{"id":6022,"date":"2016-06-08T14:49:18","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T18:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=6022"},"modified":"2018-06-06T20:24:04","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T20:24:04","slug":"millennials-swiping-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/millennials-swiping-left\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Millennials Really Swiping Left on Associations?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot of concern out there about who millennials are, what they value, and what associations and employers can do to hang on to them.<\/p>\n

Notice that I didn\u2019t write, \u201cWhat millennials can do to hang on to their associations and employers,\u201d because most articles you can find online refer to my generation as entitled<\/a>, self-important<\/a> creatures who need regular naps<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Most generational researchers call anyone born between 1982 and 2000 (today\u2019s 16 to 34 year-olds) a millennial. According to the U.S. Census<\/a>, millennials are 83.1 million-strong in America, and while the younger ones are still in school, the older ones are in their early to mid-thirties and entering the prime of their careers.
\n\"Tweetables\"<\/p>\n

10,000 Baby Boomers retire each day. Associations are looking to millennials to fill their membership shoes.\u00a0\"RealLilTweetables\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A quick Facebook survey shows that millennials are just as serious as older generations about networking, learning, advocacy and advancing their careers.\u00a0\"RealLilTweetables\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost limits some\u00a0millennials, but most chalk the expense of membership up to the price of doing what they love.\u00a0\"RealLilTweetables\"<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the same time, Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are retiring at an estimated rate of 10,000 per day<\/a>. With so many people ending their formal careers, trade and professional associations are getting a bit worried about where their future members are going to come from.<\/p>\n

Conventional wisdom says millennials aren\u2019t joiners. We don\u2019t want to pay dues to an organization when we have the Internet. We don\u2019t want to pay to attend a monthly luncheon or an annual meeting when we have free networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We don\u2019t need to meet people face-to-face because we have messaging apps like Whats App, Kik and Gchat. If we do want to see people, we can use Hangouts, Skype or Periscope. We don\u2019t even need to join associations for the ancillary benefit of social connections because we have Instagram, Bumble, and Tinder. We\u2019re swiping left on associations.<\/p>\n

Really?<\/p>\n

Read how\u00a0Patrick Leclerc and CUTA\u00a0are giving millennials more time at the mic<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

I recently took to Facebook to ask my fellow millennials why they are (or are not) a member of an association. (Yes, I recognize the irony of this method of collecting information, but it was convenient.) Here\u2019s my original post:<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you 35 or younger and a member of an association? I want to know why! Professional association, bar association, trade association, social association . . . Why do you join and get involved, why have you joined but not gotten involved, OR why you are staying away from associations?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Half a dozen people replied within a few hours, and half a dozen more replied within the next few days. Most responses were pro-association: My friends and acquaintances join professional associations because they know there\u2019s educational, professional, and relational merit to being a member. For some, joining an association is the only way to access important benefits. Cost is a concern or a limiting factor for some, but most seem to chalk the expense up to the price of doing what they love.<\/p>\n

Here are their unvarnished answers. Maybe millennials are joiners after all:<\/p>\n