Does your doctor always give you a straight answer? When a lipid panel showed that my total cholesterol was a little high, my doctor murmured, “you’ve got to get that down.” No tips, no resources, no diet advice. So I did a little research myself and found that eating certain foods may help, like oats, avocados, and nuts. Six months later the number decreased slightly, but not enough. Back to researching, I went. That’s when I found the saturated fat formula. The recommendation is to keep saturated fat intake at less than 5 or 6% of total daily calories, and once I stuck to the formula, my cholesterol came right back into line.
I imagine that doctors are constantly frustrated by patients rarely doing what they should do – eating right, exercising, flossing, etc. On the other hand, the medical community could better communicate the details behind what to do when things get out of hand.
Perhaps there is an analogy between physicians and association leaders. We wish members would do what they should do. They should read emails, so they don’t miss out on the benefits they are eligible for. They should try out more of their benefits. If they would engage a little more, they’d see how engaging the association can be. Like doctors, associations can also do more to communicate with members.
Most members won’t proactively research to get to know the association and how it will benefit them, so let’s slowly feed them the information they need to succeed.
Here are some related articles to get you started: why new members are especially vulnerable; the four-step framework for reaching members. Remember to start with their problem first. Some emails are super fun to read. And make sure you avoid the “dump truck effect.”