August 2007 NEWSLETTER: Member Connections
"Member Connections"
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August 2007 Member Connections: Member Education
This month's "member connections" discusses Member Education …
Beginning this month, we start to tackle what is (or should be) the single largest area of activity for most member-driven organizations: member education. It's an area of huge potential for increased member interaction, service, profitability, and satisfaction. Because of the broad range of considerations when it comes to education, we'll tackle this subject over several of the remaining issues in 2007.
First off, let's talk about terminology: you'll hear references to PD, CPE, CME, and so on. Largely, however, they are all referring to programs and services aimed at enhancing members' knowledge, skills and abilities in one or more areas. Whether the programs and activities are called "professional development", "continuing professional education", "member education" or something else, the goals, if not the methods, are the same.
Typically, the word "professional" implies education that is vocation- or work-related. Similarly, the word "continuing" suggests some type of post-qualification education, after a more formal or set program. "Development" may be broader than "education", and so on. But these differences in terminology are often driven more by history and culture than by true program scope or focus.
For the purposes of this discussion, we will use the term "Member Education". The focus is on the member, and on education. This latter term, however, is not intended to narrow or restrict our consideration of how best to implement our programs or activities.
The message that we will stress through our entire discussion is that, if you are a member-driven organization, you should be offering member education. And, if you already do offer member education, you should probably be offering more of it.
Let's look at the motivations for doing so; the benefits to be reaped. There are a great many benefits, short-term and long-term, for the member, the member's clients or employers (if applicable), for the public interest, and for the association itself. Consider some of them:
- Member Affinity - whether for professional groups or interest-based organizations, you will want to maintain your members' affinity. Whatever is the driving interest or focus of your organization provides the rationale for your members to join and remain with your association. And, providing member education around that interest or focus is a natural activity, and one that meets the need expressed by the members in joining. Doing so engages your members in more ways than just attending the programs: for those programs, you will need developers, authors, presenters and faculty - and your members will, generally, be the best source to turn to. And, if you are a regional, provincial or national body, education programs are a great area to engage local chapters and groups in meeting member needs.
- Promotion of Competence - this is a big one for self-regulatory professional bodies, along with all other vocation-based organizations. If you exist to promote or regulate your members' livelihood or work, then offering education in support of that work offers compelling benefits. By improving your members' skills, you: enhance their ability to earn a living; increase the quality of their work; increase the satisfaction of their clients or employers; reduce their legal liability exposure for poorly completed work; improve public profile and perception of your profession or calling; attract more and better-qualified individuals to your ranks; and, raise the de facto standards of performance for all members (whether they attend the programs or not). In fact, not offering education programs can have the reverse effect: implicitly or explicitly reducing your members' competitiveness, lowering standards, and so on. Bottom line: if you are a professional body without a substantial, credible education program, you are not living up to your responsibilities to your members.
- Credibility - by offering a broad array of education programs, your association also positions itself as a (the) leader in your field. You establish your organization's credentials with members and potential members, as well as with other important stakeholders such as government and regulatory authorities, the media, members' employers or clients, and possibly competing organizations. By offering entry-level or general interest programs, you position yourself particularly well with potential members or others with an emerging or growing interest in your field. On the other hand, by offering advanced, leading-edge programs at the pinnacle of your field, you help to set and raise the standards bar for the entire field, and attract and retain the most senior practitioners or thought-leaders in your field.
- Standards - as touched on in other points, if you have either a desire or a mandate to increase, promote or maintain standards, it is difficult to do so credibly without a strong education program. In fact, much of your standard-setting and enforcement activities will be actively undermined without these programs in place.
- Money - yes, it has to be said: education programs can be big money-makers for associations. While offering programs is not without financial and other risk, the financial rewards of a successful program can be substantial. Often the return from such programs is invested back into developing new programs, or into research and development of new knowledge in the field. Or, program profits can be used to support other services, or even to reduce the basic membership fees.
Future articles on this subject will explore content, format and delivery issues, the use of technology, and some of the financial considerations of offering education programs. We will also try to paint a road-map for associations wanting to introduce or grow their programs in a measured, sustainable, credible and profitable way.
William Harper Associates has broad experience in developing, managing and marketing member education programs. We offer a range of education-related services, ranging from conference and other program development, to diagnostic reviews, to managing, on an out-sourced basis, entire education programs. Contact us to grow your programs.