Global engagement marketing agency MCI has released the Association Engagement Index: A 10-Year Retrospective, highlighting a decade of research and eight key lessons it believes can help associations build stronger relationships with their members and communities.
The report draws on insights from 40,000 members and customers across 119 associations worldwide, and examines the factors that influence engagement, loyalty and advocacy.
While associations continue to earn strong ratings for their reputation and subject-matter expertise, the research highlights a significant gap between institutional credibility and personal relevance. Only 24% of respondents rate their association as excellent at meeting their individual needs, while just 25% give an excellent rating for value for money.
“Ten years of research have shown us that being a respected association is not enough. Members need to see how their association makes a difference to them personally,” said Erin Fuller, global head of association solutions at MCI. “The opportunity now is to turn that trust into deeper participation, stronger relationships and lasting advocacy.”
The report identifies eight key lessons to help associations strengthen engagement and respond to evolving member and customer expectations.
Among the key findings:
Personal relevance remains a challenge. While 56% of respondents rate their association’s reputation as excellent and 51% say the same about its subject-matter expertise, considerably fewer believe their association delivers excellent value or meets their individual needs.
Younger generations require greater attention. Younger members are less likely to recommend their associations than older generations, highlighting the importance of creating more flexible and meaningful opportunities for participation.
Competition for attention is intensifying. Preference remains the weakest of the three engagement dimensions measured by the Index, reinforcing the need for associations to demonstrate their distinctive value.
Members want more opportunities to contribute. While 31% of respondents would like to contribute more to their association, only 15% say it is easy to do so, pointing to opportunities to move members beyond simply consuming content towards contributing, collaborating and co-creating.
The report also explores the importance of personalisation, choice and communication channels, regional differences in engagement, and the need for continuous innovation.
Together, the findings underline the central role of engagement in strengthening member retention, building advocacy and supporting sustainable association growth.
To mark the release of the report, MCI is hosting a webinar, ‘A Decade of Engagement Data: What Associations Need to Do Differently’, on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
Moderated by Erin Fuller, the discussion will bring together MCI experts and association leaders to reflect on how engagement has evolved over the past decade and what the findings mean for the future of associations.
The full report is available to download here.
