From what I hear, memberships for professional associations across Canada have been trending downward. CPRS Edmonton has seen a steady decline in membership since 10 years ago when we had over 160 members. Now our chapter sits at 85 members. However, we’ve seen a high engagement rate for our events but it’s not converting to membership fees.
Our board members raised their concern at our last meeting. I don’t want to sound alarmist but if this keeps up, we won’t have a chapter to celebrate another 60 years. People see the value in our mixers and professional development events. In fact, we held a speed mentoring event on April 23 that sold out with 40 people attending.
Why isn’t this attendance converting into membership? We haven’t done the research but my guess is that the high cost of living and employers no longer covering these fees. Individuals are left to decide if they want to invest in their careers by buying a membership to CPRS.
I’m hoping through relationship building with potential members, they will see the value in belonging to the CPRS community. I’ve written about my personal journey and my perspective about membership value in past president’s messages. A membership to a professional association is a very personal decision. Once you do take the step to become a member, what you put in is what you get out of your membership.
That said, if you have been enjoying CPRS Edmonton’s events and connecting to those in the industry, think hard about your support and converting it into a membership. These events won’t be around if we don’t have the membership base to sustain a local chapter.