Content is Dues
by Christy Jones
When I saw this phrase originally this morning, it was in an email memo to our membership committee chair, alerting her of the deadline for our monthly membership newsletter. I groaned initially as I caught the typo after it had been sent, but then (must have been the caffeine influx), my mind took off with what I like to call that “association exec’s mind-set” and I began to think of all kinds of meanings for the term, “content is dues.”
For if you think about it, every bit of content should be of such value to the recipient that it helps them decide to join your association or makes them aware of the value of belonging and therefore, stay a member. All association executives know what that means – growing dues revenues, program attendance, product sales and most importantly, increasing a community who believes in the mission of the organization.
As a Membership Director, I’m always on the lookout for the latest in trend information, creative innovation, and engagement vehicles – any and all bits of intelligence that will help me make the value of belonging so evident to our members or prospects that my bottom line goes up even in difficult times. The theme for this year’s Direct Marketing Association of Washington DC Oct. 19th Conference “How to grow again” caught my eye, but it was their tag line, “If One Bright Idea Could Grow Your Association Membership, Imagine What Many Could Do” that caught my interest. I’ll be there; you might want to be too!
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Christy Jones, CAE 
Director of Membership
American Association of University Women
Christy will be a panelist in the How to Grow from Our Successes and Failures session at DMAW’s Association Marketing Day, October 19 at the Kellogg Conference Center on Gallaudet University’s campus.