35 Digital Crossroads Web accessibility compliance, especially following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), is not merely about meeting regulatory standards; it’s about promoting inclusivity, improving user experience, and driving significant organizational advantages. By embracing WCAG standards, associations can enjoy the following benefits: 1. Increased Engagement: Accessibility improves the member experience across all generations, fostering active participation in online and in-person activities. 2. Improved SEO Rankings: Enhancements in accessibility align with SEO best practices, boost your site’s visibility, and draw in new members. 3. Higher Dues Revenue: Members who feel included and supported are more likely to renew their memberships across all age groups. 4. Enhanced Non-Dues Revenue: Digitally accessible, user-friendly platforms facilitate member access to paid offerings like events, certifications, and legacy programs. By adopting WCAG standards, associations can enhance engagement across all generations—Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—while improving SEO, attracting new members, and increasing member retention, dues, and non-dues revenue. Here’s how each generation benefits and contributes to overall organizational success, along with actionable steps your association can take to improve accessibility for each generation: Accessible Content for Baby Boomers What It Means: Baby Boomers, who often face age-related challenges such as declining vision or mobility, benefit from features like larger fonts, high-contrast designs, and closed captioning. SEO Benefit: Improved readability and usability, lower bounce rates, and extend the time spent on the site, enhancing SEO rankings. Impact on Engagement and Revenue: » Engagement: Accessible features enable Baby Boomers to participate actively in events, webinars, and online forums. » Dues Revenue: Easy access encourages member retention, which increases the member’s lifetime value through continued membership renewals. » Non-Dues Revenue: Boomers are more likely to attend events or donate to legacy programs when accessibility is prioritized. Action Step: Add Closed Captions to All Videos » Process: Generate captions for videos using tools like YouTube’s automatic captioning or professional transcription services. Upload the captions and ensure they are accurate and synced to the audio. This makes video content accessible to those with hearing impairments. FROM BABY BOOMERS TO GEN Z How WCAG Drives Association Success By Mark Wallach Web accessibility compliance, especially following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), is not merely about meeting regulatory standards; it’s about promoting inclusivity, improving user experience, and driving significant organizational advantages.
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