Bring on Better™ by Momentive Software

Do people who join a professional association actually get further in their careers? Momentive Software's 2026 research compared members and non-members to find out.

In this episode of Bring on Better™, host Rich Vallaster talks with Tirrah Switzer, Vice President of Product Marketing at Momentive Software and a newly credentialed CAE. She explains what the study found, why a third-party research partner matters, and what associations should change about how they describe the value of membership.

Key findings from the study:

- 42% of members report being steadily promoted, compared with 23% of non-members. Members also average nearly twice as many promotions at their current company.

- Members show a roughly 20-point gap in feeling comfortable in a leadership role.

- Members are roughly 20 points less likely to feel stressed about money.

- 87% of members say keeping up with the latest technology is important, compared with 66% of non-members.

Questions answered in this episode:

- Do association members get promoted more often than non-members? - Why does comfort in leadership matter as much as the title?
- How does membership build career resilience and a professional safety net?
- Why do members expect their association to help them navigate AI?
- How can associations reach Gen Z and emerging professionals? - Should associations offer micro-credentials?
- How should associations think about non-dues revenue and sunsetting programs?

Download the full research: https://momentivesoftware.com/research-study/membership-report/

Learn more about Momentive Software: https://momentivesoftware.com/

ABOUT BRING ON BETTER™

Bring on Better is the podcast from Momentive Software. Each episode features real conversations with the people behind mission-driven organizations. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Guest: Tirrah Switzer, VP of Product Marketing, Momentive Software Host: Rich Vallaster

What does it look like to serve 8,000 members — from long-haul truck drivers to C-suite executives at Walmart, Penske, and J.B. Hunt — with a staff of four?

Jennifer Hedrick, President & CEO of Women in Trucking Association, joins host Rich Vallaster on Bring on Better™ to answer exactly that. Jennifer shares how Women in Trucking champions women across every level of the trucking profession, why the organization deliberately stays out of lobbying despite its policy-relevant membership, and how they keep drivers engaged when those members are, literally, on the road.

You'll hear about the image team — a group of volunteer truck drivers who have rung the bell on Wall Street and appeared on national television to represent the industry. About Accelerate, Women in Trucking's annual conference drawing 1,500+ attendees. And about Whitney, a mobile career exploration trailer complete with a driving simulator that visits high schools and Girl Scout troops across the country.

Jennifer and Rich also talk honestly about where AI adoption actually stands for small-staff associations, and where Women in Trucking is focusing its membership growth — including a targeted push to bring more women drivers into an industry that research shows they outperform in safety and efficiency.

If you lead an association or nonprofit and you're thinking about member engagement, community building across a distributed audience, or AI for lean teams, this episode is worth your time.

Every association and nonprofit leader is asking some version of the same question right now: how much AI is too much, and how much is not enough? 

On the first episode of Bring on Better (formerly Beyond Membership), host Rich Vallaster sits down with Dustin Radtke, Momentive Software’s first Chief AI Officer and former Chief Product and Development Officer, to answer it. 

In this episode, Dustin explains: 

1. Why Momentive created a Chief AI Officer role, and what it means to have AI represented at the executive table 

1. How his background running product and development shapes the way he leads AI strategy 

1. What responsible AI actually means for associations and nonprofits, beyond the buzzword 

1. Why you don’t need an in-house data scientist to use AI effectively, and what that myth costs your organization 

1. How to talk to your board or finance team about AI investment and return 

1. Where AI is already producing results for associations and nonprofits, from event management to member and donor retention campaigns 

1. What to expect, and what to ask about, on the ASAE Annual show floor 

Whether you run a member-based association, lead a mission-driven nonprofit, or you’re just trying to understand what “responsible AI” means for your organization, this conversation gives you a clear starting point. 

Bring on Better is Momentive Software’s podcast for leaders of mission-driven organizations, covering AI, membership, fundraising, and the technology decisions shaping the association and nonprofit space. 

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Have a topic you want us to cover? Reach out to Momentive Software. 

Featuring: Dustin Radtke, Chief AI Officer, Momentive Software 

Hosted by: Rich Vallaster, CEM, QAS, AAiP, Momentive Software