Young professionals are the group of members most associations are trying to grow. How do we know what they want and need from an association membership? Your best bet for finding out, is asking them! If you don’t have many young professional members, put together a focus group of people that fit the demographic. Ask them questions that reveal what it would take for them to join.
Our team at Impact AMC has worked with tons of association members across every generation. Here are a few benefits that tend to perform well with young association members.
1. Give them networking practice
When you are fresh out of college or starting your career, networking can be a bit overwhelming. It’s not often you have to make small talk with 40 people in an hour and leave enough of an impression to hope it leads to something beneficial. Provide young professional members with a tip sheet, webinar, or mentor when it comes to networking. Having a go-to buddy at a networking event, makes it much less scary. Have that mentor help make some of those introductions. This will make the next events easier on your younger members. They will know some familiar faces and will start to feel more a part of the community.
2. Help them to grow and groom their LinkedIn
LinkedIn is becoming a bigger and bigger platform for people to connect, find jobs, and find employees. Teach Young Professionals best practices and how to grow their professional image.
3. Train members on resumes, interviews, and early career tips
Although young professionals might have already landed their first job, they can never learn too much about navigating those first few years. Mix up the educational content by including information about landing their first job, asking for raises, handling feedback, etc.
These ideas are just a few to get you started. Hearing from your members and target audience will help you customize your approach to your association.
Need help growing your membership?
Impact’s team of expert meeting planners have a wealth of experience connecting with your target audience to increase your membership growth and retention. Learn more about our association management services or submit an RFP to discover how we can boost your membership numbers.