08/13/2021

Four Tips for Using Emotional Intelligence to Improve the Member Experience

Don't miss the root of the issue

Association leaders are always looking for ways to expand their membership and renewal rates. Lately, however, it has become even more of an uphill battle. In fact, according to a number of recent surveys over the past few years more associations are seeing member stagnation or declines than they are seeing growth. In one survey published by Wild Apricot, over two thirds of professional organizations reported difficulty growing their membership numbers.

To turn this trend around, leadership at some organizations have been trying new strategies, such as developing online resources and apps, beefing up marketing initiatives, and revising programming.

While these tactics may help, they are missing the root of the issue. The key to successful membership growth is building member engagement. Such engagement can only happen when decisions are made with high emotional intelligence (EQ), which is the ability to identify emotions and understand the key role they play in influencing an individual's thoughts, words, and actions. In fact, having EQ is mission critical for professional association leaders.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.