How Can You Make Your Mission Drive Membership?
Associations are “mission first” in word and often in deed. Yet many lead less and less with their mission to revitalize their membership. Instead, enhancing member value and experience has been the guiding light for association growth. Rightly so. We often reduce the mission to believing that “what’s in it for me” is the only key to nonprofit marketing success in membership messaging. Guided by research, many organizations have sought to imitate for-profit marketers. They promote “features and benefits” and enticing offers that often disappoint expectations and don’t drive membership.
At Sequence Consulting, we find that Some of the best-performing associations are doubling down on their missions. They know that personal alignment with the mission creates feelings of belonging and influence, which drive membership in ways that no transaction can. It builds increased relevance and growth. Your mission is the one competitive advantage to drive membership for which no for-profit alternative exists.
Millennials are skeptical, with a very high bar for trusting a brand. They demand authenticity, consistency, and shared values. They want opportunities to participate. Brands that meet these requirements get rewarded with emotionally invested, long-term customers. Aspects of this mindset cross generations. A recent survey found that:
- 78% of people want companies to address social justice issues
- 87% of consumers would be willing to buy a product or service based on a company’s advocacy for a social issue
- 76% said they would decline to do business with a company if it supported issues that conflicted with their beliefs. (2)
Your association can drive membership by recognizing the millennial mindset and adopting it in your marketing strategy.
Appeal to Self-Directed Consumers
Researching products and brands before buying has never been faster or easier. Comparison shopping extends beyond price and reviews. It now includes corporate practices on a host of social issues. There are even apps developed to help consumers do exactly that. Good on You rates fashion brands’ impact on people, animals, and the environment. Good Guide scores over 200,000 products on health, environment, and social justice. The power to buy based on beliefs is at consumers’ fingertips. [3]
Self-direction also extends to charitable giving. In response to the 2016 flooding in Louisiana, GoFundMe users raised more than $11M through more than 6,000 flood-related campaigns. The Salvation Army only raised $4M, in contrast. These micro-campaigns were about individuals and families with compelling, relatable stories. They dovetail perfectly with the Millennial mindset.
Market your mission, then act on it. Doing so will prove to the self-directed consumers of today that your association is serious about their beliefs.
Leverage Technology to Drive Membership
Technology makes it possible to research purchases and choose causes with great specificity. It also allows consumers to shift allegiances immediately. Providing a consistently positive brand experience has never been more critical. The growing adoption of voice assistants forces businesses and nonprofits to figure out yet another way to connect. Google awarded $25M to a proposal to use AI to tackle some of the world’s most significant social, humanitarian, and environmental challenges. With moves like this, we can only expect the rate of change to increase.[4]
Connecting with members through the channels they use most will allow your association to highlight your mission and encourage members to participate actively.
Technology makes it possible to research purchases and choose causes with great specificity. It also allows consumers to shift allegiances immediately. Providing a consistently positive brand experience has never been more critical. The growing adoption of voice assistants forces businesses and nonprofits to figure out yet another way to connect. Google awarded $25M to a proposal to use AI to tackle some of the world’s most significant social, humanitarian, and environmental challenges. With moves like this, we can only expect the rate of change to increase.
Connecting with members through the channels they use most will allow your association to highlight your mission and encourage members to participate actively.
Your mission — advancing a field, protecting your people, and improving the world is your most powerful platform to connect with members. It should be an emotional rallying point that inspires action and invites belonging. The best way to do that is to attune to the Millennial mindset. By highlighting real people and their stories, you put a human face on how you serve them. That lets members see themselves in your picture.
To learn more about how to drive membership, see our complete research report, Future Proof Your Membership: 10 Essential Steps for Success.
Chris Vaughan, Ph.D.
Chris Vaughan is the Chief Strategy Officer at Sequence Consulting, with over 20 years of experience helping associations grow. Specializing in membership and revenue strategies, Chris partners with organizations to deliver transformational growth and enduring change.
