Today, mounting financial pressures are leading associations to seek new ways to generate non-dues revenue. According to Community Brands research, association professionals plan to turn to new forms of non-dues revenue to address any revenue losses, with 68% prioritizing increasing non-dues revenue at their organizations.
To succeed in any industry, your organization must identify and develop new sources of revenue beyond collecting membership dues. Investing in your learning program to offer continuing education and professional development courses offers great potential for monetization.
Why your association should invest in continuing education to drive non-dues revenue
Competition from other associations or industry providers has never been steeper. Consider investing in your continuing education (CE) program to drive non-dues revenue and attract and retain more association members. Community Brands research found that 77% of association professionals plan to develop and improve CE education and professional development programs to enhance the member experience.
A CE program is ideal for monetization because it aligns closely with an association’s greater mission to deliver value to members. Professional development courses can also attract new members to your organization, as more individuals are turning to associations to satisfy industry-specific CE guidelines or complete certification requirements. Community Brands research discovered that certifications and credentials, career advancement, and training opportunities are within the top five reasons a member joins an association.
Here’s how your association can generate more value from your CE program:
- Personalize learning. Think beyond the standard “á la carte” style of online education that simply dumps all learning resources into a catalog and leaves it up to the individual learner to find their next course. Instead, try creating personalized learning pathways around a centralized knowledge hub. Personalizing learning can boost learner engagement and keep people coming back to your CE program for additional courses.
- Link courses to career development. When you consider how your CE resources can be aligned with a member’s career development goals, you can enhance the member experience and provide more value. Identify what career advancement positions might appeal to your members, and then connect members to the necessary professional development training, helping them prepare for the next step of their professional journey.
4 tips to increase learner engagement and non-dues revenue
Associations need to take steps to boost learning engagement to generate sustainable and scalable revenue with CE resources. Here are some ways to get started:
- Invest in modern learning management software. When you choose robust learning management software (LMS) your CE staff can leverage engagement tools like digital badges, certificates, and gamification features to encourage members to sign up for more courses and explore their learning options. Look for a platform that seamlessly integrates into your association management software (AMS) so learners can submit CE credits and track their certifications through a single, intuitive interface.
- Develop high-quality content. If your content isn’t engaging, even the best LMS won’t be able to keep members invested. Develop high-quality content by working with subject matter experts (SMEs) to teach courses or host webinars on vital industry topics and trends. SMEs can develop content and work with instructional designers and content creation teams to make sure the material is presented in a way that will engage learners.
- Repurpose content. Leverage your LMS to repurpose live events like your annual conference to engage more learners, expand your CE program’s reach, and drive more revenue. Repurpose live events by offering on-demand content to help you reach both members and non-members. Try adding repurposed content to existing learning paths or group your repurposed content into related courses.
- Create a referral program. Another way to expand your CE program’s reach and drive non-dues revenue is to implement a referral program. Marketing efforts only go so far, and a recommendation from a trusted and respected industry peer is often a far more effective way to reach non-members. Encourage members to recruit non-members by offering discounts on CE resources or membership dues after they hit a certain number of referrals.
Boosting learner engagement has several self-reinforcing effects on your CE program. When learners are more engaged with content, they tend to use more CE resources, recommend your program, and respond to learning incentives. Creating an engaging learning experience should always be at the forefront of any CE program, especially if you want to drive association non-dues revenue.
How to engage more learners and boost non-dues revenue with Crowd Wisdom LMS
Having the right LMS makes it much easier to create CE opportunities to offer ongoing member value and generate non-dues revenue. Crowd Wisdom provides a centralized learning portal that integrates with leading AMS to deliver a wide variety of course content while tracking learner progress and certifications.
With support for multiple devices, a versatile assessment engine, and an intuitive, customizable interface, Crowd Wisdom LMS can meet the growing professional development needs of today’s largest associations to keep non-dues revenue flowing. For associations looking to expand their learning potential with enhanced course material, Crowd Wisdom’s Content Creation Services team can work closely with internal and external SMEs, helping you craft informative and engaging CE course that keeps learners coming back for more.
Learn more about Crowd Wisdom LMS
Discover how Crowd Wisdom can deliver better learning outcomes and generate non-dues revenue— connect with our team today.
