Follow our 6 steps to craft a compelling value proposition that showcases your association's unique benefits that members can’t live without.
To keep a competitive edge, your association needs a powerful value proposition. This will not only attract new members but also retain existing ones. Remember, every organization is unique; there’s no one-size-fits-all statement.
Our 6-step process below provides a clear framework for crafting an effective statement. Follow these steps to develop a value proposition that truly showcases the excellence of your association.
We've worked with thousands of member-centric organizations worldwide and have identified six key steps you should follow.
You need to do your homework first. Your entire value proposition centers around your members’ needs — so you need to be clear about what they are. There are many ways to do this:
The right platform helps you gather, analyze, and identify trends within your data to better understand your members' needs. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Association Software to learn more.
You might think this is obvious, but many times it’s not. Your value proposition needs to specify the market you serve so members can truly see themselves in your organization. You may focus on a particular industry, profession, region, etc. And while it might be tempting to say: “We serve everyone,” it’s not a great strategy for several reasons:
This is the meat and potatoes of your value proposition. Using the research you did in step 1, lay out exactly what you’ve learned about the members’ needs. Then prioritize the 3-5 most pressing pains they’re experiencing.
Download your free copy of the 2024 Membership Performance Benchmark Report to learn your peers' ✔ biggest pain points, ✔ most pressing concerns, ✔ and top strategies to attract members.
Now that you’ve identified the key pain points, you need to articulate how your organization addresses these pains. Start with a list of your services and map them to the pain points. Then summarize them until you have a short, powerful response to each one. Think about:
While both are important, they serve different purposes.
The mission statement explains your association's purpose. You'll only update this when your association makes significant changes to your overall objectives.
The member value proposition demonstrates the benefits of membership and clearly communicates why members will want to join. Regularly update this to reflect changes within your association.
This is your chance to shine. Tell them why you’re different, better, more cost-effective, more responsive, more respected, etc., etc.
Membership in your organization should be so obvious to your sector that they can't imagine not joining. The best way to do this is by pointing to specific benefits and resources they absolutely need and can’t get elsewhere.
You've ✔ defined your target market, ✔ identified pain points, ✔ mapped your services to pain points, ✔ and established your differentiators. Now it’s time to weave this together into one cohesive statement.
There is no exact science to the length, but it should be approximately 2-5 sentences. It’s not a tagline, but it’s not an entire page, either.
Now that you've written your statement, you’ll want to:
What to leave out is just as important as what to leave in.
Massage it. Test it out on your board, then make edits. Share it with committee members, then edit. Show it to trusted members and continue to whittle it down and make it leaner and more focused.
Crafting your first value proposition statement will take some time — but it’s worth it. It will have an enormous impact on recruiting and retention if you get it right.
As you prepare to share your value statement, consider how you’ll deliver on it. Audit your member benefits and services to identify which you offer in traditional, hybrid, and digital formats. This assessment will highlight where to focus to ensure your value proposition is digitally optimized.
This is your pledge to your members — so share it with everyone and ask them to hold you accountable. Post it everywhere, including:
While your value proposition may not have quantifiable goals, there are many ways you can (and should) measure its effectiveness:
Revisit your member value proposition once a year, or more often if you significantly change your resources and benefits. This is an excellent exercise for your Membership Committee. Let them take responsibility for reviewing the statement each year and adjusting it according to changing member needs.
Your member value proposition says a lot about your organization, and it needs to be well-constructed, compelling, and achievable. Creating this statement shows that you are committed to providing exceptional services and benefits to your association membership.
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