You Are So Dead
Only 2.96% of respondents to ASAE’s impact study on the economy, Beliefs, Behaviors, and Attitudes in Response to the Economy, say that their association provides them “with the resources I need to cope with a down economy.” 2.96%! I have to ask: Mr./Ms. Association Executive, how do you look yourself in the mirror? That is worse than awful. That is death. If you can’t help them when they need you most, why are you here? Nearly half of all respondents who have dues paid in whole or in part by their employer will not renew.
Are you as close to the decision makers as you need to be? Should your membership be made up of decision makers instead of middle managers?Association membership is almost evenly split between executives and middle managers (52.7% executives and CEOs, 43.9% middle managers). In a downturn, sad to say, middle managers are the cannon fodder. If that’s half your membership, what are you going to do about that?
Young people, Gen X and Millennials, are the least likely to renew—maybe because they’re young, maybe because they’re entry level, maybe because you don’t offer what they’re looking for. But that same group overseas and non-US members as a whole are more likely to renew. Is your global strategy everything it should be? Do you have a global strategy?
