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8 Top Tips for Generating Non-Dues Revenue for Your Association

Updated: Oct 12

Generating non-dues revenue presents you with a unique opportunity to diversify income streams and deepen ties with organisations both in your association's ecosystem and those adjacent to it. Crucially, the potential financial gains provide you with a discretionary budget for your association that doesn't directly impact member dues, and provides the financial stability needed to support growth, innovation, and enhanced member benefits.


The Pros and Cons of Generating Non-Dues Revenue

However, focussing on non-dues revenue generation also brings challenges. Unlike dues revenue, which tends to be more predictable, non-dues revenue can be volatile and may introduce an element of financial uncertainty.


You may have concerns about whether non-dues revenue activities like sponsorship dilutes your association’s brand or affects its impartiality. Additionally, managing these initiatives places an extra burden on your association board, raising questions about potential overlap with existing sponsorship efforts, such as those related to your association's annual conference.


For businesses, sponsoring your association offers benefits like enhanced lead generation, targeted marketing, and sustained brand visibility at an attractive price point compared to other sponsorship or marketing opportunities. Yet, these organisations face tough choices about where to allocate their marketing funds.


8 Top Tips For Exceptional Member Engagement

So here they are, 8 Top Tips for Generating Non-Dues Revenue for Your Association. Putting these into practice will help you to tap into new revenue sources and diversify your association's financial portfolio.


#1: Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship by organisations both in your association's ecosystem and adjacent to it can be a lucrative source of non-dues revenue. By partnering with organisations that align with your association's values and goals, you can offer sponsors valuable exposure to your membership base. Consider creating tiered sponsorship packages that provide varying levels of visibility and benefits, enticing sponsors to invest in long-term partnerships.


#2: Advertising and Marketing

Monetise your association's digital platforms by offering advertising space to industry partners and affiliates. Digital marketing opportunities such as sponsored content, website banners and carousels, placements in your newsletter, social media interactions, and targeted email campaigns can provide a steady stream of revenue. Ensure that your advertising policies align with your association's values and do not compromise the trust of your members!


#3: Events, Conferences, and Webinars

Hosting industry-specific events, conferences, workshops, webinars, and seminars can be a significant revenue generator for your association. These can be sponsored events, too. Member-exclusive events can provide added value to your membership while opening up opportunities for non-members to participate for a fee. Consider offering early bird discounts, group rates, and premium packages to attract a diverse audience and maximise revenue potential.


Remember to fully explore the risk vs. return for your association with regard hosting events. Securing a venue, catering, audio visual production, headline speakers, and engaging an event organiser typically require an upfront investment. This means using your association's existing revenue lines, savings, or obtaining a line of credit which can be challenging for some non-profits.


#4: Learning and Development

Leverage your association's expertise by offering online courses, webinars, and training programmes. Professionals are constantly seeking opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge, making educational offerings a valuable revenue stream. Create a robust e-learning platform that offers a mix of free and paid courses, certifications, and resources to cater to different audience segments. Here are two examples; use their free plans to see how your association could create and monetise new member benefits.

  • teach:able: Easily create and sell courses, coaching, and digital downloads with their powerful yet simple no-code platform.

  • Thinkific: A leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling courses, digital products, and learning experiences.


A chart showing revenue growth
Diversifying your revenue streams beyond membership dues is essential for the growth and long-term financial sustainability of your association

#5: Product Sales and Merchandise

Explore the possibility of selling branded merchandise, publications, and products related to your association's industry. From apparel and accessories to toolkits and guides, merchandise can serve as both a revenue source and a marketing tool. Consider partnering with suppliers for drop-shipping services to minimise inventory costs and streamline fulfilment processes. Here are three examples:

  • Shopify: A versatile platform to generate non-dues revenue for your association by creating an online store to sell branded merchandise, educational materials, or event tickets, creating new revenue streams that go beyond membership fees.

  • Teemill: The world’s biggest dedicated circular economy platform that only uses organic materials and renewable energy powered factories to deliver a sustainable print on demand service.

  • TotalMerchandise: One of the UK's leading suppliers of promotional merchandise printed with your association's logo and marketing message with over 10,000 key product lines to choose from.


#6: Consulting Services

Tap into the expertise within your association by offering consulting services to members and external clients. Whether it's strategic planning, research, or professional development, consulting can be a high-value revenue stream. Promote your consulting services through targeted marketing campaigns, testimonials, and success stories to attract clients seeking industry-specific expertise.


#7: Affiliate Partnerships

Forge strategic partnerships with affiliate programmes that align with your association's mission and values. By promoting third-party products or services to your membership base, you can earn commissions on referrals and sales. Choose affiliates that offer relevant and valuable solutions to your audience to enhance engagement and conversion rates. Here are three examples:

  • Amazon Associates: This is Amazon's affiliate marketing programme. As a trusted, familiar, and global platform with a massive user base, it's an ideal partner for associations looking to diversify revenue streams using affiliate marketing.

  • FlexOffers: Provides an exceptional opportunity for associations to generate non-dues revenue through its extensive affiliate network. Its broad reach allows you to tap into a wide range of popular products—Microsoft and Samsung are two examples— making it easier to engage your members.

  • Rakuten Advertising: Provides your association with access to trusted, high-demand products that your members will value. Explore Rakuten to unlock a reliable new income stream and offer members access to top-tier brands—all without increasing member dues.


#8: Membership Upgrades and Premium Features

Enhance your membership tiers with premium features, exclusive content, and upgraded benefits. Offer members the option to upgrade their membership level for access to specialised resources, networking opportunities, and personalised support. Premium features can command a higher fee, contributing to your non-dues revenue stream while increasing member retention and loyalty. See how Sociatio can support your tiered membership model.


Bringing It All Together

Diversifying your revenue streams beyond membership dues is essential for the growth and long-term financial sustainability of your association. By implementing these 8 top tips for generating non-dues revenue, you can unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation, and member engagement. Explore strategic partnerships, online offerings, events, and premium services to create a robust revenue portfolio that supports your association's mission and vision.


Remember, a balanced approach that prioritises member value and sustainability will ensure that your association thrives. Are you ready to supercharge your association's non-dues revenue generation efforts? Contact Sociatio to get started today.



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Modern AMS is not just an option; it's a necessity. Your AMS must act as a driving force, streamlining operations, enhancing member engagement, and unlocking new growth opportunities. By investing in sociatio, your association positions itself as an industry disruptor, ensuring long-term success and a thriving community of engaged members.


Don't settle for mediocrity; embrace the power of sociatio today! Discover how our state-of-the-art association management software can revolutionise your operations, supercharge member engagement, and unlock new revenue streams.


Are you ready to deliver a sustainable, premium membership experience? Are you ready to help your staff work smarter, not harder? We're revolutionising association management software. So, visit our website today to learn more about sociatio, the AMS platform created by association leaders for association leaders.


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Take a moment and give us feedback on the AMS market through our quick poll. Your answers are anonymous. You can vote for more than one answer. Feel free to comment below. And get in touch with us if you'd like to share more. Thank you!


Which of these 8 tips are you keen to try? Leave a comment telling us why.

  • 0%Sponsorship Opportunities

  • 0%Advertising and Marketing

  • 0%Events, Conferences, and Webinars

  • 0%Learning and Development

You can vote for more than one answer.



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