By, April Schultz, Director of Business Services, Impact AMC
For trade and professional associations, member engagement isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a leading indicator of organizational health. High engagement fuels retention, volunteerism, event participation, and advocacy. As an executive director or board member, you’re likely focused on strengthening that engagement at every level.
What’s often overlooked, though, is how your own networking habits—and those of your board colleagues and association management staff—can directly influence member engagement. When association leaders and teams build strong, intentional connections inside and outside the organization, it leads to better-informed decisions, stronger alignment, and a more engaged member base.
Your members are your network
In an association context, networking goes beyond traditional definitions. It’s not just about professional contacts—it’s about knowing your members, understanding their challenges, and connecting the dots across departments, committees, and industries.
Lead by example. As an executive or board member, the way you engage—at conferences, on calls, during meetings—shapes how others in your organization approach relationship-building.
Promote internal collaboration. When operations, events, and communications teams regularly share information, members receive more consistent, thoughtful experiences. That starts with networking within your own committees and/or association management staff.
Strengthen relationships with volunteer leaders. Strong relationships with your fellow committee chairs and board members create open channels for feedback and engagement. They’re often the first to spot shifting needs or opportunities.
Turn conversations into strategy. Networking is a real-time feedback loop. When volunteers or association management staff hear something helpful or concerning from a member, having mechanisms to share that information with leadership keeps your decisions grounded and responsive.
Next-level networking best practices
Networking, when done strategically, is more than relationship-building—it’s a leadership tool. Here are a few ways to elevate your approach:
Set intentional goals. Approach each conversation or event with clarity. Are you looking to identify engagement trends? Hear how another association handles onboarding? Intentionality turns small talk into strategic insight.
Follow up with purpose. Capture key takeaways from conversations—whether with members, peers, or partners—and bring them back to your team. Translate what you hear into tangible improvements for your members.
Track and share insights. Consider systems that help your leadership team and association management staff log what they learn—CRMs, shared documents, or internal updates. This helps you avoid siloed knowledge and spot patterns worth acting on.
Foster a culture of connection. Networking shouldn’t be limited to executive and board leadership. Empower all volunteers and association management staff to build relationships with peers and vendors. Give them space to share what they’re learning. This increases ownership and cross-functional collaboration.
Maintain meaningful connections
Much like member engagement, networking doesn’t end when the event or conversation does. Maintaining a robust network of contacts requires intentional follow up. Take those business cards you collected and connect with those individuals on social media, shoot them an email, send them a card, or set up a time for a quick coffee.
Use what you learned about them to follow up in a meaningful, consistent, and memorable way. For example, if you learned their child is graduating from college next month, send them a congratulatory email. If they post about a new career milestone on LinkedIn, send them a celebratory message. Small gestures go a long way in building a quality connection and keeping them engaged.
If you want to improve member engagement, start by examining how your team connects—with each other, with members, and with the broader association community. Strong internal and external networks help leadership stay informed, foster innovation, and ensure that members feel heard and supported.
As a leader, investing in networking isn’t about adding another task to your plate—it’s about creating an environment where relationships are valued, insights are shared, and engagement thrives.
Proven membership growth
Our team of association management professionals have decades of expertise in building effective member engagement strategies that drive both membership and revenue growth. Check out our case studies to discover how we’ve helped our association partners achieve sustainable success.
Author note: Content for this post was developed with the help of generative AI tools and finalized by our team.