3 charts that show the pressure on member value propositions

1. Member retention and member value are two sides of the same coin

Let’s face it – the Venn diagram of associations that struggle to deliver member value and of those facing member retention challenges is more or less a perfect circle. It may seem an obvious point, but it wasn’t always the case.

Mahlab spends a lot of time talking with members of professional associations of all stripes, and a question we often try to ask is: “what made you join your association?” For older members in particular, some variation of “It’s just what you did” is common. This is not the case with younger members. The reasons are legion: professional networking moving online, a boom in alternative sources of training and industry certification, suppliers offering CPD points and affordability concerns, to name just a few.

Associations can no longer rely on inherited loyalty or professional habit. If members can get training and network elsewhere, the association has to answer a much tougher question: why us? That means defining a value proposition that is concrete, current and easy to repeat. Not a long list of benefits, but a clear promise about what members gain that would be harder, slower or riskier to get on their own.

The takeaway: In practice, that means pressure-testing your offer against the alternatives. If a supplier can offer CPD, LinkedIn can offer networking and industry media can offer news, then your proposition needs to focus on what only an association can credibly provide: trusted standards, career-shaping recognition, access to peers in similar roles, practical advocacy, or support at key professional moments.
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2.  There’s a disconnect between what members value and what their associations think they value

Take a look at this chart, showing what more than 1000 professional association members say they valued most about their association, along with what the people who actually worked in those associations thought their members valued.

The disconnect is stark. Four of the five benefits that members value the highest were judged as relatively unimportant by association professionals, while the latter’s pick for the most valuable is seen as mid-tier by members themselves. When it comes to the importance of job opportunities, there is an incredible 32 percentage point gulf.

This is aggregate data, so the chances that this data set represents what is valuable to your particular membership is slim. But it’s clear that many associations can make major gains by improving their understanding of what members (and not just the noisiest ones) truly value about them.

For many associations, the issue is often not a lack of value, but a lack of perceived value. A benefit can be genuinely useful and still fail to drive retention if members do not recognise it as relevant to their immediate needs.

Member research – particularly research that goes beyond the most vocal cohorts of members – should be a high, and recurring, priority.

‍The takeaway: Consider a value-perception audit. Compare member research, benefit investment and marketing emphasis side by side. If the things members rate highest are buried in the middle of your website, barely mentioned in renewals or treated as secondary in campaigns, the problem may not be the offer itself, but the messaging that supports it.

3. Association members are getting younger – but not fast enough

You might glance at the chart above and see how quickly Millennial and Generation Z professionals are replacing the older guard in membership associations. But here’s the important context: while research finds the younger generations make just over a third of professional members, they make up well over half of the workforce. Professional associations skew older, and their value propositions both cause and reflect this. 

Research and lived experience consistently show significant differences between what members at different career stages value. Those just starting out are often seeking professional development, networking and career guidance; those in the middle of their careers can be more interested in higher-level certifications and industry insights; and the senior cohort is more likely to rate advocacy and influence as reasons for affiliation. A stark example? 2025 research from Momentive Software found that almost two thirds of Gen Z professionals said they were very interested in career guidance. Just one in seven Baby Boomers thought the same.

There might be very little overlap between what different members value. A one-size-fits-all value proposition is likely to fit no one particularly well.

‍The takeaway: Spend the time developing distinct value propositions for key demographics and segments, and messaging to reach them. Crucially, segmentation should shape the offer, not just the copy. 

Association value

Professional associations are powerhouses. They can convene peers, shape standards, advocate credibly and help members navigate their careers in ways no other organisations can. 

But those strengths no longer speak for themselves. In a more crowded and more competitive professional landscape, the associations that grow will be the ones that understand their members with more precision, communicate their value with more clarity and adapt their offer with more urgency.