I was reading an article in the MultiView Association Adviser and thought it was very good and worth repeating ……
While there are varying opinions on the age group of a young millennials vs older millennials however this makes the most sense to me…. ‘Most definitions of the millennial generation include people born between 1981 and 2000’. This means we’re talking about people who are 16- to 35-years-old
Maintain active job boards. In-person relationship building at your events and programs will remain important to millennials, but they conduct a lot of their lives online and enjoy the anonymity of the Internet. Your industry-specific job board is where older millennials are going to find their next job.
Offer the opportunity for a young professional to shadow someone in your industry for a day. They could be considering a career change, or they may want to see in-person what their career’s next level could look like. Most millennials consider this type of short-term mentoring invaluable.
Offer free resources for job seekers that can turn them into members:
Resume critique
Job boards
Certification programs
Workshops
Appeal to their sense of social responsibility; the desire to “give back” is a strong millennial trait, and most want to interact with brands that not only share their values, but also are a force for good in the community. Whether through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives or showcasing members’ individual contribution to others and the industry, associations with a clear purpose that stand for something larger than themselves will easily attract the millennial crowd.
Offer graduated leadership opportunities. Are there ways older millennials can become involved in your association past basic membership once they join? Millennials join associations for the same reasons as other generations: to build relationships, to enhance their professional skill set and to have an opportunity to shine as a leader. Some will be ready to take on high-profile, high-involvement positions such as a board position or an event chair. However, others are balancing their existing familial or social obligations, and while eager to serve, can only take on a smaller role for the time being. Offer multiple leadership roles of varying commitment levels. This way, your association can meet the needs of all older millennials wanting to be professionally active while respecting the multiple demands on their time and energy.
Ask your board:
What have we done to attract older millennials as employees or as members?
How can we show off the benefits of belonging to our association?
What are some successful channels we’ve used to market membership to millennials?
What opportunities for leadership or further involvement do we offer? How much time and effort do those opportunities require, and can we vary them?
What obstacles outside our association or industry’s realm might be preventing older millennials from becoming members, and what can we do to help remove them?
Younger millennials aren’t ready to join, but they’re open to suggestions
Your typical younger millennial is in high school or college or is new to the workforce. They might have a general sense of what type of work they want to be when they’re an adult, but most are still looking at career options. Many don’t realize their chosen profession or trade has an association to which they could belong, find others like them and learn new things. If they do realize association membership is an option, they may not have joined yet because their employer doesn’t cover association dues and they don’t have the extra funds themselves — or they don’t realize the benefit of investing in an association membership and don’t want to pay dues
