-Level Engagement Opportunities

Besides your member community, events and professional development are probably your
association’s main ways of engaging members. However, some members may want to go
beyond these activities—which mainly benefit them as individuals—and participate in initiatives
that also provide benefits for other members or your organization more generally.

To cater to that interest, consider starting programs at your association for:

• Awards  (opens in a new tab): Let members nominate peers to be recognized for their outstanding
  achievements in or beyond your organization, hold contests where members can submit
  their own work for awards, or present badges or certificates for membership milestones
  (anniversaries, course completions, etc.).
• Volunteering:  (opens in a new tab) Provide opportunities for members to give their time to your organization
  (e.g., by assisting with event preparations or packaging new member welcome kits) or
  partner with nonprofits that share your association’s values and organize
  community-facing volunteer activities together.
• Mentorship: Pair new members with longtime members who share similar professional
  interests so the new members have an experienced contact to ask for guidance on
  association involvement and career development.

Since these programs have wider-reaching benefits, they can get your association in front of
more potential members via word of mouth, especially from participating members.

Regularly Gather Member Input

Committed association members are generally passionate about improving the organizations
they belong to. They’re also more likely to talk about your association positively if they know
their voices are being heard because this reassures them that you care about them, too.

To achieve this win-win scenario, provide multiple ways for members to give feedback on a
regular basis, such as:

• Sending out recurring surveys about the member experience, implementing the best
  suggestions, and communicating the results.
• Adding a feedback form to your website so members can share ideas or concerns
  whenever they come to mind.
• Collecting testimonials  (opens in a new tab) about specific initiatives, which you might also use in your
  marketing materials with members’ consent.

Make sure to respond to all the input you receive graciously, even if members suggest an idea
you can’t implement or express dissatisfaction with some aspects of their experience.

Being
honest but professional in your dialogues portrays your association positively, no matter how
you respond to their feedback.

The strategies above are just a few of the many possible ways to transform passive member
engagement into active advocacy. Consider your members’ unique preferences and the tools
and resources available to you as you decide how to enhance your membership experience.