40 Percent of Associations Reporting Membership Growth

If you think people aren’t joining trade and professional associations these days, think again. Nearly 40 percent of respondents to the latest Association Adviser poll say their membership has grown over the past three years, with nearly one in five respondents (18 percent) reporting robust membership increases of at least 10 percent.

So that means the remaining 60 percent are in decline? Not so fast. Nearly half of respondents (43 percent) to our unscientific poll said membership has held steady since 2010 and only 18 percent indicated a membership decline.

Kristen Hartman, director of member value and experience at the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), said it’s very important to keep “re-engaging with members, not just when they first join but throughout their complete member cycle.” Hartman said PPA has a new social platform that is widely used by both newer and more seasoned members. “It’s been a great way to bridge the gap and get our members interacting and learning from each other,” she said.

Kristen shares more insights in Hank Berkowitz’s feature story in today’s issue.

Randi Busse, author of Rants & Raves and president of the customer-service training firm Workforce Development Group, is not convinced that 40 percent of associations have grown their membership over the past three years. However, she does believe that associations are no longer taking members (and their dues) for granted and are offering more “a la carte” memberships to give prospective members a “taste” of what the association has to offer before asking them to commit.

Many of our recent polls are still open. Visit today and tell us where you stand.