In my work with associations and member organisations, I’ve witnessed a strong urgency across the sector to rethink how value is communicated to members. It’s been a tough year for many—difficult economic conditions and rising costs make memberships feel increasingly discretionary for many. This has introduced a level of risk that many associations haven’t had to grapple with to this extent before. The challenge they are increasingly facing, and which has come to the forefront this year, is: are we meeting the diverse needs of our members enough for them to renew their memberships when their budgets are tighter than ever?

To tackle this, many associations are now realising that they need to move away from a one-size-fits-all value proposition. Instead, they’re exploring how they can become hyper-relevant, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse and discerning membership base. For many, this means introducing a more nuanced offering and value proposition.

Another emerging priority for many associations this year was engaging student members more meaningfully. Associations are beginning to see that pipelining future members is not just a recruitment strategy but must be made a strategic priority and that this segment must be better understood in order to reach them. Student members need different things than those members who are already working in their profession. Showing relevance to their specific needs means associations can position themselves as career partners right from the beginning, but this means investing in a different approach—which many struggle with due to limited resources, and lack of insights and research into this cohort.

Looking to 2025, I hope to see more associations adopting a more nuanced approach to how they communicate with their members, and that communications will be elevated within these organisations to make them a bigger strategic priority.