Spotlight

Young Members

Understanding and Benchmarking the Membership Preferences of Millennials and Generation Z

Recent years have seen the introduction of multiple studies designed to help associations understand these steps in context of the different generations within their membership, highlighting what makes each unique and providing guidance on how to best meet their particular needs. While the available research continues to provide value, as Greek philosopher Heraclitus once wrote, “Everything changes and nothing stands still.”

Many of yesterday’s young members, the Millennials, have grown in their careers and in their understanding of the value association membership provides. Meanwhile the older members of Generation Z, generally defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, are coming into adulthood and are expected to constitute a fifth of the US workforce by 2021.

The Full Study

Personify commissioned a study of younger members, revisiting those Millennials around whom many organizations have recently focused and including, for the first time, Generation Z, to create a clearer picture of:

The role that personal, one-on-one IRL (in real life) interactions play at different stages in the membership journey
Which social media channels topped the list – and which fell flat
How young members are, and are not, engaging with the events programming driving your non-dues revenue
The potentially catastrophic retention issue taking root with Millennials and Gen Z

To read the full results of our study:

Download the report

A Preview of Findings:

Membership (still) matters.

Across the board young members remain steadfast in their commitment to membership, with a majority saying it is important to be part of an association. Many say it is more important to belong now than it has been in the past.

Demonstrating a strong ROI on membership has never been more critical.

Almost half of respondents don’t feel that there is a strong return on investment when it comes to participating in associations, with many unsure of how the organization really benefits them.