The Digital Member Study from Community Brands examined the gap between member expectations and association technology. The study surveyed 1,032 members who belong to a professional membership organisation and 400 staff representatives.

1. Technology Adoption and
Personalisation Drive
Member Loyalty
Romax

2. The Digital Member Study from Community Brands examined the gap between member expectations and
association technology. The study surveyed 1,032 members who belong to a professional membership
organisation and 400 staff representatives.
The Digital Member Study revealed that technology and personalisation play critical roles in fostering
loyalty among members because of their heightened expectations for the two factors. However, many
organisations struggle to keep up with this growing member demand. The main barriers are cost, return
on investment and integration in member usage.

3. Technology Adoption
There is a strong correlation between technology adoption and member loyalty. Sixty-three of the
respondents say that technology plays an important role in their lives. Most members reported that they
are early adopters of technology.
As such, they value membership organisations that keep up with their level of technology adoption.
Members are more satisfied with associations that stay ahead of the technology curve. This satisfaction
helps members feel more connected with their organisations.
Plus, organisations that consider themselves early technology adopters are more likely to leverage
predictive analytics and data science. These methods make personalisation easier by looking at the
members’ past activity.

4. Personalisation
Most organisations believe that personalisation helps them deliver better experiences from their
members, driving more engagement. However, many still do not provide the kind of personalised content
valued by members and settle for simpler methods, such as emails with the member’s name. Only 33 per
cent of the respondents believe they receive the kind of content they expect from their respective
organizations.
The Digital Member Study revealed that members want the following personalised content: information
about specific programs related to their needs and interests, recommendations on educational courses,
relevant job postings, recommended reading materials, information about products or services based on
their purchasing habits, public recognition of their accomplishments and personalised thank-you emails
after events.

5. Sources:
https://www.communitybrands.com/company/news/community-brands-digital-member-study-finds-
professional-membership-organizations-struggling-meet-member-expectations/
https://romax.co.uk/services/membership-management-services/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cbwpcdn/membership/infographic/CB17_DigitalMemberStudy_Personalizati
on.pdf
https://www.netforumenterprise.com/blog/bridging-the-gap-between-member-expectations-and-
association-technology/