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Associations are great for making claims about who they represent. After all, aren't we all THE industry voice, or THE professional organization, or THE business group for our industry, profession, or community? And if we aren't, don't we claim to be anyway? It's important that we keep up appearances, and it's of the utmost importance that we don't let our competition make the same claims. After all, none of us wants to be the second biggest organization in our field. We can't let our competitors get ahead of us! How successful have we been in actually becoming "THE VOICE" of our industries and professions? Take a look at this list of professions and industries and try to guess which membership organization is THE group representing that industry or profession. "THE" group means that the organization represents a majority (over half) of the practitioners in that field or industry (in the United States). Physicians A. American Medical Association B. State and local medical societies C. Specialty medical societies D. None of the above Association Executives A. American Society of Association Executives B. State and local societies C. U.S. Chamber of Commerce D. None of the above Public school employees A. National Education Association B. American Federation of Teachers C. Independent state and local associations D. None of the above Building Contractors A. Associated General Contractors B. Associated Builders and Contractors C. National Association of Home Builders D. None of the above Small Businesses A. U.S. Chamber of Commerce B. National Federation of Independent Business C. State and local chambers of commerce D. None of the above If you haven't guessed by now, the answer to each is "D" - None of the above. When I discovered the answers, I was a little upset. I grew up thinking EVERY doctor joined the American Medical Association (AMA). What teacher wouldn't join the National Education Association (NEA)? Why wouldn't a small business join the chamber of commerce? In fact, several of these organizations have actually had some respectable membership growth in the past few years (others, of course, have been losing members in recent years). The problem in the case of these growing organizations is that their universe of potential members is growing at a faster rate than the organization is. This is especially true among the professional societies/individual member organizations. The group grows but its market share declines. A dangerous trend, indeed. In the new (millennium) marketplace we need to face the fact that changes in the business world and in the marketplace are making it easier for members and potential members to choose "none of the above" when deciding what organization to join. The fact is, they are beginning to think that they don't need to join any organization. After all, what do these organizations offer that companies or individuals can't get on their own? Publications - ho cares? Education? They can do "distance learning" via the internet. Meetings? Who has time for them? In today's and tomorrow's world many of the products and services that associations used to count on to attract and keep members are available outside of the association world. Through the internet and other private providers members can now pick and choose the source of their needs. If they want a publication - virtually any publication - they can get it (or the information contained in it) on the internet. For years, organizations felt that they had the "golden handcuffs" that locked members in through insurance programs or affinity programs. Just go on the internet and click on www. accuquote.com and you'll see how "exclusive" your "members only" group insurance rates are. It's pretty scary. To really be effective at getting and keeping members in the next century, organizations have to highlight those things that make their organizations unique from all of the other service and commodity providers. Here are a few "member benefits" that need to be highlighted by membership organizations.
There are certainly other ways to point out the benefits of membership in the next century. The important thing is to convince members and prospects that there ARE some things that are best done by a trade association, chamber of commerce, or professional society. Let's try to get members to understand that there is a choice for them, and that choice should be which trade or professional organization to support. Our biggest "competition" in the next century is likely to be "None of the above." |
