Guest Author: Ernie Smith, Associations Now
A new report from the software provider Community Brands suggests that most association members are joining because of education and career opportunities, rather than out of a sense of professional responsibility.
A new report from the membership software conglomerate Community Brands finds that a need for continuing education—not a sense of duty—is driving members to stick with their associations.
The 2018 edition of the company’s Member Education and Career Development Report [registration], released on August 28, finds that 51 percent of survey respondents say that the reason they joined their current organization was out of a desire for professional benefits, such as continuing education and networking—a number that went up by nearly 10 percent since the 2016 survey. Correspondingly, reasons of professional responsibility fell to 36 percent, down from 41 percent in 2016.
Tristan Jordan, the company’s executive vice president and general manager of careers and education, suggested that this shift hints at a long-term trend.
“We’re seeing a foundational shift in why members join their professional association. They are joining less frequently out of a sense of professional expectation or obligation,” Jordan said in a news release. “Instead, they are increasingly motivated by their organization’s ability to help them advance their careers through learning, networking, and job opportunities.”
