Millennials vs. Associations: The Future

Have you ever tried to learn a new language? It is frustrating yet fun but at the end of the day it will still be a second language to you. 

Now if you step back and think about how you learned that language, I'd bet my paycheck that 90% of you would say you learned the most from a firsthand source (a teacher whose native language it is, visiting the country, technology, etc)

Now, if we go back to millennials and apply the above, does it make you ask yourself: 

• Why don't we have a millennial target other millennials? 
• Why don't we have millennials blogging/posting to other millennials about associations 
• Why don't we let millennials have more say in the type of memberships we want? 

In the past few years, look at all the changes finally impacting associations: 

• New technologies
• New generation takes majority in market
• One generation starting to retire 
• Social media 

The list goes on but you get the idea; so what has your association done to adapt to the above? I am sure you have done something but I'm also willing to bet you've had someone internally push back because...

"You've done it this way for years and it worked..."

Usually this comes from a person who is scared they can't adapt to the changes and they are scared if they agree to change they won't be needed.  And who should be the one replacing them?

A less expensive, digital savvy millennial...

So naturally my idea isn't going to sit well with some but then again if your association doesn't move forward, no one will have a job eventually...

I took this class in college called Capitalism in America, which was very controversial, but the bottom line has stuck with me: the market will always correct itself

My professor used the following example:

"An object in motion will stay in motion at the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force" 

Newton's law obviously...

In this case, the association is the object, motion is the market but the unbalanced force? 

Well it's people.  

The millennials coming into the market at an extremely high rate, another generation leaving at a slower rate and then all the mid-career employees scared for their jobs... What's the point I'm trying to get across? Resistance towards this change won't end well for anyone. 

The market will adjust itself but it doesn't mean your association will make it through the adjustment. Which overall for millennials sucks, because we aren't at a place where we can make those choices and it is in your hands to make sure associations, yours specifically, is still around for us. 

The change is here and we're here too and I hope associations can find a way to attract more millennials; not only as members but as employees. This is a beautiful world I have experienced and I watch associations struggle everyday to attract more of my peers. 

So while I totally understand the fear of change, I am asking for you to embrace it so that many more generations to come can experience what you have. 

Or let me put it like this; what are you going to tell your kids when they say: "I want to work at an association like my Mom/Dad does!" 

Are you going to tell little Jenny she can't because her Mom/Dad was too scared to make the changes they needed to, to move the association forward? 

A little dramatic, I know but my point is, this isn't about you or me or the changes. It is about keeping the object in motion.