Every year, the question of whether to renew membership begs a greater question: Does the association I belong to provide me with sufficient value?

When I sat on the board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) — Toronto Chapter, we realized that in order to create the compelling value that our members desired, we would have to generate far more funds than what was coming to us through membership dues. Naturally, we turned our attention to sponsorship dollars.

Because of my sales background, I approached sales sponsorship as a sales challenge, not a fundraising challenge. Many associations turn to sponsors looking for a handout. This sets up a dynamic where the fundraiser feels embarrassed and lacks confidence in the request, and the potential sponsor feels imposed upon and reluctant to give.

When viewed as a sales challenge, the fundraiser must ask himself or herself what the potential sponsor is trying to achieve. The secret to sales is understanding that emotions are tied to goals, and people buy emotionally. Once you understand their goals and position a solution that will help them to genuinely achieve their goals, they become emotionally hooked to that solution.

What makes associations attractive to potential sponsors is the concentration of a particular demographic. Lining up organizations that naturally want to engage with this demographic is the first step. Offering them a high-quality way of engaging this demographic is the second.

For example, one of the strategies that we used was to survey our members on the technology and professional services purchases they were likely to make in the coming year. Based on the survey results, we reached out to relevant vendors.

We put a program together that we called, "Meet the Experts." This program was embedded in our standard monthly meeting and provided a platform that positioned our sponsors as partners and experts in their craft.

Each vendor had exclusivity and sat at a round table where our members could go to them and learn tips, tricks and traps associated with their product offering. After 15 minutes, time would be called and our members could circulate and find another expert from whom they would like to learn.

This is just one example of how associations can get creative in raising nondues revenue by thinking in fresh ways about the intersection between their members and potential sponsors. Using this, and several other strategies, we met with unprecedented financial growth, which in turn enabled us to deliver a quantum leap of value to our members.

As you look for ways to increase nondues revenue, don't ask for handouts to help your organization, find ways to offer solutions that help your sponsors.