Last year, I discussed a few trends that would generate even more interest in the association industry in 2010.  Some of them, such as crowdsourcing, virtual attendance and active young professionals, proved true. Of course, I don’t exactly think those were difficult predictions to make.

Looking back over the past year and reflecting on the other trends I predicted would become big, I wouldn’t say the association industry as a whole totally embraced mobile technology. There is still some apprehension about the barriers to entry and questions about how popular the technology really is among members. I will say, though, that association professionals shouldn’t let mobile fall of their radars – the smartphone industry is booming and it won’t be long before they’re the norm.

Another item discussed in last year’s post was associations will stop adopting social media just for the sake of it. I think there are still a lot of questions out there about online communities and legal ramifications and losing control of your message. But the beauty of the Internet is that you don’t necessarily have to send out formal surveys to your members to find out what they think. Have you had success with social media this year?

This past year has been an extremely interesting one for associations. Conferences and meetings were exciting, drew criticisms and praises and brought people together. We connected over webinars and blogs, phone calls and Facebook.

What has been the biggest change your association has seen during the past year? Did you implement a new association management software, start discussing social media policies and online communities, offer new or exciting programs to your members? What are you looking forward to most about 2011?

(Here at MemberClicks, we have some exciting news up our sleeves – be on the lookout for a fun announcement!)

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I was thrilled to see in the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Survey that 59 percent of respondents offer student memberships. However, only 16 percent offer an “unemployed” level of membership, and the option for “young professional” wasn’t included. (Ten percent did answer “other,” however.)

I think it’s so important for organizations to offer incentives for Gen-Y’ers and young Gen-X’ers to join. If you offer individual memberships, don’t make the costs prohibitive to young professionals. Those who are unemployed or freelance, for instance, probably want to take advantage of the networking opportunities even more so than those with full-time jobs.

Additionally, the report stated that only 16 percent of respondents offered group memberships, but those that did were more likely to exhibit overall growth in the past five years.

There’s a fine line between the value offered and what someone is willing to pay for it. And that line is different for everyone, depending on his or her circumstances.

Almost two years ago, the band Radiohead did something revolutionary – it made its newest album, “In Rainbows,” available for fans to download, and fans could pay whatever they wanted. Essentially, the fans could pay what they thought the album was worth.

I’m not suggesting associations should do this. But I am suggesting associations take the time to consider the different types of people that might join the organization, and how their circumstances can affect their decision. People join organizations for lots of reasons, but the cost of dues should never be a deterrent, especially for small staff associations, which are often more niche and specialized.

A few months ago, I wrote a post here about how associations can engage young professionals on their staffs. It’s true that younger professionals have a lot to offer membership organizations, but sometimes they see things (such as career development) in a different way, simply because of the way they were raised and how prevalent technology has been in their lives. (I say “they” like I’m not a young professional myself. I am. WE see things in a different way sometimes.)

Now, though, I want to hear from you. What has your organization done to support young professionals and make sure they get the most from professional development or leadership programs?

I’m working on an article for Associations Now and I want to hear the coolest, most awesome thing your association has done to engage young professionals. What makes them different in your organization? (Of course, you and your organization would be credited as sources in the article, and I may have some follow-up questions.)

In that blog post, I wrote:

But for younger association staffers, this can be a stressful time in their lives. Presenting to the board for the first time can be scary, and so can planning and executing their first program. And managing others? Not everyone is a natural leader or manager, and it can be especially difficult for some…

And how does your association get the most from its talented young professionals? There are lots of new ideas to be had from this group, and they probably don’t all have to do with technology. Growing up in a different decade, with different opportunities and outlooks, means young professionals are engrained with new ideas and visions.

Last week, I have the pleasure of attending a networking event for young professionals involved in the Georgia Society of Association Executives. We had a great time unwinding over pizza and drinks and it was a fantastic way for us to get to know each other a bit better in a casual environment.

I’m sure there are lots of associations out there (big and small!) who have done cool things to engage their young professionals. Whether it’s a special happy hour, a mentoring program or a partnership with another organization, I would love to hear any and all ideas.

Feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me at shannon@memberclicks.com. I can’t wait to read about your awesome ideas!

I was catching up on my Google Reader this morning (I still love Really Simple Syndication to keep track of the hundreds of blogs I subscribe to) and Frank Fortin’s post about the Association of the Future caught my eye.

If you’re unfamiliar with Association of the Future, it’s a kind of experiment run by ASAE and The Center and is meant to be a form of career development for young professionals. In the experiment, a group of selected young association professionals staff a mock association and attempt to project how associations down the road will be structured, how they will operate and how they will function.

There was a session introducing AOTF at the Great Ideas Conference last week, and Frank’s post was a reflection of that session.

I don’t want to rehash too much of Frank’s awesome post (you should definitely read it if you haven’t already), and I wasn’t at the conference, so I can’t make any observations on the session itself. But as a “young professional” (millennial, Gen-Y, what have you), Frank’s post made a big impression on me.

The ideas and recommendations to “change” governance and association’s structures weren’t really remarkable or innovative, Frank wrote.

How come?

AOTF’s mantra/mission/objective was “Members come first. No silos. Listen and then talk. Go techno.” (I think it’s an awesome mantra, by the way.) But Frank wrote that he and many session attendees didn’t feel the actions backed up the mantra.

I think it’s difficult for anyone to create truly innovative change in any organization they’ve been a part of for a long time. Rather than making sweeping “innovations,” it’s easier to just tweak lots of different processes and see what sticks. No matter what age you are, if you’re used to an organization functioning a certain way, it’s difficult to take a step back and see what could be. I honestly don’t think anyone is immune to the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” attitude.

Frank wrote that none of the suggestions and changes AOTF presented focused on the actual members. Why not? Isn’t that the point of an association — to facilitate relationships among people who share a common interest of career, and to provide them with resources and education to further those interests or careers?

I’m not sure why AOTF only looked at an association’s structure and governance, and I certainly wasn’t at the session, so I’ve love to get some feedback from people who were in attendance.

However, I think Frank hit on a key learning point and takeaway of this experiment: doing things the same way and expecting different results rarely works.

What do you think? How could AOTF produce innovative, startling changes with positive reactions?

I’ve written before about suggestions for retaining student members after they graduate and about the importance of a forward-thinking communication strategy.

But what about focusing on your own younger staffers – the young professionals?

Loosely defined as anyone between the ages of 21-35 (although the ages limits are pretty fluid), young professionals have a lot to offer your organization. As late Gen-Xers and early Millennials, though, their needs and outlooks can be slightly different from yours. Perhaps, as a small-staff association, you don’t work with many young professionals. But as more Baby Boomers retire, it’s likely that a younger person could join your staff soon.

Young professionals thrive on career development and want to learn new things. Workshops dedicated to salary negotiation and cover letter writing are always beneficial, especially since many people in this age group change jobs frequently early in their careers.

But for younger association staffers, this can be a stressful time in their lives. Presenting to the board for the first time can be scary, and so can planning and executing their first program. And managing others? Not everyone is a natural leader or manager, and it can be especially difficult for some.

What kinds of unique services does your association offer its young professionals? Management seminars? Networking opportunities with other young professionals? Career development workshops?

If your organization is too small to support workshops and seminars for young professionals, consider teaming up with another small organization in the area. After all, they don’t have to be focused on the association itself – career development and networking can benefit anyone, no matter what their line of work.

And how does your association get the most from its talented young professionals? There are lots of new ideas to be had from this group, and they probably don’t all have to do with technology. Growing up in a different decade, with different opportunities and outlooks, means young professionals are engrained with new ideas and visions.

Do you provide an environment that fosters their brainstorming and innovations? Do you welcome all new ideas and seriously consider them?

Not to be cheesy, but young professionals really are the future of your organization. They are the ones who will be in charge in 15 or 20 years. Be sure to make it an environment they want to stick around in for a while.