In 1953, more than 95% of revenue for professional associations came from membership dues. Recently, that number had decreased to a mere 30%. Over the last few decades, the biggest driver of non-dues revenue has been technological advancements. Technology has paved the way for innovative methods of generating non-dues revenue while providing significant value to your members. In this article, we will discuss three of the most effective ways for leveraging educational content and technology. There are numerous technologies, strategies, and methodologies for deploying these strategies, so we will talk about best practices and key aspects to think about when trying to achieve your organization’s monetary goals.
Here is what we’ve found to be some of the most effective ways for associations to monetize their educational content:
Once you have the eLearning content you need to determine how you are going to distribute and facilitate online learning. One of the most important decisions you will make is choosing the right LMS. During the LMS selection process, one of the essential areas of functionality you’ll be examining is the LMS’s eCommerce capabilities. You should ask yourself if you need or want to have any or all of the following features:
Selling educational content can provide many benefits to your association and to your members. Picking the ideal method of delivery can be a cumbersome task, but it is vital to the scalable success of your eLearning program. Start by asking yourself questions around eCommerce capabilities and functionality and you will be able to identify what is truly important for your association to succeed.