The Future of AI in Your Association: Member Engagement

There is a world of difference between the number of members in an association and the number of engaged members. Unengaged members can simply drain resources, as you send countless unread emails, updates and newsletters. 

Engaged members contribute to the good of the association, either through active participation in meetings, serving on vital committees or volunteering for fundraising events. AI analyzes your membership data together to create an active membership persona. 

This persona tells you what type of member is most likely to be engaged, what motives him or her to become involved and how much involvement you can typically expect. 

As younger generations join associations, they are not as interested in the prestige of the association, but in the perceived benefits the association provides to them. That is not to say that younger generations are more selfish than Baby Boomers. They simply view their time as a commodity. 

Research indicates that the top three individual benefits Gen Xers expect from membership are networking, current information regarding their profession, and career development opportunities. AI social analytics gathers up-to-the-minute information from a variety of social media, news articles, and other public sources as well as your association management solution (AMS). 

Using specific algorithms, AI can then rank this information in order of relevance to your association. 

Boredom inhibits engagement. Try new ideas and test their success using AI analytics. Try offering new products or programs to a few select members in return for their honest appraisal. Or, try hosting “theme nights” for different aspects of your association’s membership or prospective members. 

Again, use your AI data to track engagement with each new implementation through surveys, feedback during the event, and by monitoring the chat room or community platform. Keep what works and never be afraid to move on to the next new idea – perhaps one suggested by one of your engaged members.