In a recent poll conducted by ASAE, the number of people deciding not to renew their membership in associations was broken down by age group. Thirty-eight percent of Generation Y (people born post-1977) and 32 percent of Generation X (born 1963-1976) had no plans of renewing memberships in associations. There was only a slight decrease (30 percent) in the number for people born in the late boom (1955-62). What does that mean for associations? It's time to start appealing to these individuals by bringing them unexpected value. It may also mean taking on solutions you have not tried before.

According to a recent survey entitled "Value of Associations in a Challenging Economy," 63.6 percent of associations polled believed their revenue from dues membership would decrease this year. Certainly, that's bad news -- but not insurmountable. The challenges are there and during circumstances like this, you want to make sure your association is doing everything possible to retain members.

This is not your father's/mother's association: gone are the days when individuals would join an association just because of their chosen field of work or because their parent was a member. Members choose to be members and choose to stay members based on perceived value. How are you going to ensure they continue to do this year after year? One way to entice them is with the added value created by an online community.

Be one of the leaders in embracing social media solutions for your members. Since many people forgo regular meetings, a virtual community is a great way to add value regardless of members' locations or schedules. Members can connect with one another, download educational materials, blog about their experiences, send internal messages, and even upload photos and that's just the beginning. Your website becomes a one-stop-shop for them en route to other sites and it increases the traffic on your site, and once they're there, you're sure to give them a reason to stay.

What's in it for you? In short -- everything. Adding value for your association members doesn't mean added expense. You can give them a networking community with all the bells and whistles for less than you imagine
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