In Conversation With: Memberboat | Olena Lima
Digital transformation is no longer simply about adopting new platforms or automating existing processes. For associations, the bigger opportunity is to rethink how technology, data, member experience and organisational priorities work together.
In this edition of In Conversation With, we speak with Olena Lima from Member Boat about what association leaders should be paying attention to as member expectations continue to shift.
From the decline of automatic belonging to the growing role of AI, Olena explores why sustainable membership growth depends on more than acquisition. It requires clearer choices, stronger member journeys and a willingness to address the processes and experiences sitting underneath the technology.
What’s one challenge you’re seeing associations face right now?
Association teams are working incredibly hard across too many disconnected priorities, including member acquisition, retention, events, community building, advocacy, industry programs and legacy projects that should have been retired years ago.
Without a clear operating system connecting current member insight, a strong value proposition, a seamless member experience, relevant and personalised communications and consistent delivery, all that activity fails to compound. Teams stay busy, membership growth remains stagnant, and members increasingly see associations as outdated organisations that are not worth their time.
What’s one trend association leaders should be paying attention to?
The decline of automatic belonging. Professionals are less likely to join or renew simply because membership has traditionally been expected in their industry.
With overflowing calendars and increasing information noise, members are assessing both the return on investment and the return on their time. They can ask an AI tool to summarise the latest industry news in seconds, so publishing more content will only add to the noise.
Associations now need to continually earn attention, participation and renewal by helping members make progress, build useful relationships and navigate an increasingly complex professional environment. Reputation still matters, but relevance is what will sustain membership.
What’s one thing the most successful associations are doing differently?
They are making clearer choices. They use member insight and performance data to identify where growth is being lost, then focus their limited resources on the few things that will make the greatest difference.
They also treat acquisition, onboarding, engagement and retention as one connected system: member experience. Just as importantly, they are prepared to stop activities that consume time but no longer deliver a meaningful member or organisational outcome.
Can you share a recent project, initiative or success story you’re particularly proud of?
A recent highlight was working with the International Positive Psychology Association to turn a bold idea into a five-day global virtual summit exploring AI and positive psychology.
We helped develop the marketing, participant journey and membership conversion approach around the event. The summit brought together more than 40 speakers, reached participants across multiple time zones and gathered more than 700 professionals from around the world.
It also proved that virtual events are far from dead. When they are intentionally designed around learning, connection and a clear member journey, they can become powerful membership growth engines.
If association leaders could focus on just one thing over the next 12 months, what should it be and why?
Map the complete member journey and identify where it is most fragile.
Is the problem that prospective members cannot find you, that interested people are not joining, that new members never become engaged, or that existing members cannot see enough reason to renew?
Until leaders can answer that question, every new campaign, platform or project is largely guesswork. Finding the weakest point gives the organisation a clear priority and makes it much easier to direct time, budget and team capability where they will have the greatest impact.
How have member expectations changed over the last few years?
Member expectations have become more individual, immediate and outcome-focused. People expect communications to reflect their interests and career stage, digital processes to be simple, and the value of membership to be easy to find and use.
They are also comparing their association experience with the best digital experiences they have anywhere, not only with other associations. At the same time, information overload has made trusted guidance and genuine human connection more valuable. The opportunity is to combine digital convenience with a strong sense of community.
What’s the biggest mistake associations make when trying to grow membership?
Treating membership growth as an acquisition campaign.
It is like pouring more water into a leaking bucket. More prospects may enter the pipeline, yet an unclear value proposition, difficult joining process, weak onboarding or underwhelming member experience allows them to quickly drain away.
Sustainable growth starts with finding and repairing those leaks. The whole system needs to work together, from understanding the right audiences and communicating relevant value to converting interest, nurturing engagement and giving members compelling reasons to stay.
What digital transformation trend are you watching closely?
I am watching AI move beyond content creation and administrative efficiency to become a discovery, service and personalisation layer for associations.
It has enormous potential to help members find relevant knowledge, navigate services and receive more personalised support. However, AI will magnify the quality of what sits underneath it. Messy data, poorly structured content and undocumented processes will not disappear when AI is introduced.
Digitising a messy business process only creates digital mess. The associations that benefit most from AI will be those that first strengthen their data, processes, content and governance.
The common thread throughout Olena’s perspective is clear: transformation works best when associations strengthen the fundamentals first.
Technology can improve reach, personalisation and service, but it cannot compensate for unclear value, fragmented processes or a weak member experience. The associations positioned to grow will be those that understand where their member journey is breaking down, focus resources where they can have the greatest impact, and use digital tools to strengthen an already well-designed experience.
Thank you to Olena Lima and Member Boat for sharing their perspective with the Answers for Associations community.
You can find out more about Memberboat here: https://memberboat.com.au/
And you can follow Olena Lima via her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olenalima/
In Conversation With brings together the ideas, experience and practical insights of AFA partners working across the association sector.
