Guest Author: NetFORUM by Community Brands
Is member engagement at the top of your association’s strategy? Of course, it is. In the 2019 Chapter Benchmarking Report by Mariner Management, member engagement rose even higher on the list of strategic importance of chapter programs. Sixty-four percent viewed member engagement as an “absolutely essential” role for their chapters and no respondent gave this less than an important rating.
So how can associations close the gap between strategic goals and results when it comes to collaborating with chapters to drive member engagement? Let’s look at three ways to collaborate: Tapping the trickle-up, go for the win-win and tapping the hive mind.
Tapping the trickle-up
This is about taking a local idea national. What if we followed the lead of a chapter with a successful program and helped a good idea spread? If an idea is working locally, chances are it will work for other chapters. As a bonus, you build trust.
A Texas chapter sprang into action after Hurricane Harvey. They used a simple document to match schools who needed help to schools who wanted to help. The Texas chapter (and National) witnessed an incredible outpouring of help by students. Then came Hurricanes Irma and Maria along with the Northern California wildfires. The national office then scaled the Texas idea nationally. In the process, they also gained deep connections with students, the future of their association.
