People only contribute time, knowledge, and ideas when they perceive an opportunity to impact the outcomes they seek. Keeping and winning higher engagement levels happens when Associations create ongoing opportunities for their constituencies to contribute knowledge and collaborate with other members.
Assess your Association’s constituency segments within the following 4 level framework. For example:
- Disconnected Observer. Lurking on website or on-line community, communications scanner, congressional staff, the general public
- Appreciative Recipient. Event attendee, subscriber, product purchaser, ad/exhibit/sponsorship purchaser
- Knowledge Contributor. Speaker, writer, availability as a knowledge expert, mentor. This can also be the constituent that translates or transfers knowledge between stakeholders
- Solutions Collaborator. Board, committees, roundtables, special interest groups, legislative campaign
Steps To Keeping Members Engaged
The following steps will help keep members engaged:
- Understand the 4 levels of engagement & look for constituency segments that are primarily distinguished by one or two (of the 4) levels.
- Identify member behaviors that impact the industry or profession.
- Create opportunities for members to engage in the design of new solutions that drive member outcomes.
- Success is measured in member behaviors that motivate connectedness. Target high probability segments to move to higher levels of engagement.Differentiate the “experience” at the national level and understand which member segments are best served at the local level.
Keeping Members Engaged
Everyone is busier than ever, especially as associations emerge from the recession and continually shift their attention to growth strategies. As such, people will only contribute time, knowledge, and ideas when they perceive an opportunity to impact the outcomes they seek. Keeping members engaged begins with understanding the 4 levels of engagement.
Free eBook “Accelerating Strategic Member Engagement” is available for all Association Executives at www.potomaccore.com
