From CPD to advocacy: How Member Priorities Shifted in 2025

In February 2025, we shared insights drawn from thousands of unprompted member comments about the value of association membership. The message was clear. Members do not join casually. They belong because associations help them stay capable, informed, supported and represented.

Analysis of 2025 data shows those fundamentals remain intact. What has shifted is not the nature of membership value, but the order in which members now prioritise it.

When members describe, in their own words, the primary benefit of belonging, a clear hierarchy emerges. That hierarchy has subtly but meaningfully changed over the past year.

The Top 5 drivers of membership, by share of coded comments

Primary benefit of belonging, 2025 compared to 2020-2024

This ordering matters. It highlights where members now place the greatest weight when deciding whether membership is worth maintaining.

1. CPD remains the anchor of membership value, but satisfaction is fragile

Continuing Professional Development is the single most important reason members belong. More than one in three members nominate CPD as their primary benefit, reinforcing patterns seen in previous years.

For professional associations CPD is not a secondary offering. It is central to professional identity, capability and compliance. While around two thirds of members agree their association provides access to CPD and resources, confidence drops sharply when asked whether CPD actually meets their needs.

Among industry association members, more than seven in ten say CPD meets their needs. Among professional association members, fewer than half say the same. Alarmingly, this falls to just three in ten for younger members aged under 45.

This gap is one of the most significant findings in the 2025 data.

Free‑text comments show professional members want CPD that reflects current practice, supports changing roles and builds real capability. Generic, compliance‑driven or uneven offerings weaken confidence.

As work evolves and career pathways shift, CPD has become a defining test of relevance. Access alone is no longer enough.

What this means:
In 2026, CPD will remain the most scrutinised element of the membership proposition. Associations that prioritise relevance, quality and application, rather than volume, are better positioned to retain trust and credibility.

2. Advocacy has moved decisively into second place

The most notable shift across 2025 is the growing importance of advocacy and representation. Advocacy now sits firmly in second place as a primary reason for belonging, well ahead of information and resources.

This does not mean advocacy was previously unimportant. Rather, members are now more likely to name it explicitly as a reason they belong, rather than assuming it as background activity.

In a climate shaped by regulatory reform, funding pressure, workforce challenges and policy uncertainty, more members are looking to their associations to speak on their behalf with clarity and credibility.

Nearly three quarters of industry association members agree their association effectively advocates to influence legislation and regulation. Among professional association members, agreement is closer to half. This difference points less to a lack of advocacy and more to differences in visibility and perceived impact, with some members clearly questioning whether outcomes are clear and connected to their daily reality.

What this means:
Advocacy has become more central to how members judge overall value. Associations that clearly explain what they are advocating for, why it matters, and how progress is being made are better positioned to maintain trust.

3. Being informed still matters, but interpretation is essential

Members continue to rely on their association to keep them informed about regulatory change, policy developments and industry issues. Information remains a core benefit of belonging.

What has changed is the expectation that associations do more than distribute updates. Members want interpretation. What has changed, why it matters, and what action is required.

Industry members often frame information as essential for managing compliance and business risk. Professional members place greater weight on how information connects to practice, scope and professional judgement.

When information feels generic, overly technical or disconnected from real decision‑making, it contributes to overload rather than confidence.

What this means:
The challenge is not to communicate more, but to communicate with intent. Associations that act as interpreters, rather than amplifiers, are more likely to be seen as indispensable.

4. Advice, resources and tools support confidence and risk management

Access to resources, advice and tools remains an important part of the membership mix, particularly for industry associations and smaller organisations with limited internal capability.

Members describe these services in terms of the extent to which practical guidance, templates and advice matter most when something goes wrong, when decisions feel risky, or when external requirements change. Professional members also rely on these services, often framing them as reassurance or “peace of mind”. Even when used infrequently, their existence supports belonging.

However, member feedback suggests expectations are high. When advice feels generic, slow or misaligned with real practice, disappointment is strong. Because these services are associated with protection and support, failure affects trust more than underperformance in other optional benefits.

What this means:
The priority is not to expand toolkits endlessly, but to ensure core resources are credible, accessible and clearly maintained. Advice may not always drive engagement, but it strongly shapes trust.

5. Networking is valued, but not universally compelling

Networking appears frequently in free‑text responses, but rarely as a primary reason for belonging. Instead, it reinforces value when other fundamentals are working well.

Industry members describe networking pragmatically - to share knowledge, access peers and understand how others are responding to similar pressures. Professional members speak more about connection, collegiality and reducing isolation.

Where advocacy, CPD or information provision are weak, networking is not enough to compensate.

What this means:
Networking remains important, but its role is supportive rather than central. Purposeful, inclusive connection strengthens belonging when core value is already clear.

Looking ahead: what the 2025 data suggests for associations in 2026

In 2026, associations are likely to be judged less on the breadth of what they offer and more on the effective delivery of what matters most.

CPD must be relevant, up to date and credible. Advocacy must be visible and connected to outcomes. Information must be interpreted. Support must be trustworthy. Connection must be purposeful.

Members are not asking associations to become something new. They are asking them to focus, clarify and follow through.