Heat up your summer with a strategy to boost student conversion.

Is it just me or is 2019 flying by?

It feels like yesterday that I was rolling my eyes at Valentine’s chocolate displays because it was only January but when I went to Target over the weekend there it was, staring me in the face….the wall of graduation cards.

Graduation? Already?

It’s true. According to the National Center of Education Statistics the coming weeks will see universities and colleges across the country award close to 4 million associates, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees awarded at universities and colleges.

Many of those receiving their diploma have augmented their studies with the support of professional associations. Student membership makes a lot of sense, providing access to additional training information, news and other resources designed to help them apply what they’re learning in the classroom.  But while 87% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed in Personify’s Young Members 2.0 study (PDF) report that it’s important to be part of an association, less than a quarter of student memberships convert to full membership, down 5% year over year. And that’s being optimistic: Marketing General’s 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report (PDF) recently shared that 40% of associations report their student-to-full conversion rate is even worse, at only 10%…or less.

Helping new grads fly with a net

The needs of student members don’t stop the day they receive their diploma. Career-focused programming and content remains core to a young members’ interest in association membership, with 92% of Millennials and Gen Z identifying educational content as “very important” and 87% placing a high-value on the networking opportunities made available through membership, according to our research.

Extending the value of student membership, even if just repackaging the same – or similar – programs at a different price point, can be an easy but hugely influential way to keep new graduates involved in your organization but curating programs may not be enough. Watch our on-demand Webinar where we review:

  • What young members are looking as they make the leap from student- to full-time membership
  • How to create and introduce the perfect offer to support new graduates
  • Tips to get the word out with collegians before they receive their diploma
  • Ways to ease the financial burden and keep membership accessible
  • …and much more