As we enter the AI era, your members can now get instant answers and insights to complex questions —for free. So what does this mean for membership organisations?
Let’s be honest—when a member has a question, they’re not waiting for your reply. They’re asking ChatGPT. Why wouldn’t they?
It’s fast, free, and available 24/7. AI tools are quickly becoming the first stop for answers—not because they’re always better, but because they’re quicker and easier.
In fact, ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months. Suddenly, the specialist knowledge your organisation has curated for years is available instantly to anyone, anywhere—for free.
As a membership manager or leader, AI has likely triggered a confronting question: Why would members keep paying for something they can now get easily and instantly elsewhere?
Here’s what might surprise you—this isn’t the crisis or threat you think it is. It’s actually your biggest opportunity.
We get it. You’re probably thinking…
“If AI can answer member questions instantly, where does that leave our value proposition?”
It’s a fair concern. And you’re not alone in asking it.
Yes—AI can give answers. And in some cases, it can even provide helpful context. But it still can’t fully understand your members’ world.
It doesn’t know their history with your organisation. It can’t build trust. And it can’t offer a sense of community, shared purpose, or belonging.
Those are the things only human relationships provide.
What AI can’t replace (and probably never will)
Think about why your members really joined. Was it just for information? Or was it for something deeper?
Recent ASAE research shows members primarily join and stay for shared interests and belonging—not content access. They want to feel part of something. They want their professional identity validated. They want connections with people who “get it.”
AI might help them find answers, but your organisation helps them ask the right questions. It helps them discover their professional community. It helps them grow into the leaders they want to become.
That’s not something you can automate.
The shift ambitious organisations are making
Forward thinking membership organisations aren’t panicking about AI. They’re using it as a wake-up call to get back to what they do best.
They’ve stopped asking “How do we compete with AI?” and started asking “What can we offer that AI never could?”
Instead of just providing information, they’re building genuine relationships, creating spaces where members truly belong, and offering trusted, exclusive experiences.
Our Leadership Roundtable put it perfectly: “If your value is ‘We have knowledge that our members pay to access,’ that’s exactly what AI will undermine.”
So, what are the most forward-thinking organisations actually doing differently?
We work with membership teams who are embracing this shift. What do they have in common?
They’re not trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, they’re laser-focused on building trust, creating real connections, and helping members achieve things they couldn’t on their own.
They use data-driven tools to understand their members better—not to replace human relationships, but as an enabler to make them stronger and more meaningful.
They’ve recognised that information alone isn’t enough anymore. But that realisation has given them permission to double down on what they do best: helping their members grow, lead, and be successful.
The opportunity that’s hiding in plain sight
Here’s what’s interesting about the AI “threat”—it’s actually forcing membership organisations to become better at what they should be doing all along.
The organisations that lean into this—that double down on relationships, community, and transformation—won’t just survive the AI era. They’ll thrive in it.
Because at the end of the day, membership isn’t really about information. It never was.
It’s about belonging. It’s about growth. It’s about being part of something that makes you better — professionally and personally.
Where do you start?
The good news? You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight.
But it might be worth taking a step back and asking:
- Are we delivering transactional value or transformational value?
- Are our members just paying for access, or are we helping them to grow personally and professionally?
- Are we focused on content delivery, or outcomes and relationships?
These aren’t easy questions but they’re exactly the right ones to ask if you want to future-proof your organisation.
Want to dive deeper into how membership is changing and what to do about it? sheepCRM have just published a comprehensive white paper: “In the Age of AI: Will Your members still need you?“. Inside, you’ll find practical strategies, case studies, and a clear framework for evolving your value proposition—from transactional to transformational. Download your copy here
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