I was very interested to read in a recent report from McKinley Advisors that, with the shift to virtual events, many associations are reporting "up to 70% new participants in their ecosystem." What that means is these associations are introducing new names to their databases. (Click here to get access to the full report.)

The obvious next question is: what are these associations doing with these names after that initial contact?

More and more of my clients have formalized new member onboarding processes. That is, when a new member joins (whether individual or trade), there is a plan for multiple touchpoints over the course of the next two, three, or even six months. This is smart and should be done.

But what about new contacts that are not new members? If you're an individual membership organization, maybe the next step is pitching membership. Or maybe it's just letting them know about all the other benefits your association has to offer.

And if you're a trade organization, these new individuals should be associated with the organizations they belong to, but they should also be communicated with, especially if they are from a non-member company.

In either case, if you don't already, you should have a "new contacts" onboarding process in place, just like your new member onboarding. With this potentially huge influx of new names, you need to be prepared to continue to keep them engaged.