The Member Learning Lifecycle
Six moments when your education earns a member’s attention, from the week they join to the year they renew.
In 2025, 39.3 million employed Americans held an active professional certification or license, or 24.0% of everyone working, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each one earned that credential somewhere, and anyone whose credential expires will keep it current somewhere. Your association can be the place for both. The infographic covers six stages, with a move for your team at each.
What you’ll see:
- Join: 42% of members came partly for continuing education
- Settle in: protecting the first renewal
- Learn: fitting study around a working calendar
- Earn: making your certification the one that counts
- Renew: competing for the same hours
- Grow: pointing to the next credential
Why the first year matters
First-year members renew at a median rate of 75%, compared with 85% for members overall, according to Marketing General Incorporated’s 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report. In the same report, association staff named lack of engagement as the top reason members don’t renew, at 47%. Competition is growing too: Association Laboratory’s Looking Forward Impact 2026 found 48% of associations now name for-profit companies as competitors, up from 32% in 2021.
How Canvas Career helps
Canvas Career by Instructure is built for continuing education and industry-aligned skill development. Enrollment runs continuously instead of by term, role-based pathways show members the route through your programs, and Skillspace lets them track their skills in real time.
