Productivity

THE CHALLENGE When Laurie Lourie came on board as Executive Vice President of the York Builders Association in York, Pennsylvania, she brought 22 years of association experience and a keen eye for continuous improvement. She knew that a dues-based organization had to have cost-efficient systems to provide members with valuable programs and services. How to choose the right AMS Software  Laurie identified costly inefficiencies at the builders association, including separate systems for managing programs, accounting, and member data. With limited […]

Kyle Sexton explains how professional staff of associations get more done with less. How do they do it? Leverage: Leverage man-power by adding volunteers Leverage investments by aligning with sponsors Leverage assets by rebuilding the membership model This means teamwork, of course. They say a team isn’t defined by their ability to work together, but their trust in each other. High-functioning organizations have balanced accountability systems with high levels of trust among the team. Having served with a high-functioning team for […]

When creating your association’s marketing plan, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to clearly differentiate between a strategy and other plan components. “Strategy” refers to the long-term planning and implementation of methods to help an organization achieve its membership goals. However, “strategy” is often misused to refer to a mission, goals, objectives, and tactics. A well-defined marketing plan with a clear strategy is vital for an organization. An excessively diverse, reactionary, and scattered strategy known as the “kitchen sink” […]

Medical and healthcare association professionals across the U.S. and Canada replied to GrowthZone’s survey in the fourth quarter of 2022, providing a look at their organizations’ inner workings. The survey results indicate that their most significant challenge to growing membership is difficulty reaching prospective members and attracting and retaining younger medical professionals. For today’s associations, the challenge of recruiting and engaging young professionals is never-ending. For medical associations and societies, it can seem utterly impossible. Young medical professionals keep rigorous schedules. […]

Developing a plan for communications is an integral key to retaining new members. Statistics show that keeping a current association member costs 7X less than obtaining a new member AND first-year members have the worst renewal rates. So, when it comes to new-member onboarding, time spent now is time (and money) saved in the future. Creating a system for communicating with and engaging new members increases efficiency and improves retention. Hook (and keep) your new members’ interest by implementing the […]

Offer multiple payment methods If your association members have different options for payment, particularly online (credit, debit card, ACH transfer, etc.), and autopayments, they’ll pay faster. Be polite Small phrases like ‘please pay your association invoice within…’ and ‘thank you for your membership’ can make a big difference. It can increase the percentage of invoices paid by over five percent. Incentives for autopay Offer discounts to association members who set up monthly or annual autopay (e.g., 2% for monthly autopay, […]

Sales Funnel: A method (using software) to guide a prospective customer through a series of stages, ultimately converting them to a member, sponsor, customer, etc. It’s described as a funnel because it’s large at the top, tapers through the middle, and narrows at the bottom. The process begins with a broad pool of prospects. At each stage, the pool narrows. Prospects are filtered, and those somewhat likely to convert advance through the funnel. Eventually, the prospects with the highest likelihood […]

Engaged members will renew their contracts and recruit colleagues who help you grow and work towards your mission.

For association pros, decision-making can be simple or stressful, easy or hard. However, regardless of the situation, when you identify the type of decision to be made and the most appropriate form for that decision, the process can be clear-cut. 3 Forms of Decision-Making for Your Association Maximizing: Making the most of the utility of things – recognizing and exploring all possibilities to determine the maximum benefit. Optimizing: Obtaining the best possible outcome from what is available – choosing the […]

We are excited to share the announcement of Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE)’s 2024 Chamber of the Year winners. The winners were announced on Wednesday, July 17, during the awards show at ACCE’s Annual Convention in Dallas. GrowthZone is proud to have been there to be one of the first to congratulate the winners as the official 2024 Chamber of the Year sponsor. “Chambers of commerce play an increasingly vital role in promoting regional prosperity,” said ACCE President & […]

THE CHALLENGE AGC MA Operations Manager Barbara Canoni led the efforts for the association to evaluate various association software options where all member information could be accessed in one place. She knew finding the right technology would be a long-term cost savings investment. “We needed a system that would help us provide our members with timely and accurate information,” said Barbara. “It used to be that financial information was only accessible through our bookkeeper, so if a member needed to […]

Earlier this year, GrowthZone surveyed 332 associations and other member-based organizations across the U.S. and Canada for insight into the challenges and concerns of today’s association professionals. The results show several interesting trends impacting today’s associations, here are some key findings: Member growth and engagement are primary concerns for most associations, followed by issues related to time management and revenue generation. Lack of engagement is a key reason for members not renewing, along with factors like time constraints, perceived value, […]