Membership associations lagging in tech adoption

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30414
• Published date: 01 February 2018
• Date: 01 February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018 NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR

7

© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

Industry News

Membership associations lagging in tech adoption

New research into membership associations shows

a clear link between their use of technology and mem-

bership engagement. But such organizations still lag

in tech adoption, and likely will continue to lag for

some time, according to the Digital Member Study:

Examining the Gap Between Member Expectations

and Association Technology.

“In our study, we discovered technology and person-

alization play pivotal roles in driving member loyalty,

but there is a growing disconnect between where mem-

bers believe their organization is delivering the best ex-

periences and what they value,” said Sig VanDamme

of Community Brands, which published the study.

Some key ndings from the study show the value

technology has to offer. For example:

• Technology drives member loyalty. There is a

strong correlation between loyalty and technology,

the study found. Members who see their organiza-

tion as an early adopter of technology are much

more satised with their membership and feel more

connected to their organization.

• Tech-savvy organizations are putting it to use in

many ways. Organizations that consider themselves

early adopters are likely to use data science and

predictive intelligence, and many organizations are

using it to provide more personalized content to

their members.

• Members themselves are ahead of the technology

adoption curve. Almost two-thirds of members say

technology plays a big role in their life, and most

describe themselves as ahead of the curve or early

tech adopters.

On the other hand, there’s a growing member expe-

rience disconnect, the data show. Members give their

associations low ratings for integrating technology

into many of the key benets they value most, and

that drive retention, such as certications, training

and advocacy.

And organizations appear to be slow in using

technology to personalize their offerings and commu-

nications, another key element in member retention.

#GivingTuesday totals hit record high

According to preliminary numbers, #Giv-

ingTuesday 2017 saw record-breaking totals, with

some $274 million raised during the one-day event.

That’s a whopping 50 percent increase over the

amount raised in 2016, and philanthropy experts

believe the annual event will continue to grow in

the years to come.

Donation totals from numerous online dona-

tion processing platforms, including Blackbaud,

Facebook and PayPal, all turned in big numbers.

For example:

• Facebook processed $45 million in donations,

aided by a partnership with the Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation, which matched the rst $2 mil-

lion in donations made through the site.

• PayPal processed online donations from over

715,000 donors from 175 countries totaling $64

million—a 33 percent increase in giving over 2016,

the company said.

• Nonprot software rm Blackbaud said it pro-

cessed online donations totaling more than $60.9

million. It saw a 20 percent year-over-year increase

in the number of donations it processed and an 8

percent increase in the number of organizations

receiving donations.

All told, more than two million donations

were processed during the day, according to

#GivingTuesday organizers. And if this year was

anything like last year’s #GivingTuesday, women

donors likely far outnumbered men. An analysis of

2016’s #GivingTuesday donors found that women

make up almost two-thirds of the annual fundrais-

ing event’s donors—63 percent, to be exact. Outside

of this event, women account for just about 51

percent of donors. The researchers attributed the

increased female participation in #GivingTuesday

to a number of factors, including:

• Women are asked more often for donations.

• Women are more likely to use social media and

spend more time on their cellphones.

• Women participate more in collaborative giv-

ing, such as giving circles, and distribute their giving

more broadly.

• Women volunteer more often than men.

For more information, visit http://www.

givingtuesday.org. ■

(See ASSOCIATIONS on page 8)