Member Engagement Demonstration of Success
Our event and educational training attendance were off the charts in 2019!
We held 79 events and educational offerings throughout the year. 30 of those sold out at maximum capacity and nearly all the others were at 90% capacity. Due to the success of all our events and education in 2019, we are adding multiple offerings of the same classes and moving to larger venues in 2020. We are even planning for a bigger training room for our offices for 2021! In terms of financials, our education revenue went up by an astounding 56% in 2019 from the previous year, and our event revenue went up 15%.
Membership grew by nearly 19,000 units and 132 member organizations in 2019, much of that by word of mouth.
In 2019, our member engagement on social media was also very impressive. Our Facebook pages saw an increase of 26% “likes,” our LinkedIn page grew the most at 438% new followers for the year, and our Instagram following grew by 73% from the previous year.
Moreover, about 50 individuals used our VoterVoice advocacy platform to write letters to their policymakers in 2019. That is up from about five in 2018.
The success of our member engagement tactics and initiatives can be measured easily in event attendance numbers, social media growth, and member participation. However, it’s not so easy to measure the way people feel about their association, the results of the relationships they’ve built through the association, the “buzz” about WMFHA going around their communities, or how their engagement intrinsically supports their career growth. So, let’s hear it from them directly.
“Maybe I should say that I’m now happily married to WMFHA rather than engaged; but in either case, my happiness and success in the industry is in large part due to my connection with WMFHA.” – Jane Bowling, Allied Residential
“Because I’ve invested more time and energy this year, my network has grown, and I’ve earned more trust among other professionals in the organization. I feel like I’m known among WMFHA professionals, making it more comfortable to network at events and make my daily sales calls.” – Kari Downs, ABODA by RESIDE
“Joining WMFHA and becoming an active member has created a sense of community that I can rely upon and lean on when facing new obstacles or challenges within a new role.” – Jared Edwards, Greystar
“As for affecting my career, it makes me prouder of who I have become, not only working on a committee but getting my CAPS certification. This was something I wanted for a long time, but until I really got involved with WMFHA, I never pushed myself to go for it.” – Linda Lander, ConAm Management
We exist to advocate for legislation equitable to our industry and the community, provide educational opportunities to promote career development and celebrate and support the multifamily industry. When our members are advancing in their careers, building community, growing their professional network, and participating in our advocacy work, we call that successful engagement.
