3 Ways to Level Up Your Existing Programs With Online Learning

Associations are always searching for ways to improve member and staff experiences. Many are looking to online learning to help them do that, but launching or scaling up initiatives can seem daunting. Will the experiences resonate with members? Will the technology create work for staff? In short, are the results going to be worth the effort?

Rather than building from the ground up, what if you looked at augmenting and adding to what’s already there?

Here, we examine three ways your association can incorporate high-quality online learning into existing programs to make them even more impactful.

1. Conferences and Events

For many associations, in-person events are a crucial part of their value proposition. They generate considerable revenue and drive member recruitment, engagement and retention. In the 2023 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, respondents said that offering a discount on conventions was the most effective tool they had in their tool belts when it came to recruiting new members. After a challenging few years, we’ve also seen interest rebound, with 58% of associations reporting increases in conference and trade show attendance in 2023.

If we know that big marquee events are so important, the question becomes what can your association do to get more out of them? Here is what we suggest:

• Pre-Event: Create engaging quizzes that participants can take to assess their knowledge and identify areas they need to focus on. Offer personalized feedback and resources based on their quiz results.
• At the Event: Utilize gamification elements and create a points system where attendees earn points for completing micro-learning tasks like watching a video clip, participating in a quiz or contributing to a discussion forum. Offer rewards or recognition for high scorers, to encourage engagement.
• Post-Event: Organize a follow-up webinar series that dives deeper into the topics covered at the event. This helps attendees continue their learning journey and apply what they’ve learned.

Augmenting face-to-face events with high-quality online learning can drive continuous year-round engagement and add value to the member experience.

2. Member Onboarding

First impressions matter—especially for members. Discounts and swag can be nice bonuses, but at the end of the day, they join your association because they see it as a leading, trustworthy voice in the industry and a place where they can come to grow in their careers. You need to give them the validation that they’ve made the right choice.

As with events, member onboarding isn’t new to your association. You already have tactics in place, from digital communications and branded mailers to welcome webinars and more.

Online learning can be a beneficial part of your onboarding programs for two reasons:

1. It’s flexible. It allows new members to get to know your association where and when it’s convenient for them. It also enables them to easily revisit content. If they have a question about their member benefits package and want to know whom to contact, that information is part of their onboarding course, which is always available.
2. It quickly gets people enmeshed in the environment. They can see what your association is all about, connect with other new members and browse educational offerings. Plus, they do it all in one of the core technologies they’ll be interacting with on an ongoing basis.

Incorporating online learning as part of the onboarding experience is about creating stickiness for new members. It makes them feel like they’re part of the community and shows them that your association can deliver the value they’re looking for.

3. Staff Development

Your staff is the heartbeat of your association. They’re the ones who bring your goals to life and deliver the programs members rely on. They need to be enabled with:

• Association-Specific Training: Regardless of their individual function—whether communications, government relations, events or education—it’s crucial that your staff have a consistent, aligned understanding of what your association does and the value it delivers for members.
• Ongoing Professional Development: Your members aren’t the only ones who want to advance in their careers. According to a Pew survey, 63% of employees said the reason for leaving their jobs was not having opportunities for advancement.

Delivering portions of that training online can bring a few benefits. For one, it’s flexible. Staff can participate anywhere, which is especially important for remote and hybrid workforces. Course content can also be easily adapted to reflect your association’s updated policies, procedures and offerings.

The other advantage of using the same online learning platform for your staff as you do for your members is that it can build empathy. It puts staff in the members’ shoes, giving them firsthand experience with using the platform they also administer.

The Business Case for Leaning Into Online Learning

Online learning doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing initiative. High-quality educational content and experiences can be used to augment and bolster existing programs, helping your association better engage with members and enable staff.

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