Practical Ways Associations Can Use AI

By Noah Poissant, Account Director

Artificial intelligence is everywhere! But for most associations, and so many MGI clients, the question isn’t just about efficiencies or the latest cool thing AI can do. It’s how AI can support you and your organization in efforts to move the needle on membership growth, engagement, and retention.

We believe AI should support the work of humans, making teams more effective without replacing the strategy, creativity, and judgment that only people can bring. So, here are some practical ways associations can use AI today, without chasing trends or overhauling their tech.

Smarter Personalization Using Data You Already Have
Most associations already collect meaningful data but struggle to make it work for them. AI can identify patterns across that data and apply them consistently.

What this looks like in practice:

• Renewal messaging tailored by engagement level
• Content recommendations based on past behavior, not assumptions
• Messaging that adapts by career stage or tenure

AI can shine a light on the opportunities for relevant, segmented communication that we know drives stronger response rates.

Faster, More Efficient Content Creation
AI isn’t here to replace your voice, but it can significantly reduce the time spent getting content started.

Associations are using AI to:

• Draft first versions of webpages that align with current SEO goals
• Repurpose long-form content into shorter formats
• Turn static content into dynamic content (whitepapers to podcasts or videos)

With review and refinement, AI becomes a productivity tool that helps teams do more with limited resources.

More Confident Marketing Spend Decisions
With budgets under watchful eyes, AI is helping associations make smarter allocation choices.

AI support for budgets includes:

• Improving paid media targeting and audience modeling to inform expert-led strategy and optimization
• Forecasting campaign performance
• Identifying channels that attract higher-value members

Together, these insights provide clearer signals, while experienced teams determine the right actions and tradeoffs.

AI offers associations great potential to move the needle on growth, engagement, and retention when it strengthens analytical insight, identifies patterns across data, and helps organizations operate more efficiently at scale. So, if you’re just getting started, remember, the best approach to AI is intentional experimentation. Start small by having a clear, singular use case, a simple defined output, and a test-and-learn mindset. And that’s how AI becomes less of a buzzword and more of a tool supporting sustainable growth for associations.

Writer’s note:
We prompted AI in this article and this was part of AI’s response.
“AI cannot replace the human judgment, relationships, and mission-driven storytelling that define successful associations.” (Shout out to all our Partners!)

Have questions? Reach out to the experts at MGI! Contact Jana Darling, President, Marketing General Incorporated at JDarling@MarketingGeneral.com or 703-706-0346.