Associations and Belonging

Professional Associations Rock the World!

For every conceivable career, there is a corresponding association working hard to put on networking events, arrange skill-upgrade stuff, plan and host conferences, and make sure the members of the profession are seen and heard by the people who need to be in the loop.

But the most important thing they do, by a long shot, is give us an opportunity to belong.

According to the 100,000 surveys in the North American Valuegraphics database, BELONGING is the thing we all crave the most. It's the value that outranks all others.

So what makes people join an association? Why do they stay?

The Canadian Society of Association Executives recently asked me to talk to their annual conference about just that: what members value, and what triggers them to join and remain. Here's where innovative consumer research can really help. 

Have a look at this interview with Association Magazine about the Valuegraphics Report on Association Membership. If you want to know more about what we discovered, hit me up. Happy to share. More association members = more robust associations, and that means we all win.