Live from ASAE MMCT: Sheri Jacobs on Rethinking Membership in an Age of Overload
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Closing Keynote: The Art of Membership in the Age of Everything
Membership hasn’t lost its value. It has simply become harder to earn. That was the central message from Sheri Jacobs, President and CEO of Avenue M Group, during the closing keynote at the ASAE Marketing, Membership, Communications + Tech Conference (MMCT).
In a world where members face endless choices, unlimited information, and constant demands on their attention, Jacobs argued that the traditional membership playbook is no longer enough. Organizations that succeed won’t be the ones doing more—they’ll be the ones making sharper choices, taking smarter risks, and creating experiences that genuinely matter.
More Options Don’t Always Create Better Outcomes
Jacobs opened with a personal story from her photography expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica. Like many organizations, she believed having more tools would produce better results. Armed with multiple lenses, filters, angles, and shooting options, she expected to capture extraordinary photographs.
Instead, she often missed the best moments. The lesson was simple but powerful: more choices don’t automatically create more impact.
In fact, too many options can create distraction, hesitation, and missed opportunities. Ironically, one of her best photographs came after an injury limited what she could physically do. Unable to carry heavy equipment, move freely, or constantly change positions, she was forced to work within strict constraints. Those limitations sharpened her focus and helped her capture the defining image of the trip.
For associations, the takeaway was clear: constraints can be an advantage when they help organizations focus on what matters most.
The Why, The What, and The How
To help organizations make more intentional decisions, Jacobs introduced a simple framework:
The Why: Not the organization’s mission statement, but the reason behind the specific task or initiative at hand.
The What: Determining what to focus on despite limited resources, time, and competing priorities—and equally important, deciding what not to do.
The How: The execution plan that brings the strategy to life.
She illustrated this framework through Bank of America’s successful “Keep the Change” savings program.
- Why: Help customers save money.
- What: Use customers’ existing debit card behavior rather than asking them to change habits.
- How: Round purchases up to the nearest dollar and transfer the difference into savings automatically.
The simplicity of the solution came from clear choices and strong focus.
The Power of Boundaries
One of the strongest themes of the keynote was the importance of setting boundaries. Jacobs introduced what she called a “5-Minute Boundary Reset”, a quick exercise teams can use when facing competing priorities:
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- What problem are we solving?
- What are we not doing?
- What boundaries will guide our decisions?
Rather than viewing boundaries as limitations, Jacobs positioned them as tools for creating clarity. She shared an example of an association that provided new members with large onboarding binders packed with information. The organization discovered that most members discarded the materials because they only needed specific information at specific moments. Instead of overwhelming members upfront, the organization shifted to providing information when it became relevant. The result was a significantly better member experience.
The lesson: delivering everything at once isn’t always valuable. Delivering the right thing at the right time is.
Innovation Requires Both Structure and Experimentation
Jacobs also challenged attendees to rethink how innovation happens inside organizations. She introduced the Creativity Code, a framework built around two factors: Clear boundaries and A culture of experimentation
Together, these create four distinct environments:
Fear Zone: Low experimentation and weak boundaries result in minimal innovation.
Compliance Zone: Strong boundaries with little experimentation create consistency but limit innovation.
Wandering Zone: High experimentation but little focus leads to creative activity without meaningful outcomes.
Innovation Zone: The sweet spot where clear priorities meet active experimentation.
According to Jacobs, organizations that consistently innovate operate in this quadrant.
The Challenge: Take Three Shots Every Week
To help leaders build a stronger culture of experimentation, Jacobs offered a simple challenge:
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- Share an Idea: Contribute a new perspective, suggestion, or opportunity.
- Run a Small Experiment: Test something on a manageable scale rather than waiting for perfect certainty.
- Be the Last to Speak: Create space for others to contribute before sharing your own opinion.
These small actions, practiced consistently, can help organizations move beyond risk avoidance and toward innovation.
Panel Discussion: Making Tough Decisions
Following the keynote, Jacobs was joined by membership leaders Rick Burt, Melody Jordan-Carr, Hassana Howe, and Sarah Sladek for a discussion on applying these concepts in practice. Several themes emerged:
Rick Burt shared how his organization had to reevaluate a discounted membership category that had grown significantly over time. Even though changes could result in membership losses, experimentation and long-term sustainability required difficult decisions.
Melody Jordan-Carr emphasized the importance of data-driven prioritization. Organizations shouldn’t automatically pursue every member request if the data suggests a different path forward. Decisions should be informed by evidence, not just immediate reactions.
Hassana Howe focused on serving audiences with increasingly limited time and attention. Sometimes innovation isn’t about creating something entirely new—it’s about delivering routine experiences more effectively and consistently.
The discussion reinforced Jacobs’ core message: membership organizations must become more intentional about where they invest their time, energy, and resources.
Final Takeaway
The keynote ended with a challenge that resonated throughout the room. In an age of overload, organizations don’t need more programs, more initiatives, or more complexity. They need clearer priorities. They need stronger boundaries. And they need the courage to experiment.
Membership value isn’t disappearing. But earning it requires associations to stop playing it safe, focus on what matters most, and create experiences that truly stand out in an increasingly crowded world.