The 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report is now available to download. The report provides some good news again this year. We see continued membership growth trends from the past year. Of the 700 responding associations, nearly half (47%) say their membership counts grew. Furthermore, 49% of respondents report growth in total membership over the past five years.
So, what association practices correlate with this continued growth trend?
The analyses of our 2024 data highlight five association drivers of membership growth. These growth correlations include providing value, adding new members, engaging in continuous innovation, reaching emerging generations, and increasing member engagement. Let’s look at these findings.
PROVIDING VALUE
Year after year, value emerges as one of the most reliable predictors of membership growth. The encouraging news is that associations are witnessing positive trends in the value they offer to members. 58% of associations now describe their value proposition as very compelling or compelling, a significant increase from the 51% reported in 2023. What's more, associations that report gains in their one- and five-year membership counts and increases in overall renewal rates are significantly more likely to believe their value proposition is very compelling or compelling to members.
The most common reason association executives give for not having a more compelling member value proposition is not that their association does not provide value but because they have challenges in effectively articulating it (48%). Renewal rates offer compelling evidence that many associations deliver exceptional value to their members. Our data show that median renewal rates remain steady at 85%, indicating that members recognize the value and are willing to invest in maintaining their memberships.
The association's issue is finding ways to understand and communicate its value better. Our data suggest that many associations benefit by conducting market research to address this challenge. The use of research positively correlates with encouraging membership numbers.
ADDING NEW MEMBERS
Providing value to attract and retain members remains the foundation of growing membership. Still, effective recruiting of new members remains critical. The positive news is that half of associations report increases in new member acquisition over the past year (51%). Putting new members at the top of the funnel continues to drive total membership growth. Associations reporting increases in new members are significantly more likely to report increases in total membership over the past year and the past five years.
This year’s data details the reasons why members join an association. Members join to network with others in their chosen profession (67%), obtain continuing education (42%), and access specialized and current information (32%). The channels for reaching and inviting prospects to join are evolving. Pay digital marketing is one method that shows increased usage in supporting recruitment efforts.
ENGAGING IN CONTINUOUS INNOVATION
Innovation remains a focal point for associations and positively correlates with membership growth. Associations that consider their organization extremely or very innovative are more likely to report increases in their one-year and five-year membership levels and new member acquisition.
One new area of innovation we investigated this year is how associations adopt and use artificial intelligence (AI). 18% of associations are currently using or are in the process of implementing AI for membership marketing, and another 18% are discussing the possibility of using AI. Nearly half of association executives (43%) are open to using AI in their membership marketing plans. Of the associations considering using AI for membership marketing, more than half are exploring using it for content generation (76%), data analysis (64%), or real-time personalization (54%).
REACHING EMERGING GENERATIONS
We often hear considerable concern that the younger generations are not interested in membership. However, our findings show a different story as associations report a gradual generational shift. Baby Boomers have recently made up the lion’s share of IMO membership. Since the previous year’s report, however, the representation of Gen-Xers in IMO membership rivals that of Baby Boomers (26% to 29%, respectively). In this year’s data, we see further increases in Gen-Z membership (11%, up from 9% reported in 2023 and 6% reported in 2022) and a decline in Baby Boomers (29%, down from the 32% reported in 2023). Traditionally, our benchmarking research has found a positive correlation between overall membership numbers and the generational makeup of membership, with associations reporting membership growth also reporting higher proportions of younger members.
INCREASING ENGAGEMENT
This year's data also highlights positive trends in member engagement and how the increased engagement correlates with membership growth. We see a continuing rebound of in-person conference attendance, with 62% of associations reporting increases in attendance (up from 58% reported in 2023 and 26% reported in 2022). This upward trend in attendance and participation also applies to other association activities. For example, 53% of associations report an increase in professional development registrations (up from 44% reported in 2023), and 56% of associations saw an increase in the acquisition and maintenance of certifications (up from 47% reported in 2023).
The 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report represents the 16th edition of this research. We appreciate all who have participated by sharing their information to support the association community.
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For more guidance on how your association can apply these findings to support your membership, contact Tony Rossell at Tony@MarketingGeneral.com or 703.706.0360.