The Looming Membership Cliff: What Associations Can and Should Be Doing

by Joanna Pineda Posted on January 22, 2025

Over the last year, I noticed an alarming trend popping up in my interviews with CEOs on my podcast, Associations Thrive. CEOs in the healthcare space were worried about nurses and technicians leaving the industry. Michael DiFrisco, Executive Director of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, surveyed members and found that 52% of accredited members were planning to retire in the next five years. Kelli Baxter, then Executive Director of the American Translators Association, surveyed members and found that 62% of members were close to retirement! I could go on and on.

I realized that many (granted, not all) associations are facing a membership cliff in the coming years. And this cliff is not just a distant concern – it’s here. What’s contributing to this cliff and what are associations doing to combat this cliff?

To explore this more, I hosted a webinar through UST Education on the membership cliff. I was joined by Michael DiFrisco of AACD, and Tracey Moorhead, CEO of the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing. Here’s what we learned:

Demographics are playing a significant role in shaping membership trends. These shifts mean fewer professionals are entering industries and, by extension, associations.

The traditional membership model is facing scrutiny. There’s a lot of hand-wringing about Millennials and Gen Zers who are not “joiners.”

Private equity is reshaping industries, often at the expense of associations. This trend surprised me the most. Once private equity was mentioned during the webinar, the chat lit up. It seems private equity is impacting industries in a HUGE way.

So how are associations addressing membership challenges and declines? We had nearly 100 people in the webinar and the chat was going crazy with insights and comments! Many execs realized that they are not alone in facing a looming cliff, many realized the need to survey their members about demographic trends, and many shared the strategies they’re exploring and executing. Here are my notes from the chat:

The membership cliff may be imminent, but it’s not inevitable. Associations have the opportunity to adapt, innovate, and reassert their value. How are you navigating the membership cliff? What strategies is your organization exploring to safeguard its future? 

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