How many member benefits does our association need to offer?

If your association could come up with 100 useful member benefits, should it?

The answer would obviously seem to be “Yes!”

That could be the correct answer, but it must first pass two tests:

1) Are all of the member benefits relevant to your association mission?
2) Is there at least one “killer benefit” benefit for every member?

The first test, whether all of the benefits are relevant, speaks to the long-term brand equity and competitiveness of the association. Good but disparate benefits can confuse people as to what your association stands for – and why they joined your association. The result is a shaky foundation that is open to competitive pressure as specialist associations or for-profit entities begin to provide more extensive, comprehensive and valuable benefits in comparison to yours.

The second question, whether there is at least one “killer benefit” benefit for every member of your association, could suggest that a large number of benefits are needed for a healthy association. However, just the opposite is true. If your association had only four benefits, with the range of those benefits offering at least one compelling reason to renew each year, your association would survive quite nicely. As an added bonus, your association will likely have a strong, focused message and “reason for being” in your members’ minds.

So how many member benefits does your association need to offer? Here is one possible answer … your association should offer as few benefits as possible – yet enough to ensure that every member has at least one compelling reason to stick around. One excellent choice for an association member benefit that leverages your association’s unique information is the Best Association® Index member benefit.

How many benefits does your association offer? Have you been adding or reducing benefits over the past few years?