“With people cutting back you'd think the dating industry would be hurting. But it's not. Because it turns out that when the Dow drops, singles search even harder for mates.” At least that is what Marketplace reported.
They went onto say, “Digital cupid E-Harmony did a study that shows when the stock market dips, traffic to their site increases”
Why is this the case? The report continues that “when people are going through tough times they look to be with people who care about them, who will understand their concerns.”[1]
This same psychological framework can be applied to membership. In tough times many professionals seek security and community in their professional association. And associations that are taking advantage of this are seeing membership grow as we outlined in recent posts; It is the Best of Times!, Does the Washington Post have the Full Story?, and The Upside of Down.
But there is one wildcard in the equation! What happens when the company who funds many memberships decides to break up the romance by refusing to pay dues? What happens to the member relationship then?
In an ASAE and the Center report, Beliefs, Behaviors and Attitudes in Response to the Economy, this question was asked of those who were enjoying company paid membership dues. Of these, 56.6% said that they would continue to pay dues if the company stopped and 43.3% said that they would drop the membership.
Feel free to share any ideas that you have on how the association can “keep that loving feeling” with members whose companies don’t want to pay up.
[1] Marketplace, Bad economy does dating good, Tuesday, March 17, 2009
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