5 ways to sustain your association chapter – and keep it going for the long-term
Updated: Sep. 12, 2022 | Categories: Lack of Resources
The last few years have been hard for association chapters and their members. Chapters are merging and even dissolving as they realize -- often too late -- that their membership and their financial reserves are dwindling. By the time they see the problem, it’s often too late.
How’s your chapter holding up? Is it in a good financial position? Are members participating and bringing guests to events and meetings? Are new members joining?
Or are things looking bleak?
If you’re having trouble in any of those areas, here are a few ways you can:
- Improve your association chapter performance
- Better engage your volunteers, members and potential members
- Increase your financial reserves
Give your volunteers the tools to make work easier.
How many systems and spreadsheets are your committees and board members using to meet and track all their goals and responsibilities? Do they need to log into multiple systems for membership, dues, finances, etc.? Getting new board members and committee members up-to-speed on five systems is much more challenging than introducing them to a single system. Using a single association management system (AMS) like StarChapter makes it easy to get everything done, for smoother transitions, faster decisions, streamlined communications and more. An AMS helps ensure your association chapter’s continued success, by making new board and committee members’ transitions seamless, while ensuring all the hard work and successes of those who came before them doesn’t get lost.
Use the summer to set association chapter priorities for the upcoming year.
What do you really want to accomplish in your next association chapter board year? A summer board and committee meeting/retreat should be much more than checking off all you did or didn’t accomplish the previous year. Summer is the right time for association chapters to focus and strategize, as you’re not trying to simultaneously plan and execute many, if any, chapter activities. Use this time to talk through what your next year should look like, any changes you need to make and the metrics you’ll review to know you’ve been successful. Ask your board members and committees to use this time to create actionable association chapter engagement plans and implement ideas that will help them better prepared for the fall.
Add some healthy competition between committees.
You can assign, you can ask, you can beg. But what can you really do to meet all the goals you need to be successful, like bringing in X new association chapter members, improving feedback scores, etc.? (If you’re not asking your committees to set goals, you should be.) The right AMS makes it easy to document those goals and track how each committee is doing meeting them. To make things a little more interesting, and to get your association chapter committees more engaged in the work they’re doing, share the results regularly and set up a contest between committees to see who meets their goals first. Consider rewards like free chapter swag and free attendance to upcoming events.
Make it easy to hear about your chapter successes and all the cool stuff you’re doing.
How will members and guests know about all the great things you do and see why they should stay (or get) involved unless you show them? Spotlight members who love your chapter and share previous events – with pictures and video -- on your blog, and your website and in other chapter communications. Showcase what you’ve done, so members (and their guests) will want to get involved in all the things you’ll be doing in the future.
Create revenue streams in addition to your association chapter dues.
Association chapter dues can only help so much. Income from other sources provides the financial resources your chapter needs to execute all the great programs and services that keep your members coming back and interest new ones. Consider an association chapter sponsorship program with different levels if you don’t already have one. Not sure you’re ready? Start small, with a la carte items like including company logos on your association chapter website, with links to their website.
With a few adjustments, you can create an association chapter environment that gives everyone – volunteers, members, guests, sponsors and more – the ability to clearly see and all your chapter has to offer; and take advantage of it all.
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