A wide range of strategic components
As echoed in the Membership Marketing Benchmarketing Report 2024, effective association management is a key driver of growth, engagement and retention. It encompasses a wide array of activities, from event planning to member recruitment, however, these functions are not merely administrative. They are strategic.
MCI’s leading association management services were used to great effect in helping the 5G Automotive Association expand its membership from 8 to 130 across key industries while enhancing its presence in Asia, Europe and North America. Evidence indeed of its importance to an organisation’s long-term success.
There are many more benefits to an impactful association management strategy, which we’ll explore in this article. Understanding these fundamentals can help you build a stronger, more resilient association that meets the needs of everyone in your community.
What is association management at its core?
Many of you will, of course, already understand the key elements of association management, but for those who are a little vague on the specifics, let’s look at the fundamentals. As you might expect, it’s the process of organising and administering the operations of your organisation, as well as other groups that rely on collective participation to achieve their goals.
It involves an assortment of activities, which can include:
- Membership & community management - as the lifeblood of any association, members need to be recruited, retained and engaged to keep them on board. This involves managing member data, facilitating communication and ensuring satisfaction. The main aim is to provide value - crucial in building loyalty and fostering community.
- Event planning & management - another big part of managing an association is planning and holding conferences, workshops and seminars. These platforms are key for networking and learning, as well as providing professional development opportunities for members.
- Marketing & communication - all of your stakeholders need to be kept informed of news like event announcements, and industry developments. As such, you’ll need to manage the process of sending out newsletters, social media content and more. It’s vital in keeping everyone engaged. (Take a look at MCI’s 360° engagement strategy for SFRO, which strengthened their communications across multiple channels, boosted member engagement and reinforced the association’s presence at the heart of its discipline.)
- Advocacy & PR - Closely tied to general marketing and communication is advocacy and public relations. This might include lobbying, awareness campaigns and other efforts to build stakeholder relationships.
- Financial management - naturally, the financial health of your organisation is of paramount importance, meaning that association management also includes keeping control of membership dues, donations, sponsorships and other revenue streams.
- Governance & leadership - it’s necessary to support your board of directors and leadership teams in strategic goal-setting, policy development and decisions that determine your overall direction.
- Sales & Sponsorship - focusing on revenue generation, securing financial support, and fostering partnerships that allow the organisation to exist.
The benefits of effective association management
When looking at the impact that expertly applied association management can have through streamlined management systems, it’s clear that there’s value to this approach. But what of the specifics? What are the broader advantages of prioritising effective management of this kind? Here are some key benefits.
A boost in revenues
Well-managed associations are able to position themselves to achieve higher revenues. That’s because they establish the conditions that facilitate additional income. Well-organised sponsorship opportunities, optimised membership structures and increased engagement all help to boost your financial footing.
For example, MCI’s strategic redesign of a major event for an association led to a remarkable 46.7% revenue growth, showing how a carefully structured approach can drive financial success.
The truth is that it’s key for associations to generate new revenues to survive and membership revenues are on the decline due to the new paradigm created by Generations X and Z. As such, associations need to find new revenue streams through the development of educational products, organising events and offering more sponsorship opportunities.
Improved member & community engagement
When looking for an association management company, remember that one of the central aims is to boost member participation and satisfaction. When your communication and events are both delivered in a way that’s tailored to the interests of your members, a more engaging experience is the result.
Regular interaction with members through customised content via your various channels, combined with member benefits and opportunities for growth, helps to foster a sense of community and belonging. This serves to boost your retention and satisfaction levels and leads to an increased chance of event participation and membership renewals.
The IFA Tax Congress is a good example of how MCI's innovative digital strategies can successfully build a global community. This highlights how creativity and technology can work together to enhance engagement in a meaningful way.
Refined operational processes
A further advantage of optimising your association management processes is that your organisation runs more smoothly and efficiently. By employing best practices and leveraging the assistance provided by modern software tools, an association management company can automate routine aspects like event registrations, general comms and subscription renewals.
The benefits of this type of framework are threefold; 1) improved productivity, 2) less wasted time, and 3) a reduction in human error. This allows both staff and volunteers to focus on strategic initiatives, as opposed to getting bogged down in day-to-day tasks.
Implementing best practices in association management
If your organisation’s approach needs attention, where do you start over and above the basics? As such, what is an association management company with expertise and experience in this area going to suggest you implement? Here we provide some inspiration with regard to ways in which you can excel.
- Create member journeys - a great place to start is to create an outline for the experience someone has from the moment they join your association, through to the engagement and renewal stages. These roadmaps can allow you to identify any touchpoints where you might be able to add extra value. For instance, when onboarding new members, you could introduce a ‘welcome kit’, backed up by webinars and periodic ‘check-ins’. Add to that other elements like automated membership renewal reminders, event discounts and exclusive access to member content. It all feeds into the engagement created.
- Host niche-specific events and webinars - while events with broad appeal can have a significant impact, it’s important not to overlook niche-specific webinars, conferences, workshops et cetera. This will cater to the specialised interests of your members. An example of this was seen at the Oceans Conference & Exhibition, during which, the focuses included marine technologies, sustainability and scientific research in the larger maritime industry. Among the positive results included a 15% increase in social media followers and a 109% rise in unique website visitors.
- Make full use of AI & CRM tools - there’s a wealth of customer relationship management (CRM) and new AI tools designed for associations available. Of course, organisations choose not to use them due to cost restrictions and an unwillingness to change, but by adopting a suitable platform, a host of benefits can be gained. For instance, engagement metrics can be tracked, along with the streamlining of admin tasks, and workflow automation. The latter helps post-event ‘thank you’ messages, surveys and celebratory birthday wishes to be sent, which maintains a valuable personal connection at scale.
- Put together a member’s advocacy toolkit - it’s important to make it easy as possible for your members to spread the word. That’s why it can be great idea to create an advocacy toolkit that includes a selection of resources like letter templates to policymakers, social media graphs and meeting talking points. Offering assistance on how to make best use of these resources also serves to empower members to take an active advocacy role and amplify your association’s voice.
- On-demand learning and certification programs - whether talking about association employees, members or other external stakeholders, on-demand learning and certification programs can be extremely useful in boosting member engagement while also potentially providing additional revenue. This might include a blend of video courses, interactive modules, and quizzes, which offer continuous learning opportunities to allow members remain current on industry standards and enhance their own professional development. In many ways, it can make your association more valuable to a diverse range of people.
This is just a small selection of the methods that associations can use to enhance not just their member experience, but also their advocacy efforts. Central to this cause is being able to offer measurable value that leads to growth.
Association management services that amplify your reach and influence
While you may have elements of the association management strategies in place right now, are you doing everything you can to amplify your reach? As we’ve covered, there are countless ways to achieve the interest and engagement required - so it’s a matter of finding ways that suit your organisation’s unique needs.
For an association to thrive, this work needs to be continuous, which is why many turn to outside, expert assistance for support. At MCI, we have years of experience in helping associations of all kinds to achieve improved visibility and generate the new revenue streams they need through new products and opportunities.
To learn more about our work in this area, we recommend you take a look around our website where you’ll find details of our engagement services and many examples of our expertise. Alternatively, to talk with our team about how we can help you achieve your long-term goals, simply enter your details into our contact form, and we’ll get back to you directly.
MCI Content Team
