TRENDS Blog

Insights and quick tips for association and nonprofit professionals.

Rebuild Your Association’s Membership Monopoly

In economics, a monopoly exists when an enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service and can determine the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it. Monopolies survive when there is a lack of economic competition.

For years, membership associations were indeed monopolies; they offered a valuable commodity, members paid dues to have access to the commodity, and competition was minimal.

But starting in the year 2000, associations would experience a barrage of challenges that would weaken their position in the marketplace and forever alter their futures.

• On March 10, 2000, the dot-com bubble burst.
• On September 11, 2001, terrorists coordinated attacks on the United States.
• On October 6, 2008, the Great Recession began.
• On October 1, 2015, Millennials became the majority of the workforce.

Associations have forever been altered and forced to manage unprecedented change; the kind of change that substantially changed the way we work, live and do business. Nevertheless, associations can rebuild their monopolies and be very successful in the years to come, as long as they can accept the fact that the rules have changed and that what worked in the past isn’t going to work anymore.

As in business, your association will create a monopoly on the market if, and only if, what you provide is incredibly valuable and the competition is minimal. There are three components to consider when rebuilding any monopoly:

1) Niche
Trying to be all things to all people is a sure way to fail. The association of yesteryear focused on quantity; getting as many members as possible without alienating anyone. When you take this route, you will find more competition, your approach will be generalized, your information will be watered-down, and you will be doing twice as much work just to keep up. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all world anymore. Define your audience and seek to be the expert and go-to resource in that niche.

2) Culture
Culture makes a significant difference in how effective your association is at recruiting and retaining members and generating revenue. When culture is a concern, high turnover, difficulty recruiting or retaining members, negative feedback, and declining attendance are prominent. If you suspect your culture has taken a turn for the worse, make it a priority to pinpoint the source of negativity, effectively resolve conflict, and improve member relations. Culture matters.

3) Value
How do you prove the value of a membership in your association? Solve problems and tell stories. We’re living in an era of disruption. The needs of the marketplace are vast, and people join associations because they believe the association can help them solve their problems. Is your association responding by rolling out new programs, services, and solutions? Or is it still doing what it’s always done? Does your association represent independent gas companies (yawn) or is it helping bring cheaper gas to the United States quicker (wow!)? What would happen if your association didn’t exist? Sometimes that’s the best story you could tell.

Throughout history, membership associations have been challenged. Founded as communities with shared values and interests, associations have survived because people need one another. They prospered because they were monopolies; demand was high and the competition was minimal.

Rebuild your association’s monopoly with the needs of the members and the changes in the marketplace in mind, and you will be successful.


Sarah Sladek is a best-selling author and CEO of XYZ University. She brings her expertise to 40+ events a year, presenting to audiences worldwide on how to drive stronger engagement with younger generations. Audiences rave about her ability to deliver information in entertaining and provocative ways, blending pop culture with best practices, trend forecasting, research, and strategy

Join Sarah, XYZ University, and Association TRENDS at Membership 2020 for a full day of interactive sessions on next-gen membership recruitment in retention. Membership 2020 will take place in Washington D.C. on June 21st. Register today!

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