Association Member Acquisition: 10+ Strategies for Growth

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From small trade groups to professional societies with offices across the country, almost every association aims to grow. By bringing in new members, your association can earn more in dues revenue, increase its influence in your sector, and provide members access to a larger community.

However, the best approach to association member acquisition may not always be clear. With changing priorities in many professional fields and advances in association software, the optimal path for growing your association’s membership base will change over time.

To help your organization bring in new members, we’ll explore top strategies for marketing your association and giving prospective members the push they need to join your community.

 

Why does association member acquisition matter?

Member acquisition is essential for growth. Without attracting new members, your association’s member base will likely remain static or decrease over time as prior members move on.

By actively focusing on acquisition, you can replace lapsed members and expand your community with new members who have unique, fresh perspectives.

Almost every association professional will agree that member acquisition is necessary for continued operation. However, they may disagree on whether it’s best to prioritize acquisition or retention. Both are fundamental to maintaining a healthy, active member base, but a few signs your association should focus more on acquisition include:

  • New association start-up. Brand new associations should focus heavily on member acquisition in their early marketing strategy as they likely have few current members to retain.
  • Low market share. Professional and trade associations should conduct market research to determine how many prospective members are likely to join an association like theirs. By doing so, they can estimate approximately how many total members they could achieve at max capacity. For example, a state-based association for art teachers might calculate there are about 1,000 prospective members in their area. If the association only has 400 members, it should focus on acquisition as there is logically a significant number of new members to gain.
  • Changes in audience. If your association changes its offerings to appeal to a new audience or there is a significant shake-up in your industry that would make association membership appealing to new groups, there will be new members to market to.

Even in these situations, you should still maintain a high-quality membership experience so that new members brought in by your acquisition strategy stay with your organization. This means retention should always be an important focus, even when prioritizing growth.

1. Know your audience.

Effective marketing starts with knowing who your audience is. For professional and trade associations, this means being aware of your average member’s characteristics.

Assess your members and conduct market research on your industry to learn the following information about your target audience:

  • Demographic information. Consider your typical member’s average age, geographic location, income bracket, and education level. For trade and professional associations, you will likely focus on career-related details, such as job title, prior training, and current employer.
  • Goals. What do your prospective members want, and how can your association help them achieve their goals? For example, a new class of graduates entering your field for the first time might have goals related to finding entry-level employment, whereas experienced professionals may focus instead on maintaining their professional networks and staying updated on industry trends.
  • Obstacles. What prevents your audience from reaching their goals? This might be a few professional connections or a lack of training. Additionally, consider what stops your audience from joining your association, such as not knowing what benefits you offer or being unsure if a membership is worth the cost.

Additionally, when crafting your association member acquisition strategy, consider where your audience is in the membership funnel. Sales funnel models vary depending on the industry, but for associations seeking new members, it will look something like this:

For acquisition strategies, you will primarily focus on the first three stages of the funnel: capture, nurture, and convert. These phases involve engaging your audience by creating content that piques their interest and aligns with their goals, then providing easy pathways to learn more and become members.

2. Establish your association’s value proposition.

Why should a prospective member join your association over a similar organization? The answer to this question is your value proposition. This short sales pitch consists of three main elements:

  • Audience: Who are your offerings meant for?
  • Benefits: What do buyers receive from your organization, and how do these offerings help meet their needs?
  • Differentiators: How are your offerings different from those provided by a similar organization?

For example, a professional association for high school and college biology teachers might be: “We provide biology teachers across the country with access to an exclusive community of like-minded professionals.”

This value proposition clearly states the intended audience (biology teachers) and a major benefit members receive (networking opportunities). It also attempts to differentiate its offerings from other associations by pointing out the exclusivity of its offerings.

To acquire new members, consider what your association offers. This might be a thriving online community, industry-leading professional courses, access to a curated job board, and more.

3. Build your online presence.

You can maintain a regular stream of new members by making your association easy to find online. Today, most working professionals looking to join an association will start with an internet search, and the more digital content your association posts, the more likely they are to discover your offerings.

Build your online presence by maintaining social media accounts on platforms popular with your audience, like LinkedIn and Facebook. Additionally, update your website regularly to show prospective members that your association is active and ready to provide a positive experience to new members.

To provide direction for your online marketing activities, consider search engine optimization best practices. A few of these include:

  • Creating keyword-optimized content. Develop valuable content that aligns with keywords prospective members will likely look up. For example, you might make a public blog post on a recent industry trend and ensure the keywords for the trend you are discussing are featured strategically in the post title, headers, and body text.
  • Improving your website’s technical health. Search engines prioritize websites that are fully functional. As such, sites with fast load times and no deadlinks tend to rank higher than their less technically healthy counterparts.
  • Building a backlink profile. If other reputable sites link to your association’s website, search engines will also view your site as trustworthy. The best way to build a backlink profile ethically is to create valuable content others will naturally want to link to and to set up cross-blogging opportunities with other organizations in your sector to spread your thought leadership.

Maintaining an online presence is an ongoing effort. However, after an initial push to implement SEO best practices and set up social media accounts, your website can help you passively acquire new members as they discover your content and essentially convert themselves.

4. Develop your thought leadership.

Develop high-quality content to show potential members that your association offers valuable, professional benefits. This thought leadership should showcase your knowledge of your field and your association’s unique perspective to entice potential members to purchase access to similar content.

A few types of content to create include:

  • Blog posts. Maintain a blog where you regularly post about your field and association. This might be commentary on industry trends, updates on your association, or any other professional opinions or content that members are likely to be interested in.
  • Webinars. Host lecture series and partner with other organizations in your field to appear as a guest speaker on webinars and podcasts. This helps get your association in front of a new audience by presenting your content in a new format.
  • Research reports. Conduct high-quality research in your field to share with members. For example, the American Association of Physics Teachers publishes two peer-reviewed journals. When you gate valuable content like this, exclusive reports can entice research-minded individuals to purchase a membership.

Consider what content to make available to members and on what platforms. For instance, you might create a public blog post that you cross-link on social media sites. However, in that same blog post, you might link to gated content to push prospective members toward converting.

5. Cultivate member relationships.

Your current members are one of your strongest recruiting tools. Members who have a positive experience with your association are more likely to recommend your organization to friends, family, and colleagues, expanding your reach.

You can further incentivize members to recommend your association by creating a referral program. A few benefits you might offer to members who recommend others include:

  • Discounts. In exchange for recommending your association, offer discounts, such as a free month of membership or an exclusive sales code for your online store.
  • Exclusive offerings. Provide limited items and prizes to members who refer others. For example, this could be merchandise or V.I.P. status at your next event. By making these benefits exclusive or only available for a limited time, you encourage members to make recommendations in a timely manner.
  • Tokens of appreciation. While not a tangible benefit, be sure to show appreciation for everyone who participates in your referral program. Express your gratitude by sending personalized thank-you messages to members who make successful referrals.

Additionally, show members the innate benefit of bringing others into your association by maintaining a vibrant community. If your members regularly chat and meet up, they will be more inclined to invite other friends and colleagues to enjoy socializing and networking.

6. Consider an “open-door” model.

If you are seeing low acquisition rates, consider mixing up your membership model and experimenting with an open-door approach. This marketing strategy involves creating a free membership tier, allowing potential members to sign up with your association without committing to regular dues.

A free membership should provide access to basic parts of your association, such as your blog, events, and some courses. However, the majority of your content should be locked behind a paid membership tier or require additional payment, such as event tickets. By giving free members part of your association’s benefits, they’ll be able to verify the quality of your offerings and feel pushed into upgrading to a higher membership tier.

Additionally, adding free members can also energize your association by expanding your community. For instance, with more members, you can increase event attendance and have more voices chiming in during online discussions.

7. Offer in-demand benefits.

Depending on your field, the benefits members need may shift over time. As such, it’s possible to see declining association member acquisition rates if you’re offering outdated content when compared to alternative organizations.

Keep up with current news and best practices in your field and consider how you can apply them to your offerings. For instance, you might regularly review your association’s credentials and educational offerings to ensure they still meet industry standards. Or, you might launch a new blog series reviewing ongoing trends and discussing what your members should take away from them.

8. Collaborate with other organizations in your industry.

Prospective members likely engage with other organizations related to your field. For instance, a potential member might not be part of any one association but still regularly attend a major annual networking event.

Connect with other organizations that share your audience to get your content in front of their members, customers, and supporters. This might take the form of participating as a guest lecturer at events, joining webinars, writing blog posts for other websites, and co-hosting events with other membership-based organizations.

9. Make signing up easy.

When a new member decides to join your association, ensure doing so is as simple as possible. You can make your sign-up process easy by:

  • Streamlining your member application form. Ask only a few necessary questions during your initial member application form. Later on in the process after members are signed up, you can gather information by prompting them to fill out a profile for your member directory.
  • Accepting multiple forms of payment. Ensure your payment processor accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and other payment forms members are likely to use. Additionally, give members the option to save their payment details so they can automatically renew their subscriptions.
  • Providing self-service tools. Invest in a member management platform that allows members to handle several parts of their experience themselves, such as choosing their membership level. This allows them to easily upgrade their membership tier without needing to contact someone at your association.

Track your sign-up completion rates to determine where potential members drop off. This can help you identify and refine steps that may be overly long, frustrating, or unnecessary to improve your association member acquisition rate.

10. Craft an email recruitment series.

When a potential member shows interest in your association, their first interaction will likely be low commitment and revolve around learning more about your organization. For example, they might sign up for a free membership, subscribe to your newsletter, or attend a single event.

After a potential member takes this action, enroll them in an email recruitment series that provides information about your association and pushes them to become a full member. For instance, your series might look something like this:

  • A welcome email that introduces your association and invites prospective members to learn more
  • A content or activity highlight email that focuses on one of your association’s benefits, a recent piece of content, or a popular offering that’s likely to intrigue new members
  • A limited offer email that prompts prospective members to sign up by providing some sort of benefit or deal to doing so in the immediate future, like a trial period or reduced membership fee for the first month

Also, don’t be afraid to get creative with your email marketing strategy. For instance, during various holidays, you might send out eCards promoting new offerings or inviting members to events. Or, you might jump straight to enrolling potential members into your newsletter to encourage greater interaction with the rest of your community.

11. Interview current members.

Discover what attracts members to your association by speaking with your current ones. Send out surveys that ask members questions related to acquisition, like:

  • How did you first hear about [Association Name]?
  • Would you recommend [Association Name] to a friend or colleague? Why or why not?
  • What offerings motivated you to join [Association Name]?
  • Have the benefits at [Association Name] met your expectations?

This is also an opportunity to assess how well you are engaging members, which is necessary for retaining the supporters your association member acquisition efforts bring in. Additionally, consider interviewing recently joined members a month or so after signing up to get a fresh perspective on your sign-up process and how new members view your offerings.

More Member Acquisition Resources

Associations need to acquire new members to grow and provide the valued benefits their communities rely on. As such, crafting a reliable, flexible association member acquisition strategy should always be one of your organization’s top priorities.

To improve your ability to acquire members, ensure your software is set up to facilitate marketing, membership management, and benefits delivery. Here are a few top resources for association professionals looking to upgrade their technology:

Mastering Your Membership Directory: How to Get Started

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Your association’s community is one of its biggest assets, and enabling these individuals to connect with each other is essential for building a dedicated membership base. As such, one of your most important tools is your membership directory.

Every association should have at least a basic membership directory to enable member connections, stay organized, and encourage communication. However, some directories are set up better than others.

To help your association create a useful directory for your members, this guide will address:

Before exploring best practices and software tips, let’s answer a few core questions about membership directories and how they help associations.

What Is a Membership Directory?

A membership directory is a list of all your association’s members with basic information about each member, such as their name and contact information. Some associations have more complex directories that allow individuals to access detailed member profiles, which may include professional credentials, areas of interest, and other relevant details.

A membership directory can be public or private. Public-facing directories tend to provide limited information, while a private one gives out details members would only want to share with other members. Additionally, your association’s staff likely has a fully detailed directory for back-end member management practices.

What Are the Benefits of a Membership Directory?

A membership directory is ultimately a very simple but foundational tool for associations, and almost every professional or trade association should have some list of members that acts as a directory.

Your directory’s usefulness depends on how organized, complete, and accessible it is. When used well, this tool should provide the following benefits:

  • Improve networking. Having an easily accessible list of names allows your members to find and connect with each other quickly. Members should be able to open your directory, search a person’s name, and find their membership profile. Or, members not looking for anyone in particular should be able to browse member information to find individuals they would like to network with, such as by using search filters for location or profession.
  • Allow for better member management. A member directory helps both your members and your staff. With a detailed list of member information, your team should be able to gather and store data that allows you to easily get in touch with members, engage them, and track their involvement with your association.
  • Boost authority. Many associations use their membership directories as a marketing tool. A large membership directory signals to prospective members that your association is active and has valuable potential connections. The directory serves as social proof and teases possible community experiences.

Your membership directory doesn’t need to be complex to fulfill your needs. To access these benefits, prioritize creating an organized, user-friendly document your members can leverage and update at their convenience.

What To Include in a Membership Directory

Different types of associations should include different information in their directories based on what members are likely to search for. For trade and professional associations, your directory should include this essential information about each member:

  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number
  • Location (city and state, not home address)
  • Join Date
  • Membership Tier

To improve member engagement and jumpstart networking conversations, you might also include several of these entry fields:

  • Profile Picture
  • Job Title
  • Company Name
  • Years in Industry
  • Alma Mater
  • Professional Credentials
  • Social Media Handles

When requesting this information from members, consider making all of these fields required or setting a few as optional. For instance, you might make social media handles optional to account for members who aren’t on social media. Or, you might add an optional hobbies section that allows members to provide non-professional-related information about themselves.

Remember that you can ask members to provide information for your association’s staff that will not be displayed in your directory. For example, when a member signs up, you will likely ask them for their email address so you can stay in touch with them about your association’s offerings. Then, you might make adding their email address to their public member profile optional.


3 Membership Directory Best Practices

To get the most out of your membership directory and ensure it benefits your members, explore best practices for maintaining, compiling, and promoting your directory. A few tips we recommend include:

Make Updating Member Information Easy

Managing a member directory is a significant undertaking and can be a major administrative burden if your team handles it alone. That’s why you should allow members to control as much of their membership profiles as possible. This way, you can count on members to keep their information updated.

A few ways you can make updating directory information easy and encourage members to do it include:

  • Leverage self-service tools. Ensure members have the ability to update their directory profiles themselves. This way, if they change phone numbers, job titles, or have other life or professional updates, they can edit their profile immediately rather than leaving information outdated.
  • Promote profile creation. When new members join your association, prompt them to create their member profile as soon as possible. For example, your community engagement software might notify members if their profiles are incomplete and how that might harm their networking opportunities.
  • Encourage updates through gamification. Inspire members to return to their profiles to keep them up-to-date through reminders and gamification features, like badges. For instance, you might award members online medals for participating in activities in your community and ask if they want to feature these awards on their member profile.

Member directories should be user-friendly, so if your members have any feedback about challenges related to updating their information, take their concerns seriously. Look for membership management software that prioritizes the user experience and provides intuitive self-service tools.

Add Privacy Controls

Many new members may hesitate to fill out their profiles for your membership directory if they have privacy concerns. For example, a directory that publicly displays members’ emails may result in members receiving unsolicited messages and spam.

Provide privacy settings to reassure members that your directory is safe and secure. For instance, association platforms like Tradewing allow members to customize their profile’s privacy permissions. Members can select whether any aspect of their profile will be visible to the general public, logged-in members, or only the user editing the profile.

Of course, even if members choose to make information private to your community, it will still be available to your association’s administrators. For example, a member may prefer to hide their phone number and email address to limit unwanted communication from other members, but your association can still use these channels to contact them.

Additionally, you can decide whether to make your directory public at all. Some associations maintain private, members-only directories to protect their members’ security and make networking with their community feel exclusive to members.

Leverage Your Directory as a Marketing Tool

Along with being an organizational and networking tool, a directory is also one of your most valuable marketing assets. Associations with large directories full of important industry figures are far more likely to attract new members than smaller organizations.

You can use your directory to bring in new members without sacrificing your current community’s privacy by:

  • Creating a limited public version. On your website, create a directory page that non-members can scroll through to get a sense of your community. This directory should be limited in scope compared to your members-only version that contains whole profiles. For example, you might limit the public variant of your directory to just members’ names and job titles with no available contact information.
  • Spotlighting members. With their permission, create posts online highlighting specific members of your association. For instance, you might ask someone who is a business owner, has decades of experience, or was recently part of a major study if you can spotlight their presence as a member of your association.
  • Sharing data about your directory. Provide general information about your directory to entice new members to join your association. For example, you might share your total number of entries, the cumulative number of years your members have operated in your given industry, or the number of industry leaders in your community. This approach enables you to highlight members’ major accomplishments without calling out anyone in particular.

For associations using an open-door membership model that includes free memberships, consider making access to your directory a gated benefit. This creates a small barrier to entry before individuals can network with other members seamlessly, ensuring that everyone who reaches out to your community through your association is a paid and trustworthy member.

Top Membership Directory Software: Tradewing

When it comes to membership directories and profile creation tools, we recommend our very own community engagement platform, Tradewing.

Tradewing specializes in community management, including networking. As such, associations that use Tradewing empower members to create complex membership profiles that share the information they want to make public. Specifically, Tradewing’s directory features include:

  • Custom profile creation. Add as many member profile entry fields as you want. Tradewing’s profile creation tool comes with a few pre-set options almost any association will use, such as member name and contact information. From there, you can continue adding entry fields to ensure your members communicate relevant information to yourassociation.
  • Advanced privacy settings. Tradewing prioritizes member privacy. Along with allowing members to decide exactly what information they want available to the public, members only, or no one, members can also make their profiles completely private. These profiles include only members’ names and profile pictures, though all information is still available to administrators. This feature is useful for members who want to participate in your community but avoid receiving unsolicited messages.

  • Searchable database. If members want to reach out to a specific person, they can simply run their name through Tradewing’s search tool. The corresponding member profile and recent community posts that person made should appear, allowing members to find who they’re looking for quickly.

Launch a user-friendly member directory within minutes, and offer valuable networking opportunities your community won’t want to pass up.

Tradewing’s Other Community Management Features

In addition to its membership directory, Tradewing is also a full-scale community engagement tool. This means that it provides a host of other tools associations need, including:

  • Community engagement platform. Tradewing’s community engagement platform enables members to connect online via a private social media-like web interface. Members can make posts, comment on each other’s content, and engage with your association’s offerings, all from one central location that keeps their focus solely on your association.
  • Event management tools. Improve your membership experience by hosting events right on your community platform. Announce events, promote them, and then enable members to attend them by clicking a link on the platform they’re already on.
  • Engagement metrics. Get an overview of how your community engages with your content, or take a deep dive into how much each individual interacts with your community. Tradewing will even spotlight top participants in your online community, so you can reach out to thank them for being active members.

Tradewing also integrates with a wide range of popular association management software. This means you can incorporate Tradewing’s community engagement tools, including its membership directory, effortlessly into your organization’s current tech stack.

For more information about Tradewing and how it can help your association’s community, reach out to our team to request a demo.

More Member Directory Resources

A membership directory is an essential tool for keeping your association’s member base organized and active. Explore tools that allow you to create a directory that aligns with your members’ needs, such as providing proper networking features without sacrificing privacy.

To start your research into member directory platforms, explore these top provider lists of alternatives to the top association software solutions:

5 Best Holiday eCard Sites for Businesses & Associations

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Businesses strengthening relationships with clients, employers recognizing staff, and associations engaging members share one thing in common: personalization as the golden standard of outreach. That’s why greeting cards are such a popular way to reach audiences, especially during the holidays. People value personal connections, and tailored messages are a surefire way to foster them.

Enter eCards: the digital spin on the traditional greeting card. If your organization wants to revamp its outreach strategy this holiday season—or any other time of year—you must leverage a holiday eCard site that makes digital greeting cards easy and engaging.

To help you find the perfect fit, we’ve compiled our list of best holiday and year-round eCard sites for businesses and associations. Here’s what we’ll cover:

We’re sure this guide will provide the context you need to choose the perfect eCard site.


Why Use eCards for the Holidays?

The holiday season is a popular time to wish someone well with a greeting card. The proof is in the numbers: Americans purchase over six billion greeting cards each year, with around one-third of those sales going toward seasonal cards. However, the rise of technology is making physical mail a strategy of the past, with total mail volume declining since 2006.

eCards offer numerous benefits for organizations that want to reach their audiences in a personal yet modern way. That’s because eCards offer these benefits:

  • Eco-friendliness: 66% of consumers report sustainability as one of their top five considerations when making a purchase. This means over half of your members, staff, customers, and other stakeholders are looking for sustainable alternatives. By avoiding paper and physical delivery emissions, eCards provide a waste-free option.
  • Customization: eCards are more flexible than their paper counterparts, allowing senders to customize the message and branding of each card. Since personalized emails receive open rates that are 82% higher than generic ones, your audience will be excited to see customized eCards in their inboxes.
  • Instant Delivery: Organizations must balance the thoughtfulness behind personalization with the administrative burden it places on their teams. For example, writing a Christmas card for each of your association’s members can be thoughtful but time-consuming, especially around the holidays when post offices often experience delays. Digital greeting cards can reach recipients no matter where they are with just a few clicks.

Not to mention, eCard sites empower you to engage with your audience in ways beyond seasonal greetings. For example, employee recognition eCards offer all the above benefits and foster a healthy workplace culture.

While these are just a few benefits that eCards bring to season’s greetings, different platforms have unique strengths that provide additional benefits to their users. Before choosing a platform for your organization, you need to know the basic features your eCard site should offer.

Criteria for Choosing the Best eCard Site

Whether you’re searching for community engagement platforms, bookkeeping systems, or an eCard site, there will always be must-have features that make your technology successful. For example, what would a community engagement platform be without event management tools? Or, how would bookkeeping software benefit your organization without the ability to generate financial reports?

Here are the baseline capabilities your eCard site should be able to handle:

  • User-friendliness: Whether your team consists of tech-savvy designers or first-time users, your eCard site should accommodate their needs. Look for a platform with an intuitive interface, including drag-and-drop design tools or pre-made templates. Also, customer support resources, such as tutorials and FAQs, should be available for help if needed.
  • Customization options: To achieve personalization, you’ll need a flexible platform with adequate tools for customizing your eCards. This includes the ability to add holiday-themed visuals, personalized greetings, and tailored calls to action. Prioritize integration capabilities to ensure you can leverage the data stored in your constituent relationship management (CRM) system or other relevant platforms.
  • Ability to reach the intended audience: Solutions catered to your organization’s specific needs ensure you can create eCards that resonate with your unique audience. For example, a platform built for retail businesses might not be useful for an association launching a campaign for its new members. Look for specialized features and integration capabilities to ensure your industry-specific software is compatible with your eCard site.

At the end of the day, your organization likely won’t implement an eCard site to celebrate just one day of the year. Choosing a platform that offers robust capabilities for year-round use is essential to engaging your organization’s audience 365 days a year.

5 Best eCard Sites for Businesses & Associations

With a list of must-have features you’re looking for in a holiday eCard site, it’s time to start your research. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite options, which you can compare to determine the best fit for your organization.

As you move through the list, request demos with your favorite providers to see their software in action. After all, the best way to experience a platform’s functionality is to try it yourself!

Here’s how our top choices break down:

Platform eCardWidget Hallmark eCards JibJab Canva Jacquie Lawson
Key Features Automation, customizable email templates, over 3,000 software integrations, mobile responsive design, easy-to-use interface Hundreds of templates, easy uploading, mobile capabilities Face personalization, animated templates, social media sharing Advanced design tools, collaborative tools, templates for every occasion eCard templates, address book, reminders for recipients’ birthdays, support helpline
Category Best Overall eCard Site Best eCard Site for Video Best Site for Humorous Holiday eCards Best Platform for Graphic Design Best eCard Site for Intricate Art

 

1. Best Overall eCard Site: eCardWidget

eCardWidget stands out as the best overall choice for its versatility and powerful capabilities. Its comprehensive suite of features is designed to meet the diverse needs of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including associations.

 

eCardWidget is easy to use, from implementation to post-outreach analysis. Users can start designing holiday eCards in just a few simple steps:

  1. With the user-friendly designer, create professional eCards using free templates, graphics, fonts, and all the colors you could possibly need. You can even upload your own graphics, like your logo.
  2. Organize your eCards into campaigns, such as a Valentine’s Day or year-end holiday campaign.
  3. Either upload your eCards to your website or use the free hosted landing page eCardWidget provides.
  4. Start sending! Just show your team and supporters how to use the tool, whether they’re sending eCards to members, clients, or their peers.

Best of all, eCardWidget offers robust reporting tools, allowing you to see who sends, receives, and responds to all eCards sent through the platform. This way, you can easily track constituent relationships and engagement levels and adjust your approach as needed.

Some of eCardWidget’s other key features include:

  • Automation capabilities to send eCards without manual intervention
  • Fully customizable email templates
  • Over 3,000 software integrations
  • Mobile responsive design
  • Easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface

eCardWidget combines customization and user-friendliness in a well-rounded tool for associations, nonprofits, and businesses. Whether you aim to improve member engagement, customer acquisition, or employee recognition this holiday season, eCardWidget has a long list of use cases to meet your specific needs.


2. Hallmark eCards: Best eCard Site for Video

When it comes to greeting cards, Hallmark is one of the biggest players in the game. Their online greeting card creation platform allows you to create eCards with photos and videos for a memorable design.

This eCard site’s standout features include:

  • Hundreds of templates for various holidays and occasions
  • Easy uploading to add photos and videos to chosen templates
  • Mobile capabilities for delivering eCards via text message

If your organization has the perfect photo to accompany your holiday eCard, browse Hallmark’s templates to find the perfect fit.

3. JibJab: Best Site for Humorous Holiday eCards

Famous for its quirky Christmas greeting videos, JibJab is the perfect eCard site for adding laughter to your holiday season. This platform offers unique features, including:

  • Face personalization, which allows users to add photos of themselves or their recipients to amusing animations.
  • Animated templates, ranging from videos of dancing elves to silly turkeys.
  • Social media sharing across platforms such as Facebook and Instagram

Because of its niche templates, JibJab may be better suited for creating and sharing eCards among peers or family members rather than organization-wide customer or member engagement campaigns.

4. Canva: Best Platform for Graphic Design

Canva is the perfect eCard site for creating eCards from scratch and accessing ultimate design freedom. Its extensive library of customizable templates enables users to adjust practically every element of the eCard to create stunning designs.

Its standout features include:

  • Advanced design tools, such as custom graphics and video elements
  • Collaborative tools so designers can work together on the same eCard
  • Templates for every occasion

For businesses or associations that want to build their own eCards (and other graphic design materials) this holiday season, Canva is a great pick. Keep in mind that as a graphic design tool, Canva doesn’t offer eCard-sending services, meaning your organization will need to send designs built on this eCard site manually.

5. Jacquie Lawson: Best eCard Site for Intricate Art

From watercolor creations to intricately designed animations, Jacquie Lawson is an eCard site known for its miniature works of art. A membership grants users access to:

  • A vast library of eCard templates with unique, hand-drawn designs
  • An address book and reminders for recipients’ birthdays
  • A helpline for troubleshooting any problems you encounter

While these designs are hard to beat, it’s worth noting that customization is limited on this eCard site. Businesses and associations using Jacquie Lawson’s eCards must find unique ways to incorporate their brand identity into campaigns.

More Tips and Tools for Engaging Your Community

Engaging your community—whether clients, employees, or members—is about more than a themed greeting card around popular holidays. Your organization must foster meaningful connections with its audience that last well beyond the holiday season.

eCard sites are a great starting point, but other tools are available to help you facilitate engagement year-round. Once you’ve chosen the right eCard platform, explore other tools that would make helpful additions to your existing tech stack.

To learn more about how eCards and other platforms fuel community engagement, check out these resources:

10 Best Community Engagement Platforms To Boost Renewals

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Keeping members engaged year-round is no easy feat. Fortunately, community engagement platforms provide a powerful solution, helping associations build strong networks, centralize interactions, manage members, and encourage renewals.

Today’s top solutions foster community and boost participation among your members. With several options on the market, associations need to find a platform that supports their member retention efforts without blowing their budgets.

In this guide, we’ll introduce ten solutions that will help your association build a thriving, engaged community that renews year after year. First, we’ll explore five association-specific solutions before diving into community engagement platforms designed for a range of audiences. Our top five platforms are:

Platform Key Features Best For
Tradewing Groups, member directory, sponsorship management, resource management, reports, and integrations with popular association management tools All-Around Community Engagement
Breezio Discussion spaces, document management, video conferencing, and integrations Member Collaboration
Personify Community Member forums, groups, gamification, and a mobile app Large Organizations
Hivebrite Membership management, member portals, event management, and discussion forums Alumni Networks
MemberNova Multi-level membership management, automated workflows, basic event management, and site management Membership Management

With features like gamification, discussion forums, and event management tools, these platforms empower you to engage members, measure success, and boost retention rates. Before diving into our top recommendations, let’s walk through community engagement platform basics.

What Are Community Engagement Platforms?

Community engagement platforms are centralized spaces where members of a community or group can connect, share ideas, seek advice, and collaborate with others in their field. These platforms foster a sense of belonging through features such as discussion posts, webinars, educational resources, networking events, and surveys.

Commonly used by associations, nonprofits, and educational institutions, community engagement platforms empower organizations to manage member interactions and events while offering educational resources and networking opportunities.

Note that these platforms differ from association management software (AMS). While an AMS provides essential tools for managing daily operations—such as automated invoice generation and membership renewal reminders—a community engagement platform focuses on cultivating interactions and connections through a members-only online space.

However, these platforms’ features aren’t mutually exclusive. Some AMS solutions include community engagement tools, and community engagement platforms may

Why Does Your Association Need Community Engagement Software?

Community engagement platforms encourage meaningful member interactions and enhance the overall value of your organization’s memberships. Here are several reasons why your association should consider investing in this type of software:

  • Centralize member engagement.  A community engagement platform provides a central hub for all member activities, including discussions, events, resources, and announcements.
  • Increase members’ sense of belonging. A dedicated platform encourages members to actively participate in discussions, access educational resources, and connect with peers.
  • Provide value through gated content. Associations can promote exclusive members-only content on their community engagement platform, boosting event attendance and resource access.
  • Streamline event management. Many platforms come equipped with event management tools to manage registrations, promote upcoming opportunities, and host virtual events. This simplifies event logistics and boosts attendance.

Even with all these benefits, only 28% of associations invite new members to join an association-sponsored online community. Make your association indispensable by investing in community engagement software that meets evolving member expectations and empowers them to cultivate connections.

What To Look For In A Community Engagement Platform

Selecting the right member engagement platform ensures you have tools that provide value to members, measure engagement, and stay within your budget.

As you browse your options, look for these essential features:

  • Discussion space: Allow members to post questions, share their experiences, and spark conversations in a professional, members-only discussion space.
  • Event management tools: Manage registrations, reminders, and attendance for events. Consider platforms with integrated video conferencing tools if you plan to host hybrid or virtual events.
  • Member directories: Help members discover and connect with each other, making networking easy.
  • Privacy settings: Offer members control over their profiles and posts, ensuring a safe space for interaction.
  • Gamification features: Points, badges, and leaderboards encourage participation and recognize active members.
  • Analytics & reporting: Track key engagement metrics, such as which members are the most engaged.
  • Integrations: Ensure you can connect your community engagement platform with popular association tools like your AMS for streamlined operations.
  • Reliable technical support: Make sure your provider offers technical support to maintain smooth operations.

While not every feature may be essential for your association, choosing a platform with tools tailored to your specific needs enhances your ability to drive meaningful outcomes and boost member renewals.

Best Community Engagement Platforms Tailored To Associations

Let’s explore some of the leading online community engagement platforms designed specifically for associations. These solutions are optimized to address associations’ unique operational and member engagement needs, ensuring meaningful member interactions.

Tradewing: Best All-Around Community Engagement Platform

From member discussions to resource management, Tradewing provides everything trade and professional associations need to build thriving communities. Our out-of-the-box platform allows you to get up and running quickly, so you can immediately begin engaging members.

By centralizing online member interactions within a single platform, Tradewing focuses member attention solely on your association. Affordable and simple, our platform offers robust tools for interaction without the high costs or complexity of larger solutions. Plus, powerful moderation tools ensure your community remains safe and respectful, preserving the integrity of your network.

Check out this comprehensive homepage that members will see when they log into your online community engagement platform:

Key Features For Community Engagement

  • Groups: Create private and public groups (like one for your board of directors) where members can post, create polls, upload videos, and share resources. The social media-style feed makes it easy to comment and like others’ posts.
  • Member directory: Members can create profiles and adjust privacy settings to control what information they share with others. The searchable directory helps members connect through chat functionality.
  • Sponsorship management: Invite sponsors to build custom landing pages within the platform, which will be featured in a dedicated Sponsors tab. Members can explore sponsor pages and message these organizations directly. Additionally, you can feature sponsors in a side tab during virtual events.
  • Event management: Manage in-person, virtual, and hybrid events with ease. Both administrators and members can post event details and control whether events are public or private. For example, the board may schedule a private meeting viewable only by group members. Tradewing also offers built-in video conferencing, eliminating the need for external platforms.
  • Resources: Invite members to share resources through the Resources Tab. Administrators can upload resources directly without posting to groups, and members can preview files without downloading them. Group administrators can organize post attachments from group members into dedicated folders, keeping resources well-structured.
  • Reports and analytics: Gain insights into engagement trends with detailed reporting. Track individual activities, such as the number of posts or comments a specific member makes, and monitor group performance metrics, including size, likes, and interactions. These reports help identify areas needing additional member engagement.
  • Integrations with popular tools: Tradewing integrates with popular AMSs, so you can smoothly plug our platform into your current tech stack.

Tradewing In Action

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) caters to physics educators at high schools and colleges. The organization is 10,000 members strong. However, AAPT only hosts two annual conferences, making it difficult for those members to connect throughout the year. Many also face challenges attending in-person events due to travel costs and an inability to take time off.

This is where Tradewing makes a difference! Our mobile-friendly, always-accessible online community engagement platform ensures AAPT members can communicate year-round, no matter where they are. Whether a physics teacher needs help crafting a lesson plan or advice on a specific topic, they can easily reach out to peers for materials, ideas, and support, creating a collaborative community that extends far beyond annual events.

Check out this video about AAPT’s journey with Tradewing:

AAPT is just one of many associations we’ve helped build strong online communities. Explore our success stories to learn more about our impact!

Breezio | Best Community Engagement Software For Collaboration

Breezio offers a dynamic platform designed to foster collaboration through real-time interaction, document sharing, and engagement tools. It’s especially popular with organizations that value collaboration across teams and projects.

Breezio’s user-friendly interface encourages member participation, making it ideal for knowledge-sharing and problem-solving. Additionally, it supports diverse content types, including videos, documents, and discussion threads, making it versatile for different communication styles.

Cons: Breezio’s collaborative features are powerful, but they lack the integration and automation capabilities necessary for associations and professional groups.

A screenshot of an article within Breezio’s online community engagement platform

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Key Features

  • Customizable discussion spaces
  • Easy uploading of documents, videos, articles, podcasts, and other content
  • Live chat and in-portal video conferencing
  • Integrations with popular AMSs and CRMs

 

Personify Community | Best Community Platform for Large Organizations

Personify Community is designed for large nonprofits and associations, offering features that enhance member engagement and community building. It excels at managing large-scale events and integrates with donor and membership management systems. Its analytics and reporting capabilities give organizations actionable insights into their community’s behavior.

Cons: Personify’s platform can feel overwhelming for smaller organizations seeking a streamlined community engagement solution.

A list of event sessions for an association using Personify’s community engagement software.

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Key Features

  • Member-to-member collaboration via forums, groups, and blogs
  • Gamification like badges, leaderboards, and contests
  • A mobile app to reach members wherever they are

 

Hivebrite | Most Customizable Platform for Alumni Networks

Hivebrite provides extensive customization options tailored to membership organizations, professional societies, and trade associations. Alumni coordinators in particular praise the online community engagement platform for its engaging, branded spaces that enable networking, event management, and content sharing. Beyond that, other engagement features include support for mentorship programs, job boards, and interest-based subgroups.

The platform also offers donation management, making it a versatile platform for alumni engagement and fundraising. Hivebrite also supports networking, continuous learning, workshops, and conferences. Trade associations can also use the solution to notify members of updates, gather feedback, support advocacy efforts, and foster industry collaboration.

Cons: Hivebrite offers extensive customization, which can lead to long setup times and increased maintenance. Look at our list of Hivebrite alternatives for similar options that resolve these challenges.

The member directory on Hivebrite’s online community engagement platform

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Key Features

  • Membership management and renewals
  • Branded member portals
  • Event management tools
  • Discussion forums and collaboration tools where members can share insights and provide feedback

 

MemberNova | Best for Membership Management With Basic Community Tools

MemberNova combines community engagement tools with strong membership management features, making it ideal for organizations looking for an all-in-one solution. It offers a centralized hub for streamlining administrative tasks and managing renewals, events, and membership data. Its ability to support chapters with independent portals and roll-up reporting makes it particularly attractive to larger, multi-layered organizations.

Cons: MemberNova focuses more on operational efficiencies and member administration than fostering engagement through dynamic community interactions. Some users also claim that the price tag is hefty.

A member profile, article, and member analytics dashboard from MemberNova’s community engagement software

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Key Features

  • The ability to manage multi-level memberships, chapters, and various membership types
  • Basic event management and engagement tools, including email campaigns and
  • Automated workflows to streamline member onboarding, renewals, and engagement tracking
  • Website management and integrations with other platforms to ensure seamless operations

Best Community Engagement Software With Association-Appropriate Features

While the following platforms don’t cater only to associations, they’re flexible enough to support your community engagement efforts.

Mighty Networks | Best Online Community Engagement Platform For Niche Subgroups

Mighty Networks provides tools for building niche communities. While designed primarily for businesses and individual creators, many associations and nonprofits use the platform. The solution offers robust subgroup creation, course delivery options, and paid memberships.

Its intuitive design makes it easy to set up and manage, with a focus on helping creators build meaningful connections within their niches. You’ll also make a positive first impression on new members with a welcome checklist, icebreakers, polls, and introduction posts.

Cons: Mighty Networks targets creators and small businesses. Therefore, larger associations and professional communities may find its features limited. Check out these Mighty Networks alternatives with comparable features that might be better suited to your needs.

A mockup showing different elements of Mighty Networks’ online community engagement platform

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Key Features

  • Course and content hosting
  • A branded community space with custom graphics and colors
  • Monetization tools for memberships and courses
  • Integrations with popular solutions like ConvertKit and Zoom

Discourse | Best Community Engagement Software For Simple Discussion Forums

Discourse is an open-source platform centered around discussion forums, offering straightforward features for managing conversations and threads. It’s designed for communities that thrive on dialogue with tools to support ongoing conversations, gamification, and community moderation. Plus, it was built for high-resolution touch devices, so members can participate across any device.

Cons: The platform’s open-source nature allows for extensive customization, but it requires technical expertise to fully leverage its potential. While excellent for facilitating discussions, Discourse lacks community-building features such as event management and member directories, making it less comprehensive than other platforms like Tradewing.

A screenshot of Stem-Away’s online community that they created with Discourse

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Key Features

  • Threaded discussion boards that enable real-time interactions, polls, post revisions, and more
  • Moderation and privacy tools for community management
  • Gamification features like custom badges to encourage community engagement
  • Open-source customization

Facebook Groups | Best Platform For Informal Social Communities

Facebook Groups provides a free and accessible platform for informal community building with features designed to encourage member interaction. Its ease of use and built-in audience from Facebook’s user base make it a popular option for small organizations.

Cons: Because the platform offers limited customization and data ownership, it may not meet the needs of associations seeking to establish branded, long-term communities. Additionally, Facebook’s algorithms and privacy policies limit control over how groups engage with their audience.

A mockup of a group admin posting a welcome message to new members in her Facebook Group

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Key Features

  • Accessible mobile app and push notifications to keep members engaged
  • Basic group management tools to invite members, ensure privacy, and moderate posts
  • Simple event creation to invite members, manage RSVPs, and send reminders
  • Member polls and announcements

Slack | Best Community Platform For Committee Collaboration

Slack is a popular real-time messaging tool designed to streamline collaboration, particularly for committees and internal teams. It integrates seamlessly with other productivity apps, enabling users to manage projects and communications in one place. Slack’s threaded conversations and private channels help teams stay organized, but the platform is better for short-term projects.

Cons: Ultimately, Slack is better suited for internal teams than member communities due to its lack of features to foster ongoing community engagement, like member directories or event hubs.

A mockup of a channel within Slack’s online community engagement software

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Key Features

  • Real-time messaging, file sharing, and polls
  • Private channels for focused discussions
  • Integration with other productivity apps
  • Mobile and desktop compatibility

Circle | Best Software For Course-Based Communities

Circle is a robust platform designed for online communities, courses, and paid memberships. It allows users to create interactive spaces that facilitate discussions, events, and content sharing. The platform also supports course creation and gated content, providing modular options for video, audio, and text materials, which makes it a viable choice for those running educational programs.

Cons: Circle focuses primarily on community-building around educational content and memberships. This can impose limitations on associations with complex event management needs or highly structured member interactions that require sophisticated workflows.

A mockup of a post within Circle’s community engagement software

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Key Features

  • Course and membership site hosting
  • Built-in payment processing
  • Community spaces for member interaction
  • Native analytics tools

More Community Engagement Tools

Member renewals don’t happen by accident—they’re a direct result of consistent, meaningful engagement. Community engagement platforms offer the tools needed to create ongoing connections with your members, keeping them involved and invested.

The platforms we’ve covered enhance engagement and give your organization the edge it needs to maintain high retention rates. Pick the right solution based on your needs and budget, and you’ll build a thriving community in no time.

To support your association’s community-building efforts, explore these free resources:

Member Engagement Platform: Getting More out of Memberships

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Joining an association is an investment, and if your organization is experiencing high lapse rates, chances are your members aren’t seeing enough of a return. If this situation sounds similar to your association, ask yourself this question: does your membership program lack value, or are members just not engaging with your content?

If the answer is the latter, there’s a solution: invest in a member engagement platform. Member engagement platforms give your association the tools to connect with members, attract attention to your association’s offerings, and cultivate an energized community.

To teach your association about the purpose and benefits of a member engagement platform, we’ll cover:

 

Before diving into how to better manage your members, let’s go over a few basics about these platforms.


Member Engagement Platform FAQ

What is a member engagement platform?

A member engagement platform is a tool associations use to interact with members and guide them toward content and activities. Member engagement platforms are often called community engagement platforms, as your members make up your association’s community.

However, membership management platforms and member engagement platforms are two different things. Member management tools allow associations to keep their members organized by providing features for dues collection and association-to-member communication. In contrast, member engagement platforms have features like a community platform and member-to-member communication. There is some overlap between these types of platforms, as both will often have analytics and event management tools.

Why does member engagement matter?

Associations only exist because of their active membership bases. If members aren’t attending events, responding to your content, or interacting with one another, your association lacks purpose and direction.

When members are invested and engaging at high levels, your association will experience increased:

  • Retention. When members engage with your content and activities, they are more likely to see the value of their membership and want to continue being a member. This leads to increased loyalty and retention rates.
  • Value. For trade and professional associations, highly engaged members tend to spend more on event tickets, certification programs, and add-ons. As members continuously engage with your content, they’re more likely to want more content and increase their membership levels.
  • Recruitment. Active members are more likely to recommend your trade or professional association to their friends and colleagues. This leads to improved word-of-mouth marketing and easier member recruitment.

 

Engaged members understand the value of your association and want to continue accessing your unique benefits. Ensure your association leverages tools that make engagement easy.

Is an AMS a member engagement platform?

No, association management software (AMS) is not the same as a member engagement platform. While AMSs offer some of the same features as a member engagement platform—such as website builders, external marketing tools, and eCommerce setup—these tools ultimately focus on different aspects of running an association.

In general, AMSs focus on:

  • Member recruitment
  • Member analytics
  • Backend organizational tasks

 

In contrast, member engagement platforms prioritize:

  • Member-to-member communication
  • Content creation and sharing
  • Frontend tools for members

 

Due to these differences, many associations employ both an AMS and a member engagement platform. For example, you might use your AMS to set up your member application forms and collect monthly due payments. However, your association’s actual offerings, such as community opportunities and webinars, are hosted on your member engagement platform.

For a seamless experience, choose an AMS and member engagement platform that integrate with each other. That way, your two systems can work together to create a more efficient and enjoyable member experience.

How Member Engagement Platforms Benefit Associations

Improved Communication

Member engagement platforms, as the name implies, are designed to maximize member engagement. As such, associations can use these tools to improve communication by:

  • Promoting engagement opportunities. Members can only engage with content if they’re aware it exists. Member engagement platforms have marketing tools for promoting opportunities and re-engaging members, such as email and push notifications for when new content goes live.
  • Personalizing content. Take note of what types of content and activities members engage with, and use your member engagement platform to create communications that target their interests. For example, you might create a new member welcome series that promotes a variety of opportunities, such as webinars, events, and community groups. Then, for your next round of communication, you could send messages based on which content they engaged with.
  • Enabling open conversations. 71% of trade association members cite networking opportunities as one of their top reasons for purchasing a membership. As such, a platform that enables open communication between members is ideal for professional and trade associations.

 

Some member engagement platforms are accessible through your organization’s website and have an app. This allows members to engage with your content from anywhere without distractions.

Increased Retention

Engaged members are much easier to retain. While member engagement platforms often lack recruitment tools, they still help associations grow by providing tools for retaining the members you currently have.

Use your member engagement platform to:

  • Facilitate engagement opportunities. A member engagement platform can double as a content hosting tool. Host online events and webinars, post blog content, and share videos and photographs.
  • Improve networking. Networking is a core part of any association, and member engagement platforms allow your members to engage directly with one another. Members can create profiles, search your database, start private messages, and create public posts viewable to the rest of your community to start conversations.
  • Provide retention tools. A member engagement platform helps you create a lively community, which can help retain members. However, some community engagement platforms have tools specifically designed to improve retention, such as community notifications, engagement analytics, and membership grace periods.

 

Of course, remember that your engagement platform is just a tool in your retention strategy. To build a loyal community, always show appreciation, provide valuable opportunities, and listen to members’ feedback.

Enhanced Membership Value

66% of prospective members don’t join an association because they fail to see the value of a membership. With a member engagement platform, you can contact members with association offerings, encourage user-generated content, and turn a membership into a community.

In the membership funnel, member engagement platforms power the retention and re-engagement stages of membership marketing.

In these stages, associations continue to market content and provide members with engagement opportunities. However, don’t think of your member engagement platform as just one more marketing channel to post the same content that you would on social media.

Instead, member engagement platforms create members-only areas that are dedicated to providing gated content. By ensuring this content is valuable and members can engage with it, you reinforce your membership program’s value and increase retention.

Member Engagement Platform Features

While various member engagement platforms will have different tools based on their audience and vendor’s focus, most platforms for trade and professional associations should provide the following features.

Online Community

Member engagement platforms with a community engagement element give associations the ability to create an online space where members can interact with one another like they would on social media. This includes being able to:

  • Post content
  • Comment on other members’ posts
  • Scroll through posted content chronologically
  • Use a search tool to find specific posts
  • Browse notifications
  • Message members directly

 

Additionally, some member engagement platforms allow your association’s staff or members to create groups. For example, a professional association might create a group for board members, encouraging board members to interact with the rest of your community. Their member engagement platform may also double as a board meeting planning and communication tool.

Communication Tools

To encourage members to use the platform, many solutions provide communication tools designed to foster engagement. For instance, Tradewing’s real-time discussions and knowledge sharing give associations the ability to:

  • Have instant member interaction
  • Enable focused peer-to-peer learning in curated spaces
  • Boost member collaboration with intuitive features
  • Invite members to join their online community

 

While your member engagement platform should keep members on your website, your email strategy should bring them back to your website after they log off from your membership portal the day. Use insights gathered by your member engagement platform to determine what kinds of content spark engagement, and highlight those posts in your next email newsletter.

Event Management

Many associations invest in separate event management and member engagement tools. For complex events, it makes sense to have dedicated event management software, but for smaller trade and professional associations, a community management platform with event hosting features can be a cost-effective alternative.

Your member engagement platform should allow you to alert members to upcoming events, whether in-person or online, and host virtual events through your website. Look for software that comes with the following features:

  • Virtual conferencing
  • Event chat
  • Sponsor promotion options
  • Event alerts

When investing in event management software, consider your association’s entire technology budget. In some cases, purchasing a more expensive member engagement platform with event hosting tools makes more sense than buying subscriptions to separate community engagement and event management tools.

Plus, by hosting your events in the same place your members already go to engage with your community, you can easily alert them to upcoming events and boost attendance.

Analytics

Ensure your engagement strategies are work using your member engagement platform to monitor your community. These tools should allow you to view:

  • How many posts members are making
  • Whether members are interacting with each other’s content
  • How active each member is

With these tools, you can determine what content resonates with your members, when members are active, and which members are at risk of lapsing due to a lack of engagement.

 

Top Member Engagement Platform: Tradewing

When it comes to member engagement platforms, we recommend our very own community engagement solution: Tradewing.

Tradewing is an out-of-the-box community engagement platform for trade and professional associations. It offers competitive features and robust customization options, rivaling popular leaders in the space such as Higher Logic and Mighty Networks, all while maintaining affordability.

With our tools, small and medium-sized associations have a convenient, cost-effective way to connect with their members, encourage community engagement, and promote their association’s offerings. Here’s an overview of a few of Tradewing’s top benefits:

  • Centralized member engagement. If your association’s community currently operates on third-party platforms like Facebook, chances are that you’re not adequately capturing their attention. On external sites, like social media, your association constantly fights for your members’ focus. But when you host your community on Tradewing, all of your association’s members are brought to one place to engage with your offerings.
  • Quick setup. Tradewing has customizable features, but its real strength is its out-of-the-box functionality. Rather than spending hours customizing your solution or requiring developer assistance, associations can set up Tradewing quickly and leverage its automation tools to save time and keep everything running smoothly.
  • AMS integrations. For associations already using an AMS, Tradewing doesn’t have to replace their current system. In fact, Tradewing integrates with many top AMS solutions, allowing you to plug its community engagement platform into your current system.

 

For trade and professional associations looking to engage members, build communities, and increase their offerings’ value, Tradewing is the go-to cost-effective solution on the market.

More Member Engagement Resources

Member engagement platforms give your association a toolbox for interacting with members and increasing your membership program’s value. When researching platforms, look for solutions that offer the tools your association needs and also align with your size and budget.

For more information on effective member engagement, check out the following resources:

A Website Shouldn’t Be Your Member Engagement Strategy

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There’s a difference between your website being useful and being used.

And when it comes to acting as a member engagement platform, wow does it leave a lot to be desired.

Across all of your association’s assets, your website is likely one of your most valuable. In fact, it’s probably hard to imagine existing without one. And while websites are amazing, this often leads us to expect too much from them – especially when it comes to member engagement.

News posts, directories, ancient forum tools, file storage, the list goes on and on. We cram all sorts of features into our site thinking it’ll bring more people to it and keep them coming back. But in reality, all of this leaves us with a complex and unmanageable website that does more to deter use than encourage it.

Why a website is not enough for member engagement

Today’s association members expect more than just a website.

 

Don’t get the wrong impression, your website, and everything you’ve invested in it, is likely money well spent. Your site is the digital face of your organization, and it’s the first thing most people will see and use to learn about you.

But your relationship with your members doesn’t end there. You know that.

You need a website to start the relationship, but you need to bring more to the table to keep it going, that’s where member engagement comes in, and where websites struggle.

Why investing in member engagement is worth it

Smart member engagement means a better ROI for you, your members, and your sponsors.

 

One of the most common reasons associations double down on their websites for engagement is due to budget. Developing and maintaining a website is costly, and so it only makes sense to work with what you’ve got before investing in another solution for member engagement.

It may sound like the financially prudent choice, but you’re actually leaving a ton of money on the table for your association with this approach. Here’s why:

  • Member engagement is the most important ingredient when it comes to members building a strong connection to your association and renewing – Keeping those renewal numbers up is key to your association’s long-term health. The more connected a member is, the more likely they’ll plan on investing their budget towards remaining a member with you.
  • Done right, it fosters an active community that people will pay just to be a part of – An active community is a valuable resource for your members. A place to find quick answers, collaborate with peers, and build their personal brand gives members an even greater ROI on their membership dues and makes membership with your association a must for anyone in the industry.
  • It creates a centralized community that is extremely attractive to sponsors – Just as events can be a great way to attract sponsors and grow non-dues revenue, an active and engaged member community provides the perfect place to promote products and services and generate new business for your sponsors year-round.

So, what’s wrong with my association’s website?

Before your next website redesign, consider this.

 

Again, nothing is wrong with your website (probably), but if you’re serious about member engagement, it’s not going to help you enjoy the growth and revenue benefits listed above. Let’s look at why.

  1. Websites are about one-way communication – They don’t offer your members an opportunity to connect and express themselves.
  2. Websites are static – Not much changes day to day. There’s not a lot to come back for.
  3. Websites put all of the engagement work on YOUR plate – Members can’t reach out to each other and collaborate easily via a website. This puts you in the middle when it comes to networking.
  4. Websites are a one-size-fits-all experience – Members can’t tailor what they see on it to their needs. This means there’s a lot of noise they’ll just tune out or be turned off by.
  5. Websites don’t offer members a ROI for their time and engagement – They rarely offer profiles, there’s no way to build connections with other members, and you can’t build your brand on someone else’s site.
  6. Speaking of that, a lot of this applies to social platforms as well – Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups put your association and its members at the mercy of someone else. You don’t control the experience which means you can’t respond to member needs effectively and a million other things are vying for their attention on the platform. This makes engagement that much harder.

Give your members more than just a website

Consider your member’s needs before you commit to your new digital strategy.

 

So, what can you do if you want to get serious about member engagement? Here are three great next steps.

  1. Identify your engagement goals – Sure, you want to drive member engagement, but why? Are you looking to make it easier for members to collaborate with others in the industry on your terms? Want to make daily engagement with your association a priority for your members? Whatever member engagement looks like to you, it’s important to clarify what that is because the tools and tactics you’ll employ may be good for getting certain results than others.
  2. Understand how much time and budget you can afford to invest – No matter how important member engagement is, time and budget will always be a factor. Limited budget but a little more time? Perhaps dipping your toes into social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn might be a good start. Able to spare a little extra and want to preserve your time? A dedicated platform like Tradewing can take on a lot of the work that comes with growing your member engagement while keeping you in control.
  3. Check in with your members – Probably the most important step, your members know best about what their needs are and where you can help them. It’s important to frame this in a way that doesn’t focus them on what they think your association can do for them, but what would make them more successful. By understanding their deeper needs, you can more easily understand that benefits and tools worth adopting.

 

Few things can provide a better dollar-for-dollar ROI for your association than investing in member engagement. If you want to ensure that your association is able to keep its place at the center of your industry, now is when you should be growing your digital toolbox beyond just having a website. There has never been a better time.

Is Your Association Ready for the Next Generation of Members?

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Here’s a scary thought. At some point in the future, 100% of your association’s current members will have turned over.

This is guaranteed.

But you face this reality every day. As time goes by, your members will grow older, they will change jobs, and retire. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to prevent this, but there are things you can do to prepare for it.

Your Next Generation of Members: Millennials and Generation Z

The good thing about generations is that there’s always a new one on the way. In fact, you probably have several generations participating in your association today.

While you should value all of your members, it’s your Millennial and Generation Z (Gen-Z) members that you should be paying attention to when it comes to building your organization’s roadmap.

A new generation of members presents opportunities but also challenges.

 

Like any good steward for your association, you know that not all member generations are created equal, and in order to resonate with this new generation of members, you’ll need to update your recruitment and retention playbook. Here are some things to consider.

Millennial and Generation Z Membership Care-Abouts

Virtual Experience – Millennials and Gen-Z have grown up in the greatest time in history for digital user experiences. Hassle-free online resources are table stakes for them –  providing anything less and you risk looking outdated. Potential members may wonder how you can help them get ahead if you’re so far behind.

This extends to every part of your membership funnel. From first time website visitors trying to learn about you, all the way down to how veteran members pay their dues. Like it or not, you’re participating in the attention economy, and if your members find it too difficult to work with you, they’ll find something else to do with their time.

Collaboration – This is a double-edged sword. Millennials and Gen-Z value collaboration and the opportunity to be a part of something larger than themselves. This aligns well with the purpose of many associations, but beware. That desire to get involved requires the ability to get involved. Members won’t stick around if they join up only to find that it’s an uphill battle to get a seat at the table.

Consider the opportunities you extend to your members to collaborate today and how inclusive they are. Roundtables may sound approachable, but maybe they’re dominated by senior members. Mailing lists may be easy to get started with, but they can get out of hand if members’ email habits aren’t on similar levels. For many, modern member platforms are a great solution here.

For Millennials and Gen-Z, having an equal voice is critical.

 

Costs – Money will always be an issue, but for Millennial’s and Gen-Z, who are on average poorer than previous generations, you’ll need to find new ways to give them more for their membership investment.

This is not to say you need to simply lower membership dues, cost is just one factor. This is really a conversation about value, and how you communicate your value to potential members. The truth is, you’re going to meet increasing resistance when it comes to getting people to sign up and renew unless you can help them justify the spend. To succeed here, offering more ways to engage with your association and experience its benefits will be critical.

How to Win Over Millennials and Generation Z

If you’re starting to realize how underprepared your association is for the next generation, you’re not alone. While most people have some idea already of how to address the needs above, there’s no silver bullet. The only way forward is to consider all reasonable courses of actions and take the path the best aligns with your association and its goals.

Here are some ideas to consider:

  1. Evaluate Your Membership Tiers and Benefits – Dues can be the first major roadblock to membership. In today’s business environment, free trials and subscriptions abound, and your next generation of members may expect an easier way to ease into your association. Giving potential members a way to try before they buy can help you get a foot in the door with them and showcase the benefits of membership.
  2. Adopt a Hybrid Event Model – You don’t have to give up on in-person events, but you should make virtual attendance a part of your conference strategy. This is also a great way to ensure event success in our post-COVID world. Hybrid events allow all of your members to participate from anywhere and avoid unnecessary travel costs.
  3. Embrace Modern Collaboration Tools – If you’re still working off mailing lists or forum software, now is a great time to upgrade to more interactive tools. Dedicated Facebook and LinkedIn groups are a quick and easy way to test the waters, but keep in mind that it’s harder to keep your members engaged when you don’t own the platform. Member engagement platforms, like Tradewing, allow for an easy transition that lets you retain ownership of your members.

Capabilities like mobile-friendly ways for members to connect are expected now.

 

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to start thinking a bit more about your plans for the future. This next generation of members presents a ton of exciting opportunities for growth and impact for the associations that embrace them.

With a little preparation, you’ll be able to keep your association at the center of your industry, and not become a relic of a bygone era.