AI Won’t Save Your Association! | The REAL Fix for Membership Growth

I have a new book out! MemberShift: Why Members Leave and The Strategies Proven to Bring Them Back is a must-read for all who are interested in the topic of membership!

Welcome back to another episode of the Membership IQ, where you go to get smart about membership. 

Today we’re tackling a pressing question: Can AI truly solve your association's membership challenges?

I recently attended an association professionals conference, where they had a contest to find the 50 best ideas for growing membership. They had prompted the attendees to share their membership-boosting ideas and strategies. Because I study membership, I was so excited to see what the winning suggestion would be.

Out of 50 submissions, the idea that won was using AI (short for Artificial Intelligence) - specifically, the belief that typing "how to grow my organization’s membership?" into ChatGPT would create a personal plan for success. Furthermore, by asking AI to draft letters and emails, associations would successfully pitch members to stay or to join. 

In other words, if organizations just use AI, then their membership disengagement and decline will be over. Everyone at the conference was ecstatic, clapping and cheering, thinking it was a great idea.

I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that people thought using AI was going to somehow produce a miracle for their organizations.

This is an example of a band-aid - where organizations see disengagement and decline happening and come to the conclusion that they need to generate revenue fast - a quick fix to their problem. 

In the past, a band-aid organizations turned to was launching a Facebook page. More recently, this has evolved into starting a TikTok page. Organizations reason that when they launch their social media pages, people will flock to it. They believe they won’t have issues with engagement anymore because they’ll be posting cool videos and keeping up with trends. 

Another example of a band-aid is designing a new logo, with the belief that giving their organization a metaphorical facelift will somehow lead to a fresh start and more engagement.

What all these band-aids have in common is the belief that all of a sudden, people are going to be joining. In reality, these are quick fixes - a hope for a miracle. AI and ChatGPT are just the latest examples of a band-aid, where organizations are looking at the latest trends and hoping for an easy solution.

However, membership disengagement and decline are signs of a bigger issue at play. If your organization is struggling to grow its membership, it's not the time for a band-aid. Instead, it's time to seriously consider why your organization is struggling, and to focus on what works.

Membership engagement is all about the emotional connection people have to an organization. This connection cannot be formed through quick changes or fix-ups.

Associations should be taking the time to build relationships with their current and soon-to-be members. In the long run, this will provide an authentic foundation for connection within your organization, one that technology cannot provide. 

Associations should be making efforts to ensure their people believe in the mission and trust that they can help them solve a problem. They should feel there is an opportunity for them to get involved, to learn something, to lead something, to make a positive difference.

AI is not going to save associations. It is not the answer to membership disengagement and decline. It's also not the answer to membership growth. If organizations want to grow their membership, they must build a community and an experience that is truly valuable - one that delivers something people need to succeed. 

Delivering must-have membership that solves a problem, makes members feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves, and makes them feel good about their purchase.

After all, emotions drive the decision to join, renew, and engage. That's been proven time and time again. It's not about searching for that quick-fix – it’s not about launching a new program, a social media campaign, a marketing effort, or a new logo. 

Instead, associations must get back to the member piece of membership. They must get back to building relationships with their members. Then, organizations will see more engagement. 

AI is not the answer. Relationship building is. 

If you’re seeking more than a band-aid, to bring real value to your organization, we highly recommend you check out the links below!

Thanks for reading the Membership IQ! 

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• If you want to learn more, you can purchase Sarah’s book MemberShift: Why Members Leave and The Strategies Proven to Bring Them Back here

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