What if your revenue growth strategy isn’t broken ... it’s just blah? What if ... with a few changes, it could be so much better?

Growing non-dues revenue doesn’t always mean rolling out a shiny new product or rebranding a sponsorship package. Sometimes, the real breakthrough comes from asking bold, uncomfortable questions — the kind that make you stop and reevaluate what’s working and what’s just running on autopilot.

Associations today aren’t just facing external challenges; they’re facing internal ones, too. Legacy models, outdated assumptions, and habits formed in a different era may quietly hold your association back. The real danger isn’t disruption (because there’s no “normal,” there’s just change), it’s clinging to what feels familiar while the world evolves around you.

That’s why now is the time to shake things up by questioning the status quo, by rethinking not just what you offer, but why and how you deliver value.

Here are six “what ifs” to help you reimagine your approach to non-dues revenue.

1. What if your pricing was dynamic?

When was the last time you bought an airline ticket and paid the same price as someone sitting next to you?

Dynamic pricing works in other industries because it reflects supply, demand, and timing. Many associations, though, are still pricing sponsorships, booths, and registrations the same way they did a decade ago.

Some organizations are testing tiered pricing that changes throughout the sales cycle or adjusts based on how much inventory is left. Others are adding simple clauses that ensure exhibitors who reduce their booth size after signing pay the updated rate, not the early-bird discount they originally locked in.

Small shifts like these can have a big impact on your margin and, more importantly, they open the door to smarter, more flexible models that reflect how today’s buyers behave.

2. What if your content focused on connection and not education?

Associations are built on expertise, but expertise isn’t always enough to keep people engaged. These days, connection drives attention. People don’t just want to learn; they want to feel like they’re part of something.

What if your content wasn’t just about transferring knowledge but about building belonging?

That could mean swapping one-way webinars for live, interactive sessions with breakout groups. Or turning research into conversation starters on LinkedIn. It could also be launching a podcast where members and sponsors talk side by side about the future of the industry.

Education still matters, but the way it’s delivered and the emotions it taps into can be the difference between “that was helpful” and “I need to share this.”

3. What if you prioritized industry over members?

For most associations, the majority of non-dues revenue comes from industry partners, yet many still treat those partners as an afterthought, approached once a year with a menu of fixed options and a request for renewal.

What if that shifted?

What if sponsors were invited into early-stage program design? What if you created touchpoints outside of sales cycles: check-ins, strategy calls, co-created content? What if you treated them more like valued partners than vendors?

Most sponsors are willing to invest but only if they feel like partners, not piggy banks.

4. What if you shifted to reverse trade shows and didn’t offer booths?

It sounds radical, but it’s already happening. Exhibit halls aren’t dead; they’re evolving.

Enter the reverse trade show: Attendees stay seated while vendors rotate through short, curated meetings. It’s speed dating but for business. You save on space, sponsors get guaranteed face time, and the experience feels more intentional for everyone involved.

Associations are also experimenting with smaller micro-events or hybrid models where booths take a backseat to facilitated conversations and targeted matchmaking. The thread tying it all together? Connection, not square footage.

5. What if your entire organization had basic sales training to deliver key value propositions?

It’s easy to treat sales as “someone else’s job,” but it’s everyone’s! From the person planning education to the person managing your newsletter, each person plays a role in revenue growth.

What if your team had a shared understanding of how revenue is generated? What if they could all articulate your value to sponsors and members alike?

Introduce basic sales training across departments. This is not meant to turn everyone into a salesperson. The goal is to provide the tools to advocate for your mission and connect the dots between what they do and how you grow. When everyone knows the “why” behind your revenue strategy, you begin to build alignment.

6. What if you brought executive leadership into the room?

We often hear about revenue strategy in silos; sponsorships over here, content over there, events running on their own track. But the associations seeing real growth are bringing leadership together regularly to ask:

• Where is our revenue coming from?
• What’s working?
• What’s missing?

That could mean shifting to an account-based approach where different departments work together to grow key relationships. It could mean restructuring your sales model. Or it could simply mean making sure leadership conversations include revenue not as an afterthought but as a shared priority. Alignment at the top helps everyone move faster, spot gaps sooner, and rally around what matters most.

You don’t have to start from scratch to rethink your revenue model. You need to be willing to ask different questions and experiment with new answers to move forward. The associations that do just that — get curious, stay creative, and put people at the center — are the ones building revenue strategies that stick.

So, what’s your next “what if?”