Insights from 18 Years of Membership Data

 

Facts matter. That’s why in all of my books, including the just-published Membership Marketing from A to Z, I have relied on thousands of survey responses over the past 18 years from MGI’s Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.  

MGI just released the top-line findings for this year’s research, with the full report to follow in the coming weeks.  Before looking at the new data, let’s dive into the trends over the past nearly two decades. It is clear that in some years, growth seems widespread. In other years, membership declines dominate the conversation. And when we see a weaker year, it is easy to conclude that something is fundamentally broken.

But based on these many years of results, something interesting becomes clear. Membership growth tends to follow cycles and, over time, often returns to a historical norm.

This year’s newly released data from the 2026 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report shows that 39 percent of associations reported an increase in membership, 30 percent reported a decline, and 31 percent reported no change.

At first glance, those results may seem disappointing compared with recent years. In 2023, nearly half of associations (49 percent) reported growth. In 2024, 47 percent reported growth. And in 2025, 45 percent reported gains.

Has something suddenly gone wrong? Perhaps not. To understand the present, it helps to consider the broader historical context.

Over the past 18 years, associations have navigated numerous disruptions. The Great Recession significantly affected membership across many organizations. In 2010, nearly half of associations (48 percent) reported membership declines. More recently, COVID disrupted virtually every aspect of association operations, from conferences to professional engagement. By 2021, only 26 percent of associations reported membership growth, while 47 percent reported declines.

Yet in both cases, the story did not end there. Membership rebounded. After the pandemic, many associations experienced several strong years of recovery. Organizations restored member relationships, regained lost renewals, and benefited from heightened demand for professional information, advocacy, workforce support, and community.

Viewed through this lens, the 2026 results may indicate something other than a decline. They may reflect normalization.

In statistics, the concept of regression to the mean, the tendency for unusually high or low results to drift back toward the average over time, applies. Although association membership trends are more complex than a simple statistical model, the principle offers an interesting lens. Extraordinary periods, whether unusually positive or negative, rarely persist indefinitely. The data suggest that association membership may follow a similar pattern.

After disruptions, growth rebounds. After unusually strong periods, results often moderate. Over the long run, membership performance tends to settle into a relatively consistent range.

Across nearly two decades of benchmarking, roughly 40 to 50 percent of associations typically report growth, about 25 to 30 percent report declines, and another quarter to one-third remain flat. That consistency is remarkable given the economic cycles, inflation, demographic shifts, technological disruption, and changing workforce patterns associations have faced.

If that interpretation is correct, the lesson for association leaders is an important one: Do not overreact to a single year's data. During difficult periods, it is tempting to cut marketing budgets, reduce recruitment efforts, or assume that membership decline is inevitable. Conversely, during periods of strong growth, organizations may mistakenly assume that momentum will continue on its own. Both assumptions can be dangerous.

Growth still depends on fundamentals. Associations that continue to invest in recruitment, refine their value proposition, engage members, and adapt to evolving professional needs are far more likely to outperform over time. Economic conditions matter. Disruptions matter. But long-term discipline matters most.

Perhaps the key takeaway from 18 years of research is not that membership growth fluctuates, but that associations are remarkably resilient. Despite the challenges, a meaningful share of associations continue to grow year after year. The challenge for leaders is not to predict every disruption. It is to stay focused on the long-term drivers of relevance and value. Organizations that remain committed to growth are usually best positioned when the next cycle begins.

Additional membership guidance can be found in the books The Seven Deadly Sins of Membership Marketing, Membership Recruitment, and the just-released Membership Marketing from A to Z. All are available on Amazon.