Rethinking Member Engagement for the Next Generation
May 2026
By: Lisa Davidson, MBA, QAS
Strategic Operations Coordinator at Stringfellow Management Group (SMG) and SMG NextGen Co-Chair | ldavidson@stringfellowgroup.net
If your engagement strategy still relies on the same playbook from five years ago, it is already out of date.
Millennials and Generation Z are rapidly becoming the workforce majority. As of 2025, Millennials will make up 25% of association memberships and Gen Z another 11%. By 2031, these two generations combined will represent 70% of the workforce, even as Baby Boomers retire at a rate of 10,000 per day. These professionals are redefining what value looks like, and they expect experiences that directly support their careers and their sense of connection. For association leaders, this calls for a strategic reset.
Recognizing this shift, Stringfellow Management Group (SMG) conducted a NextGen Study and Forum to better understand the evolving expectations of younger professionals. The work drew on research from Deloitte, Pew Research Center, ASAE, and other leading sources, and paired it with direct input from next generation members across multiple associations. Participants completed a pre-forum survey and engaged in a facilitated virtual forum built to explore and validate primary themes. This layering of data and lived experience gave SMG a more complete picture than survey findings alone. Four shifts are defining how associations must evolve to stay relevant.
Learning Expectations Have Changed
Next generation professionals are not waiting for structured education to catch up with their careers. Seventy percent of Gen Z professionals report on developing skills to advance their careers at least once a week, and 67% do so outside of work hours, including before or after work and on days off. They are proactive learners who want flexibility, speed, and results they can use on Monday morning.
Long-form courses and static programming are no longer enough on their own. Members now expect microlearning, on-demand content, certifications they can stack, and programming that connects directly to career advancement. Associations that still anchor their education strategy around the annual conference session model are leaving a significant gap. The most effective organizations are treating education not as a product to deliver but as an experience to design: modular, flexible, and clearly tied to professional outcomes.
Communication Style Matters as Much as Content
Next generation professionals move fast and filter faster. They are accustomed to personalized, visual, peer-driven content, and they can spot an institutional press release from a mile away. Messaging that feels overly polished or top-down tends to fall flat with this group. Research bears this out. Younger adults are significantly more likely than older groups to get information through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit, all platforms built around short-form, peer-generated content. They are not waiting for the quarterly newsletter. They expect communication that feels real, direct, and two-way. They want to contribute, not just consume.
For associations, this means rethinking channel strategy, tone, and format together. Email still has a place, but it works best when it is concise and clearly relevant to the reader. Social content performs when it feels authentic, not like a brochure. Peer voices, members talking to members, build more trust than institutional messaging alone. And if your website is not mobile-first and easy to navigate, many younger professionals will not make it past the homepage.
Belonging Is the Real Differentiator
The most important shift is relational. Next generation professionals are moving past transactional benefits. They want to feel part of a community that understands them, reflects their experiences, and actively supports their growth. Purpose and connection are decision drivers.
Associations are well-positioned to meet this need, but it does not happen by default. Building belonging requires deliberate design: meaningful peer connection opportunities, inclusive and welcoming event experiences, and clear pathways into leadership and volunteer roles. Digital access broadens who can participate, while thoughtfully structured in-person experiences help members build deeper relationships that keep them engaged over time. NextGen wants more connection, not less. Contrary to what might be heard in board rooms, NextGen still values in-person engagement as much as hybrid and virtual.
Technology Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling
Next generation members do not think of good technology as a bonus. Seamless, intuitive, mobile-first experiences across every interaction are the baseline expectation, not a differentiator. If your member portal is clunky, your event registration is fragmented, or your learning platform does not work well on a phone, engagement will drop.
The data on this is clear. Members who perceive their association as an early technology adopter are 81% more satisfied, and 74% of those members are likely to recommend the association to others. But only 9% of association professionals say their organization is very prepared for future technological demands. That gap is a risk. The organizations that stand out are applying technology to create ease, personalization, and connection. Closing the technology gap demonstrates that your association understands where the profession is heading.
What This Means for Your Association
The associations that hold relevance with the next generation are the ones willing to challenge long-standing assumptions about what engagement looks like. The next generation wants to know what your association offers them, spelled out specifically and concretely, in terms that connect to their careers and communities. Associations must actively show value – it is no longer simply assumed.
SMG works with association partners to develop programs that address exactly these questions: from young executive initiatives and scholarship programs to inclusive volunteer pipelines and NextGen-focused engagement strategies. If your organization is ready to build a more sustainable membership future, we are ready to help. Reach out to learn more.
