It’s Almost Spring! Time For An Association Chapter Refresh
Updated: Mar. 10, 2025 | Categories: Membership, Inconsistent Branding
Spring is known as the season of renewal. It can be the perfect time to look at how your chapter operates and reinvigorate how you engage your association chapter members. By updating your work in three key chapter areas —branding, member value and revenue — you can reenergize your membership and strengthen your chapter.
Three areas of change for your chapter’s spring
Refresh your branding. Your chapter branding is one of the first things your membership and the public sees; some may call it the “face” of your chapter.
Just as we swap out heavy winter coats for lighter jackets in spring, spring is a good time to update your branding. This could include your chapter’s visuals like your logo and website, the messaging on your website and the language in your marketing materials. Subtle changes to your logo or some new colors, fonts and elements on your website can show new energy while better highlighting areas like chapter events and education.
Spring is also a good time to complete a chapter brand audit. Understanding where you have inconsistencies and outdated content and creating a plan to address them will ensure your chapter messaging remains fresh and cohesive and connects with members the way it needs to.
Here are a few things you could consider in your audit:
- Are all your upcoming events on your website? Can members and non-members easily access event details, register and pay?
- Are recordings and other materials from previous events available to those who would like to access them?
- Are board members, their bios and contact information current?
- Do your email templates align with your chapter’s board and mission statement?
Enhance member value. One of the best ways to re-engage members is to expand your offerings that deliver tangible value and improve their satisfaction with your events, programming and the entire chapter.
This could include:
- Updating your workshop and webinar offerings. Offer both in person and virtual sessions[FR1] with relevant industry topics as well as professional development. This could include leadership growth, project management, mental health, etc.
- Adding VIP experiences to your speaker programs. Your members would enjoy a unique experience with the speaker, whether that’s a one-on-one session, a book signing or a pre-event cocktail hour. Cater to both in-person and virtual attendees with events curated to make people in each group feel valued and included.
- Creating mentorship opportunities. Pair more seasoned members with newer ones to create connections and foster skill development. Connect your more experienced members with younger members as well as high school and college students for mentorship and shadowing.
- Spotlighting a “Member of the Month.” Share video and print testimonials[FR2] [RC3] about how your chapter has positively impacted the professional journeys of some of your members. These stories that explore membership at different career points – new in careers, mid-level, experienced, retired, etc. – help foster connection and reinforce the value of membership in your chapter.
Generate revenue through expanded sponsorship. We’re not telling you something you don’t spend a lot of time worrying about; the programming and services your members expect cost money. Spring can be a great time to update your chapter revenue-generating efforts as it relates to your chapter sponsors.
When was the last time you reviewed your sponsorship program and made some necessary changes? If it’s been a while, here are a few ideas. (If you don’t have a strong sponsorship program, we have written a number of posts on sponsorship that provide some good guidance for getting and keeping chapter sponsors.)
- Explore local sponsorship opportunities. Approach local businesses or organizations with sponsorship packages tied to your spring events. Highlight the exposure they’ll receive and the community impact they’ll have.
- Work with sponsors on joint campaigns. Look at adding co[FR4] [RC5] -branded content, holding joint events or providing exclusive member discounts with the sponsor that will add value for chapter, sponsor and members.
- Offer exposure through your chapter. This could include your website, guest blog posts, newsletter articles, presentations, etc., as well as mentorship opportunities or providing speaking opportunities at your events.
- Promote the idea of annual and recurring sponsorship. This lets potential sponsors, and even existing ones, see how connecting to your chapter and exposure to your members benefits everyone.
If you’re not already, look at ways to monetize some of your educational content. You may have content that would be a fit for premium offerings to charge non-members for access to, like recorded webinars or workshops, e-books or guides on industry best practices or certification courses.
Ask members what they want
What are members saying, or not saying, about the professional development and education programming you offer? Survey your members to understand their current needs and preferences as well as how effectively your offerings meet those needs. Use their feedback to curate targeted resources and content; develop programs and benefits that align with their goals; and show that you continue to value their input. You may find that you can better meet their needs with something as simple as changing where you hold your in-person events (or shifting the time) or an update to the structure of your virtual programming.
Springtime is the perfect opportunity to reinvigorate your association chapter’s member engagement. By updating your branding, enhancing member value and generating revenue to support impactful programming, you set the stage for a year of chapter growth and success. A spring refresh doesn’t mean you need to completely revise what you’ve been doing; small, thoughtful updates can have a big impact. Small, intentional steps can create lasting momentum, fostering a thriving community that members are excited to be part of.
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