Most associations have already built the pieces. Education, certifications, communities, events, publications, career resources: the raw material is there, and often it is genuinely strong.
The gap is in how members experience it. Too often, an association's value looks like a menu that professionals are left to interpret on their own, at exactly the moments when they most need someone in their corner.
That's the argument David Whited, Principal, Design Research & Strategy at Highland, brings to a recent episode of The Association Insights Podcast (powered by OnWrd & UpWrd), hosted by Colleen Gallagher. His case, in short:
- The competition is no longer other associations. Members can find education, information, community, and even career advice across LinkedIn, Reddit, AI tools, podcasts, and peer groups. What those platforms cannot offer is continuity across a career.
- The most valuable moments for a member rarely line up with the association's calendar. They tend to arrive around promotions, transitions, certification cycles, and stretches where confidence takes a hit. Some call for the association to show up. Others call for it to step back.
- Personalization has to move past the first name in a subject line. It has to reflect what stage a member is in, what they are likely facing, and what would actually help.
The conversation with Colleen builds on research Highland has been running with associations across specialties, including work behind the Member Pulse, AI Career Partner and the annual Young Professional Membership Index.
Listen to the full episode
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcasts.
A September series produced in partnership with OnWrd & UpWrd will continue the conversation with a focus on how associations can better engage and retain younger professionals.
