Associations launch mobile applications for a variety of reasons: to engage members, facilitate community discussions, and deliver important organizational announcements, among others. However, these dedicated platforms offer much more than just a communication channel, as they can also be used for creating reliable non-dues revenue.
In this article, we’ll explore how mobile apps can drive non-dues revenue to help your organization supplement its member dues. This way, you can build sustainable income streams that directly support your mission while simultaneously enhancing the value you provide to your professional community.
1. Ads and sponsorships
Modern professionals typically spend a significant portion of their day on their phones, which translates into sustained visibility and a high return on investment for your corporate sponsors. To capitalize on the high-visibility environment your association’s mobile app provides, consider these primary digital assets you can monetize:
- Banner and splash-screen ads: Sell screen space at the top or bottom of heavily trafficked pages, or incorporate easy-to-close pop-ups into app content. These methods allow sponsors to maintain visibility as members scroll through news feeds or discussion forums.
- Video placements: Integrate short, skippable sponsored video content between organic app interactions or before webinars to capture focused attention.
- Sponsored push notifications: Offer partners the ability to send targeted, time-sensitive alerts directly to members’ home screens for product launches or special corporate announcements.
Go beyond basic ad placements by using your association’s stored data to target segmented audiences. By allowing sponsors to filter their reach based on specific geographic regions, membership tiers, or professional specialties, your association can maximize ad engagement while protecting members from irrelevant marketing.
2. In-app purchases
While your association should provide access to standard benefits like professional networking, basic newsletters, and general event schedules within its app, premium upgrades offer a strong monetization avenue. Members may readily pay for higher-value, specialized, or time-saving resources through seamless in-app purchases when those resources directly accelerate their career growth.
You can easily package and offer several purchase opportunities directly through your platform, such as:
- Expert coaching sessions
- Salary benchmark reports
- VIP event ticket upgrades
- Branded association merchandise (t-shirts, drinkware, magnets, etc.)
To make these in-app purchases appealing, align your presentation strategy with your audience’s daily workflow. Position these premium features as direct solutions that alleviate career pain points or improve their overall experience as members.
3. Gated educational content
Ongoing education and structured professional development are key reasons professionals join associations. Your mobile app can be an ideal avenue to deliver paid educational content to your members.
Your association can establish a recurring revenue model by gating high-demand content types, including:
- Industry benchmark reports: Feature comprehensive annual state-of-the-industry studies that give members deep analytical insights and forecasting data for a premium fee.
- Virtual learning courses: TopClass recommends developing asynchronous video-based series of lessons that members can complete on their own time to fulfill ongoing education requirements.
- Certification modules: Provide specialized testing and credentialing pathways directly within the app so users can verify their expertise and earn digital badges.
Delivering this type of gated educational content creates an effective, mutually beneficial exchange. Members secure a competitive edge in their careers, and your association secures higher engagement rates and predictable recurring revenue.
4. Career and job boards
Corporate employers continuously search for highly qualified, specialized talent to fill critical vacancies. For a designated fee, your association can transform its mobile app into a targeted employee recruitment hub, enabling employers to bypass generic hiring sites and reach your dedicated pool of professionals.
To maximize the value of your mobile recruitment offerings, you can:
- Display featured job openings in primary news feeds, maximizing visibility for urgent corporate recruitment needs.
- Sell premium recruitment alert packages that send immediate push notifications to qualified professionals when a high-level role opens.
- Incorporate user-friendly career discovery tools to allow users to effortlessly browse listings as their schedule allows.
Your digital career center should deliver consistent value across your entire member base. Follow web and mobile accessibility compliance so all members, regardless of physical ability or device preference, can interact with posted career opportunities and submit applications.
5. Event and conference monetization
Modern mobile platforms have the infrastructure to manage a range of events from half-day workshops to full-scale, multi-day conferences. By centralizing the event experience, you can sell virtual tickets and sponsorship packages more easily to boost revenue totals.
To maximize attendance and associated revenue, ensure that all event information is easily findable. Clowder recommends implementing strategic push notifications before and during your event and publishing an interactive agenda so members can quickly locate specific sessions or speaker biographies.
After your event concludes, gather attendee feedback and evaluate it alongside your revenue numbers. If members’ satisfaction and perceived value of the event are high, you’ll know that the event type you chose is a worthwhile revenue stream for the future!
While your mobile app serves as an effective mechanism to engage members and cultivate a thriving online space, it also acts as a tool for driving revenue that sustains your organization’s mission. Audit your existing non-dues revenue strategy to identify which of these digital monetization streams will be best for your association to leverage to maximize your platform’s financial return.