Key Takeaways:
- By removing the paywall, WID’s job board skyrocketed from 500 to over 2,600 users.
- Strategically pricing membership just $10 higher than the fee to post encouraged frequent posters to sign on and enjoy the full benefits of membership.
- Promoting the job board far and wide not only increased its reach but also its value in the eyes of posters, making it a huge source of revenue for WID.
- To maximize revenue, WID offers organizations who post frequently bundles of listings for a reduced rate.
For more than four decades, Women in Development of Greater Boston (WID) has been shattering the glass ceiling. When the group first organized, men dominated the development sector, and its founding members—just six in number—were determined to change that.
Today, WID is a thriving, forward-thinking organization with 500 active members and a total reach of over 2,600 end users. Spreading far beyond the confines of the Greater Boston area, WID has users throughout Massachusetts and New England and is one of the largest organizations of advancement professionals in the state. WID’s impact even reached Hawaii, having a member sign on from the Aloha State!
As a member-based organization, Women in Development is dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in development through programs, services, volunteer work and job opportunities. As part of an interconnected community, members help one other improve professional skills, share job opportunities, and foster an environment of excellence in the field of development.
While WID ran into challenges in the past with reach, member benefits and job board accessibility, since switching to MemberClicks, they’ve quickly become our top revenue earning client — thanks in part to how well they’ve leveraged Job Board. We spoke with WID’s Managing Director, Judi Fanger, to find out how they did it.
The problem
When Judi Fanger first began working with WID 15 years ago, the organization was still mailing out lists of job openings. As unimaginable as it may seem today, WID members relied on these monthly deposits in their mailboxes, patiently waiting each month for the latest opportunities in development to reach them. It made a difference that the jobs were sourced, compiled and sent out by other women. WID’s members felt like they could count on the association to provide them with a meaningful network to advance their careers, and to send them worth-while opportunities within a mostly male-dominated sector.
“For 25 years people watched every month for those job postings to come out,” Judi said. “They had been used to looking out for them for a very long time.”
Eventually, WID stopped mailing the listings and transitioned to monthly email newsletter. Still accessible only behind a paywall, the email came with a printable PDF version for members to post on their office bulletin boards or hand out to friends and colleagues.
Next came the shift to a job-sharing platform. Then another. Although the choice to move operations to a special platform just for jobs felt right, WID still struggled to find a platform that could serve all their members’ needs. Above anything, they wanted to ensure as many women as possible were able to engage with the job listings, and as things stood their postings were only reaching around 500 paying members, keeping significant growth at bay. WID sought a new AMS solution with the top consideration being the strength of the AMS’ job board.
The solution
In 2021, Women in Development made the switch to MemberClicks. As the organization’s third platform with job board capabilities, a lot was riding on the decision to upgrade. WID needed to reach a larger audience, increase engagement with job listings and add value both for existing and potential members. For all these needs and more, MemberClicks turned out to be worth its weight in gold for WID. The software’s flexibility, easy member management and job board capabilities helped take WID to the next level in terms of both engagement and member value.
Judi explained that at first, WID wanted to keep their postings behind a paywall. The concern was that members saw the job board as a premium membership feature, like something they had to pay to access. Much to WID’s surprise, no one could have predicted that the new job board would end up becoming such an invaluable community resource. Once the postings were public and shareable, the job board’s reach skyrocketed.
For women throughout Boston and New England, WID’s job board has become a critical touchpoint. Hundreds of users in the area rely on their distribution, whether they’re looking to fill a position at their organization or searching for employment for themselves. Along with increased visibility, the lack of a paywall also makes job board highly shareable, meaning users can send jobs to friends, colleagues or anyone they think might be interested.
“For a long time, “Judi said, “we’ve had a reputation in the community as being the go-to place for people to look for jobs in development in the greater Boston area.”
Women in Development’s Job Board, coupled with their MemberClicks AMS, has consistently provided resources and opportunities for women at all stages of their careers, connecting people across the industry and weaving a rich, interconnected professional network.
The strategy and results
For Women in Development, the results of using MemberClicks Professional and Job Board speak for themselves. While the organization’s paying membership hovers around 500, its job board consistently reaches an audience of over 2,600, helping to connect women working in development to jobs all over New England.
Thanks to the user-friendly design and easy-shareability, posting on the job board is a snap. Members can easily input job and company details, upload and view applicant details. Meanwhile, applicants can search for jobs, apply and upload their resumes and CVs with equal straightforwardness.
While existing members of WID can post listings on the job board for a small fee, non-members must pay extra. Yet for only a slightly higher fee (just $10 more), non-members have the option to become full members, unlocking greater benefits and networking opportunities. This policy adds value for existing members, while incentivizing frequent posters to join and experience the full benefits of membership. In this way, Job Board has helped WID increase membership, revenue and reach all in one swing.
For WID, the job board has become not just a community hive, but a top revenue driver. In fact, earnings from paid posts now account for approximately 50% of the organization’s revenue—more than enough to pay for the membership management software that supports it.
“Today, our job board pays for probably more than half of our operations,” said Judi. “The revenue we make from Job Board is a very meaningful amount, and maybe other organizations aren’t quite as reliant on it. But for us, it’s always been the thing that we’ve relied on the most.”
To maximize revenue, WID offers organizations who post frequently with bundles of listings for a reduced rate. WID has successfully produced a positive feedback loop where the more people see WID job postings, the more they’re inclined to post one, as Judi explained.
Throughout WID’s 40+ years, their goal of advancing women in the development sector has remained at the forefront. Of all the features MemberClicks provides, Job Board has had the biggest hand in growing the association’s mission and impact, providing the revenue needed to sustain operations, incentivize new members to join and even pay for itself! For Judi, Job Board’s fantastic reach has been the true tipping point. Removing the paywall allowed the board to reach new heights, increase visibility fivefold and generate 16x the value of their AMS in 2023. Try doing that via snail mail!
“This organization was founded to break the glass ceiling for women working in development,” Judi said. “45 years ago, it was all men at the top. Women really couldn’t make their way in this profession, both in terms of moving into more prominent roles and in terms of salary. So that’s always been at the heart and soul of the organization. That’s what we’ve been about from the beginning and Job Board has really helped us achieve that.”
Over the past forty years, WID has evolved from a group of six determined women to a thriving organization with a significant regional reach and impact. As we’ve seen in this case study, after transitioning to MemberClicks Professional with Job Board and removing barriers to access, WID grew its job board into an even more vital resource for its members and the broader community.
Today, WID stands as a beacon of empowerment, leveraging technology to bridge gaps, drive growth, and support women throughout their careers. As they continue to break barriers and inspire change, WID’s journey serves as a testament to the transformative power of effective member management software, and how solutions like Job Board can empower organizations to drive revenue, increase visibility, and build greater connections within the communities they serve.
Want to drive membership, grow revenue and provide a hub of career opportunities like WID? Book a demo today!
