As traditional approaches to membership renewal and engagement falter, many organizations face stagnant growth and shaky revenue streams. But data shows that associations embracing six transformative strategies—ranging from continuous engagement to AI integration—can rebuild lasting value and sustainable growth.
Across the association sector, optimism is running high. Sixty-three percent of leaders expect non-dues revenue to increase, per GrowthZone’s Annual Association Survey Results. Yet many structures that once made associations resilient show real strain. Overreliance on sponsorships, flat retention, and fragile revenue models reveal a widening gap between confidence and capability.
Half of associations report no growth or decline in membership, and only 11 percent describe their value proposition as “very compelling,” according to data from the Marketing General Incorporated (MGI) 2025 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. The challenge isn’t lack of effort—the old model of belonging and renewal by habit no longer works the way it once did.
But this moment isn’t a crisis. It’s a crossroads. Our analysis of the latest industry benchmarking points to a critical turning point. The organizations that advance in the next few years will be those that rebuild around six key imperatives for sustainable growth.