Clowder Blog

If you’re a leader at an association, you know member engagement is essential for your organization to thrive. When members feel connected to your association and can conveniently access opportunities for professional development, they’re more likely to think their membership is worthwhile and renew year after year.

Here’s what we know for sure.

• Fact #1: Members join associations primarily for conversations, connections, and relationships, per MGI’s membership benchmarking report.
• Fact #2: Members spend way too much time scrolling through social media apps, per, well, everyone’s personal experience.

If members are going to spend time on their phones, why not get them to spend it inside your membership app. Your association’s app is a year-round private social network where members achieve their main membership goal: networking with peers.

Unlike other social apps, your membership app is also a credible source of news, information, and education.

Here’s one thing the association community knows isn’t true: If you build it, they will come. Ha! Only in your dreams.

Two major reasons why members join professional associations include being part of a community of like-minded individuals in their industry and accessing opportunities to develop their skills in the field. Your association can effectively fulfill both purposes by developing a strong member engagement strategy.

It’s no secret that we not only live in a digital-first world but also a mobile-first one. The average American currently spends 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phone, and they use mobile apps for about 90% of that time. With all of this traffic, the global market for mobile apps is projected to reach $755 billion by 2027!

When a new member joins your association, they want to quickly experience how membership will help them achieve their career or business goals. With an onboarding campaign that’s personalized to their goals and interests, you show new members how your association plans to deliver the value they seek.