Attracting and retaining next-gen professionals is crucial to the long-term success of associations. ASAE’s ForesightWorks research initiative highlighted this as one of its 46 drivers of change, saying that millennials and Generation Z “are the future of associations and, contrary to some conventional wisdom, they are willing to both join and stay with organizations that meet their career development needs.” 

How can associations build career development programs that will engage and engender lasting loyalty among next-gen members? There are three keys to success.

Focus on Trends, Not Stereotypes

Successful career development programs are built upon trends rather than stereotypes. Millennials and Gen Z are not homogenous groups with the same wants, needs, expectations, or goals. And neither fits into the common stereotypes that seem to plague these generations.

The misconception of entitlement among millennials is a good example of how stereotypes can limit our creativity and innovation. Instead, associations need to reverse their approach to career development programs and actually base them on generational habits and trends.

Think of this generation as one that largely grew up with immediate access to information on almost any subject, including everything from unbiased peer reviews to video-based exercises and trainings. Because of this, promising career development programs and resources should offer motivated self-learners opportunities to engage with multimedia content and peer-to-peer learning formats. Online community platforms can connect members for peer reviews and provide a platform to post both association-generated microlearning and member-generated videos.

Associations need to reverse their approach to career development programs and actually base them on generational habits and trends.

Build Relationships, Not Networks

Networking is a critical element to establishing and building a career. However, since the majority of next-gen members already have social media networks that include several hundred people, they don’t need associations to help them build community or to create sizable networking events.

Instead, they need avenues to build meaningful, productive relationships with fellow professionals, and that is where associations can come in by offering programs that provide two-way communication, ongoing connections, and one-on-one relationships.

Take the American Marketing Association’s Washington, DC, chapter. Recently, AMADC experimented with a one-on-one coaching program. Next-gen professionals interested in starting their own business were matched with an experienced member who had successfully run a small business.

The program included eight weekly coaching sessions, a kickoff session, access to an invitation-only online community forum, and a final presentation and happy hour event. Participating members were required to complete an application explaining their goals for the program, and, if accepted, pay a participation fee.

Not only did this program identify a prominent need among next-gen members, but it also created ongoing, meaningful relationships among members with similar goals. Plus, it served as a new nondues revenue stream for the chapter.

Create Engagement, Not Posts

The prevalence of social media use among next-gen professionals has led many associations to be more active on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unfortunately, many associations treat social media as a digital bulletin board for general information, pictures, and event announcements. In other words, they post a lot with little expectation or focus on engagement and impact.

Successful social media is not a one-way channel. It should engage next-gen members with authentic, useful content that is relevant and reinforces an association’s mission.

Millennial and Gen Z members tend to be practical individuals who place a high priority on authenticity. In a 2017 Consumer Content Report from Stackla, 90 percent of millennials rated authenticity as an important factor when deciding which brands to support.

These same individuals have also demonstrated a strong connection to mission-based organizations: a recent survey by Blackbaud found that 84 percent of millennials give to charitable organizations, compared to 59 percent of Gen X and 72 percent of baby boomers.

Associations have mission and authenticity at their core, and they are distinctly suited to create engagement through social media channels. The question is no longer, “How can we be more active on social?” Instead, it needs to be, “How can we engage next-gen members with authentic, useful content that reinforces our mission?”