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February 18, 2020 By Amanda Kaiser

Engaged Members Tell Heartfelt Stories

Are you wondering if your members are engaged? One of the traits of engaged members is they can tell stories about how your association helped them.

They tell stories like:

I remember the first opening session I ever attended. There was a panel taking about an issue near and dear to my heart. Suddenly I realized I wasn’t alone, I was surrounded by 500 professionals just like me.

and,

Walking into the first conference, I felt nervous jitters. Who was I to be there? I just started my own business and had not succeeded in the way many of the other attendees had. I was waiting in line at registration and the author of the book I just read struck up a conversation with me. She immediately made me feel more confident. After that, I didn’t have any trouble introducing myself to other attendees. I later learned she was on the board. It felt so great that a rock star in the industry took the time to talk to me.

or,

The community is great. Whenever I ask a question in the listserve I get ideas that work. I love seeing all my friend’s names and soon-to-be friends in the replies. This is unlike any other community that I am a part of; I feel very connected to my colleagues here.

Unengaged members don’t tell stories like this. In conversation, you will hear them hedge. They often say things like, “my manager recommended I join, that’s why I’m here,” or “I’m sure there’s a lot of value to be found,” or “I haven’t had the time yet to learn much about the association.” Unengaged members may even site a benefit they have not used or don’t often use, like “I know they do a monthly webinar,” or “I joined to receive the journal.”

If you want to measure engagement beyond the data in your systems, ask your members to tell stories.

Related:

  • Associaton members define engagement differently than you do
  • The false promise of metrics for the association community
  • Use member mindset to boost engagement

Filed Under: Member Engagement Tagged With: data, member data, member engagement, member experience, new member engagement, qualitative member research, slow data, telling stories

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