07/15/2019

Daily Buzz: Consider Freelancers as a Member Segment

Tapping independents as a member segment increases your association’s value

About 35 percent of U.S. workers did some sort of freelance work in the past year, according to a survey from the Freelancers Union and UpWork. Are your members among them?

“Because the growth of freelancing is a recent career trend, many associations aren’t tracking it as a membership segment,” says the MemberSuite team on its blog. But they should be. So, look into how freelancing is affecting your association’s industry. Is it a growing trend?

If so, consider tweaking your membership model, or developing a separate membership tier directed at freelancers.

For example, because freelancers don’t have the backing of an employer, they often miss out on professional development and employer support for membership. Associations that market their learning courses and provide more affordable membership rates are likely to better entice and support freelancer members.

Independent workers are also more likely to work from home, so get them connected with your member community.

“During new member on-boarding, introduce freelance members to the many marketing opportunities offered by your association,” the team says. “Freelancers can make a reputation for themselves by writing articles and blog posts, speaking at conferences and other educational events or making a guest appearance on your podcast.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.