Many associations now know that an interactive membership platform simplifies association work. But how does it engage stakeholders and increase volunteer involvement? And how can you fully use the potential of your platform to engage members and win new volunteers?
How the membership platform helps volunteer work
Today’s voluntary engagement of members and external stakeholders is characterised by low commitment and selective participation. Many member organisations rely on the activity and motivation of its members and stakeholders. But how do organisations motivate their members to participate and engage if everybody is getting busier and busier? This is where an interactive membership platform can benefit associations. It allows the association’s work to be adapted to today’s standards and trends and thus motivates members. Volunteers usually have their own commitments, be it their job, other activities, their family or private life. So they have to be able to stay up to date and on top of developments without having to invest a lot of time. Participation has to be made possible on the go, in between other commitments and as easy as possible. The more flexible you can make participation, the more volunteers you can win.
Making association work more accessible to new members
New members are often motivated to become actively involved in the association. However, if they are confronted with intransparent structures and complicated or outdated working methods, their motivation quickly wanes. It is crucial to make the work of the association easily accessible to new members. This is how you ensure that members can engage and identify with the association in the long term. You can achieve this in several ways. First, they need to understand how the association works. Make onboarding new members onto the member platform a central part of the initial experience. Use welcome posts, first steps overviews, examples and introductory groups to ensure new members hit the ground running and see your member platform as the central hub of your organisation.
Then it is time for the actual work of the association. New members should quickly be involved in interactive groups, be it communities or committees. Use the calendar to show what opportunities they have to join existing groups and meet others.Draw attention to project groups and committees that are open for new participants. This gives new members a quick overview of where they can contribute their strengths. The be-all and end-all of association work in the membership platform is to communicate with your members. This way, you always provide them with starting points to participate in the association’s work on a selective basis.
Linking members and allowing communication
Many members want to do voluntary work, but they hardly have time for it besides their job, family and private time. Volunteering must not only offer them the opportunity to get involved in the association on a selective basis, but participation should also be quick and easy. No member wants to spend hours trying to find the right files or people that are responsible for a certain topic.. Ensure members can find others in your member directory, listing their function and current activities within the association. If you encourage members to fill out their profile completely, their responsibilities and experience will be visible at a glance. This makes digital networking possible and transforms your extranet into a social network for your industry or profession. Members can get to know each other and can find expertise as well as a common basis for potential cooperations, reinforcing your association as the hub of a living network.
Committee work is not lost
The work within committees is essential for the association. When members come together to discuss a central issue, they need a space where they can organise and discuss ideas, organise information and publish results. Many committees therefore meet in person several times a year. They are bound to a time and space frame. Cooperation is complicated by the fact that the meeting must not only be organised, but also prepared and followed up. This is a great challenge, especially in voluntary work, because members often have little time besides their daily routine to deal with additional association matters. Although there is motivation for committee work, organisational tasks and finding consensus make collaboration very time consuming.
Because communication with each other is possible digitally, there is no need to meet in person for every detail. Often a post followed by a discussion in the respective group is sufficient to clarify most minor and many major issues. Time-limited work assignments can also be approached and completed in a short time. A major part of the organisation using the member platform for committee work also helps newcomers. All previous milestones and results are accessible within the respective groups making it a lot easier for new members to hit the ground running.
Linking members and allowing communication
Many members want to do voluntary work, but they hardly have time for it besides their job, family and private time. Volunteering must not only offer them the opportunity to get involved in the association on a selective basis, but participation should also be quick and easy. No member wants to spend hours trying to find the right files or people that are responsible for a certain topic.. Ensure members can find others in your member directory, listing their function and current activities within the association. If you encourage members to fill out their profile completely, their responsibilities and experience will be visible at a glance. This makes digital networking possible and transforms your extranet into a social network for your industry or profession. Members can get to know each other and can find expertise as well as a common basis for potential cooperations, reinforcing your association as the hub of a living network.
Starting out digitally with the association
Using the practical benefits of an interactive membership platform to its full extent makes it easier to attract, involve and motivate volunteers. More involved and committed members develop a stronger emotional connection to the association and give back more and more value to the network and the association itself. The member platform acts as the hub, making your organisation more transparent and more involving.