Everyone you meet is on some kind of journey. Each person has a goal or a destination, and the lucky ones know how to get there. They have obstacles to overcome, but they also have people who’ll help them succeed.

Ideally, your association should be one of those helpers. When they’re starting out, you offer guidance. When their career is growing, you help them make connections. When they reach the top, you help them become an industry voice.

But what about the member’s journey within your organization? How do they go from discovering the association, to becoming a member, to getting involved with programming?

If you think the word “Millennial” applies to any young person, then here’s a scary fact: the Millennials will start turning 40 next year.

The current generation emerging from college is Generation Z, a cohort with an entirely different set of goals and values. And for associations, this means a whole new set of challenges. Already, 56 percent of associations say that they’re struggling to engage young professionals.

So how can associations attract younger Millennials, Gen Z, and beyond?

2020 has been like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, ripping us all up from our familiar lives and depositing us in a strange new world.

Your members are depending on you now more than ever. They need you to offer support, networking opportunities, and programming tailored to their evolving needs. They also need to know that you’re out there, providing a strong voice for the industry and striving for a prosperous future.

But it’s also a tough time for associations. Membership growth was already a challenge even before COVID-19. How do you get young professionals to invest in their careers when the future seems so hazy?

In the Actual Disruption Webinar series’ episode 8, sponsored by Breezio and Adage Technologies, titled “Got Leads? Now what?”, HighRoad’s leaders joined industry partners last week to share valuable insights to guide association marketers on how to activate on net new leads and data collected in recent months. I listened closely and want to share some key takeaways.