Introduction
Are you looking for strategies to boost member engagement in your professional development program? You might consider scheduling an annual Professional Development Day!
A Professional Development Day is an innovative way to keep members engaged with your learning program. Read our blog for tips to plan a notable Professional Development Day, boosting the learning experience and driving engagement.
Why should your association plan a Professional Development Day?
Your continuing education program already likely offers several in-person and on-demand learning courses, annual conferences, and member events. However, planning a Professional Development Day (PD Day) and dedicating a day for all members to come together to set goals can be a valuable touchpoint to engage with members.
PD Day can be an introduction for your members to establish career goals and begin helpful professional habits. The topics may be targeted toward a particular job function or a global skill, such as time management. The primary goal of PD Day is for members to walk away with a plan for improving themselves.
For an association, this is also the ideal opportunity to introduce members to your professional development program. You can think of PD Day as a platform for you to promote how your continuing education program can improve your members’ careers. While your members are creating their roadmap for self-improvement, be sure to show how your association can support them.
How to make your Professional Development Day successful
To plan a successful PD Day, try choosing a convenient time of year for your members. To ensure the greatest member attendance, you may want to consider ‘down times’ in your industry, when business may not be as demanding.
Try making your association’s Professional Development Day free to members. Remember that the goal of PD Day isn’t to increase non-dues revenue, but to create awareness about your learning program and show how you can support members throughout their career journey.
As you consider budgeting and coordinating your speakers for the PD Day, you’ll want to plan how you’ll deliver the program. Should the event be virtual, in-person, or hybrid? You will likely attract the most members to your PD Day with a hybrid experience. You can also keep costs down with a virtual PD Day.
How to coordinate a Professional Development Day lineup
PD Day is intended to help your members start on a journey for personal growth. To make your PD Day relevant and engaging to your members, try surveying your members. Gaining member feedback will help you understand what your members would like to learn more about.
Once you have your feedback, you can start to iron out which program topics should be included in your PD Day. Depending on your member base, you could even segment the event by targeting development topics by specific jobs or career stages to best serve your members. You’ll also want to consult your subject matter experts (SME’s) to determine emerging topics and find the best speakers for your event.
Curating the sessions throughout the PD Day should be like planning a small-scale conference. For example, you could begin the event with a general session and a headliner, speaking about personal development and strategies to set professional goals. After, you can host breakout specialty sessions to meet your members’ individual professional development needs.
How to get your members excited for Professional Development Day
After planning your PD Day, it’s time to announce and promote the event. Advertise the event as an opportunity for members to improve their careers, build habits, and create routines to enhance work quality.
Consider promoting your PD Day through your normal marketing channels like:
- Members newsletter
- Email invitations
- Social media networks
- Landing page on member site
- PR outlets in your industry
Be sure to drip out your event details over a long time to reach the most members. Include presentation descriptions, speakers, the event’s purpose, and more as you promote the event.
During the event, highlight your continuing education program showing how it can support a member’s professional development. Showcasing your professional development program is a great way to encourage interest in upcoming courses and certification programs. Also consider offering an incentive for member sign-ups, perhaps discounting a member’s first learning course.