Ask engaged members when they realized the value of the association and many can tell you the exact moment. For a few members value builds over time but for most members there is a single event or moment when it’s clear to them they made the right decision in joining.
The moment new members understand the value of the association is the association’s value trigger point. For many members it was their first conference or event put on by the association. There they met people like them struggling with the same challenges they struggle with. They solved some of their problems listening or connecting with people who have been there, done that. They got support. They felt included. They liked the other attendees. They made some friends. They learned a lot. They met a mentor. They realized they were not alone.
Now that they attended the conference or event and understand the value of the association they are more likely to be engaged in other ways. They look to the association first for information and give the association the benefit of the doubt. Members like these remain members longer, they contribute and they evangelize.
Knowing what our association’s value trigger point is provides us with more opportunities to increase value for everyone:
- Discover ways to get more members to experience the trigger point event soon upon joining
- Ensure the trigger point event has a focus on those first timers so they have a great experience
- Is the trigger point event only for a select segment of your membership? Can we create a similar experience for others?
- Learn if there are more ways to improve the value trigger point event to provide even more value.
Do we understand what our association’s value trigger point is today? Are our members stumbling into it just because they were lucky enough to attend the conference and now they value the association more verses their peers who didn’t attend? We don’t have to let members’ perception of our association’s value happen by chance. We can improve their perception of value once we know what our association’s value trigger point really is.