Every year, Advanced Solutions International (ASI) in partnership with AuSAE present the Global Benchmark Report on Membership Performance, exploring the goals, challenges and results of almost 350 international associations. In the five years since the report was first produced, the goals of association executives have remained largely unchanged: to increase engagement, boost retention, and attract new members.
In an increasingly competitive and open–source environment, how is your Association planning to achieve its goals in 2019? For many associations, HR provides an untapped opportunity to increase engagement, retention and growth in your membership.
Let’s talk about workplace compliance
Compliance. It’s something nobody (besides lawyers and auditors) wants to talk about. But everybody needs to. Compliance is the process of making sure you, your business and your employees are following the laws, standards and ethical practices that apply to your organisation. Without compliance your business is at risk, and everything you’ve planned to achieve can fall apart.
There’s mounting pressure on businesses to comply with the latest workplace laws in New Zealand. Our legislative environment is frequently changing, often becoming more complex in the process. The fast pace with which all this change takes place intensifies the pressure on businesses to keep up.
Many of your association members who start or manage small businesses are rarely trained in HR or the intricacies of workplace compliance. They’re unlikely to be able to afford employment lawyers or HR consultants to provide preventative advice. This creates a situation of high risk, made riskier by DIY HR and a head-in-the-sand approach to spending on HR (which as we all know, is not a cost saver at all).
But what does compliance have to do with your Association and your membership goals?
According to the 2019 Benchmark report, 34% of respondents reported an increase in member engagement. This is down from 38% in 2018. Over half of respondents did not increase member levels; 24% of respondents reported unchanged levels and 28% reported a decrease in member levels. With Association membership and engagement low or stagnant, now’s the time to start thinking creatively about how to engage and attract members.
To do this it’s essential to recognise what your members need. If your members struggle to keep up with workplace compliance, can you help them succeed by providing HR support as an integral part of your services? If the answer is yes, I recommend finding an HR solution that can adapt to the nature of your industry.
Here are three reasons why a strong partnership with innovative HR services can support your engagement, retention and growth:
1) It’ll help you to display your values
Compliance is a reflection of the values of your association and your industry. By talking about it, instead of ignoring it, you’re representing the view that doing the right thing by your people matters. And with Governing bodies such as MBIE and the Labour Inspectorate, cracking down on workplace compliance and employer violations, there’s no better time to provide your members with the tools they need to get their HR right.
Your commitment to helping members reduce the risk of non-compliance and protect their business will likely be noticed, especially when your members share their experiences with their peers.
2) It’ll help you stand out
The need to stand out is a growing priority for many associations. There are many services traditionally sourced through Associations that have been disrupted by free or low cost online platforms (take LinkedIn or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC’s) as examples). Faced by rising online services, competitive associations are broadening the way that they help their members to grow and transform.
Credibility is one of the most distinct advantages your Association can hold. Members look to you regularly to provide key information around best practices. At some point, it’s likely that your members are going to need assistance with their HR. If it’s not you that they reach out to, who will it be? Offering an affordable OnDemand HR hotline, for members needing help is a powerful way for your association to stand out against the competition and add even more value to your membership.
3) It’ll help you drive engagement
The idea that you can engage members over compliance, a subject that’s often perceived as dry, might sound crazy. But if the topics you cover are relevant to the actual workplace challenges experienced by your members, you’re likely to attract a high level of interest. Providing a varied education program that addresses relevant HR challenges in your member community creates a whole new space in which to engage with them.
Education programs like these are best supported by actual data. This is something that can be gathered as part of your HR hotline service. By studying non-confidential information such as the volume and type of calls your members make to hotlines, you can identify the most applicable topics for workshops, webinars, guides and more.
Simplify HR for your members
In our interconnected world, where Google holds “all the answers”, how does your Association continue to create the kind of value that will engage businesses and support their decision to join you? The importance that you place upon the quality and nature of the professional advice available to your members is just one of the many benefits you can use to respond to this question and flourish.
When you help your members simplify the way that they manage their HR, you’ll be surprised by how this impacts your community engagement and membership growth. To successfully reach your goals, it’s important that you look at partnering with a trusted HR provider who understands how to adapt their solution to match your community’s needs. In doing so, your association will be in the position to spearhead industry values, be sharply competitive and engage with members on a whole new playing field.
So next time someone tells you, “compliance is boring”, be the first to dispute them. If workplace compliance is what your members need, a conversation around it is a conversation worth having.
As part of the FCB Group, we’ve been working with Associations for more than a decade and partnered with AuSAE for over three years. So, if you want to chat more about membership engagement and retention, let’s talk.
Here’s what our Association clients have to say:
“Since our partnership began, the ARA Employment Relations service has continually improved, and we believe it is now at least the equal of any ER service in Australia. The feedback we receive is that members can access advice when they need it, the advice is communicated in a clear and consistent way and the advisors really partner with them to generate other ways to think through a problem. It is no coincidence that the success of the ARA in recent years in increasing its membership base and reaffirming its position as the leading voice for retailers in Australia has come since our partnership with FCB.” (HR Assured and enableHR are part of the FCB Group).”
Russell Zimmerman, CEO, Australian Retailers Association
“The Telephone Advisory Team are exceptional in their level of knowledge, speed and approach to client service. Our members benefit from HRA’s understanding of our industry and the tailored advice we receive.”
David Worland, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Childcare Alliance (Victoria)
