Path to Renewal: Mentoring and Volunteering

As we’ve discussed throughout the Path to Renewal series, fostering member engagement is not merely a goal for associations but a strategic imperative. Higher Logic’s 2023 Association Member Experience Report showed that the top reason members consider leaving their association is a lack of engagement.

Robust mentoring programs and volunteer programs offer yet another way to push members up the engagement ladder and keep them coming back to your association.

While these initiatives certainly create feel-good opportunities for members to give back to their respective fields and achieve a sense of accomplishment and pride, they also represent key career advancement pathways. The networking components embedded in mentoring relationships and volunteer programs (like committee participation or event volunteer roles) support multifaceted member growth. Through mentoring and volunteering, members forge connections with peers and become more deeply connected with their field. These relationships and experiences propel members upward in their careers, fostering a tangible link between their professional success and the association, which transforms engaged members into fervent advocates for the organization. And for new members, having a mentor often serves as a pivotal first step towards a more enduring engagement.

As with member onboarding, events, and your overall member engagement strategies, it’s important to create layered support for your mentor and/or volunteer programs across all your available channels.

• Community
• Email
• Website & Management Tools
• Measuring Success

Communication is key to the success of your volunteering and mentoring programs – both for recruiting new participants and keeping existing participants informed and engaged. You can use email to foster a sense of community, responsibility, and FOMO (fear of missing out). Some ideas you can try include:

To effectively support volunteering and mentoring programs, your association’s website should make it easy to find clear information about the available opportunities, including details on the time commitment, requirements, and how to get involved. Some ideas to include:

An important part of starting a volunteer and/or mentoring program is taking the time to identify your goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) so you can evaluate the success of the program over time.

• For your mentoring program, you might think about program-specific metrics (number of mentor/mentee pairs, satisfaction of members) or business metrics (program’s effect on member retention, member acquisition).
• For your volunteer program, you might ask yourself who to involve, what activities you need support for, and why the program supports your mission.

When it’s time to measure the performance of your programs, remember to go back to your goals – are you meeting the objectives you set for your volunteering or mentoring programs? Some metrics you might consider tracking include:

The symbiotic relationship between mentoring and volunteering programs supports vibrant associations and deeply engaged members. Through these initiatives, associations not only provide avenues for members to actively contribute to their professional communities but also establish vital connections that transcend traditional networking. The impact resonates beyond the tangible outcomes, influencing member satisfaction, retention rates, and the overall sense of belonging.

Mentoring programs offer a structured pathway for knowledge transfer and career development, helping the association’s wider industry retain individuals in the field. Volunteering opportunities empower members to contribute meaningfully to the association’s mission. Together, these programs create shared experiences, skill-sharing, and mutual support, culminating in associations that are a true professional “home” for their members and thrive on the enthusiasm and dedication of their engaged membership.