Recent overheard conversations in the office got me thinking again about members-only site sections, something that I have yet to see a cause-based organization do well. My informal survey of members-only areas suggests the typical such section is a small, somewhat-less-than-captivating collection of outdated publications knocking around with some tumbleweeds. It gets little attention, from members or from administrators.

At the same time, cause-based organizations are needing to identify new ways to offer value to their members in order to meet revenue goals. An online members-only area seems a compelling option - offer people an easy way to access privileged content and they will feel special and re-up year-after-year. So can it work?

A look at major for-profit online publishing houses suggests the approach most groups are thinking about - selecting certain content and placing it behind a login - poses challenges at best. A recent article in the Washington Post detailed the Wall Street Journal's decision to abandon its online subscription service, one of the first online subscription services to succeed that wasn't, well, you know. It wasn't that the services wasn't working; in this case and others, publishers believe there is much more to be gained from advertising to larger readership than there is from subscriptions. Writers - especially columnists - also prefer being much more widely read than subscription models allow.

For cause-based organizations, the problem with walling off content is even more acute. Most organizations would be loath to offer advertising on their sites (and many simply couldn't), not that traffic levels would compare to those of a WSJ. Furthermore, while the same issue of experts feeling under-exposed exists, walling off content is generally completely contrary to organizations' missions. Imagine if an organization's most critical publications suddenly received only a fraction readers they had previously seen - the chance for impact would be significantly damaged. Walling off the crown jewels would be counter-productive.

So the matter is dead, then? Add additional tschotskes to the bags at the annual conference and hope that cements the membership value? Happily, no, there are approaches that seem more promising, though they are mostly, as yet, unproven.

• True members-only content - The good news is that many organizations have content that really is members-only: training materials, dedicated research, etc. This can, of course, go in a members-only section. Make sure, however, that you pay attention to this content and keep it fresh. You should also use tools like SlideShare that bring presentations alive as opposed to just posting PPTs and PDFs.
  
• Access to experts - The Post article cites one of my favorite examples, ESPN.com. ESPN gives away all its stories, but requires a subscription to access high-value interactions with its experts (chat transcripts, blogs, some rankings, etc.). Its clearly takes time to do this, but granting privileged access to experts, but not their publications, might provide value without limiting the spread of the message (this also enhances the stature of the expert).
  
• Enhanced networking - Many members find the offline conferences groups put on to be most valuable for the networking the offer. Some organizations seem timid about allowing true member-to-member interaction. Within a closed space, though, and with some careful management (mostly rules, norms, and community policing), the ability to interact with other members and build a profile within the community might be a value-add to the membership.
  
• Enhanced event access - So much energy typically gets devoted to a few days of an offline event that there tends to be a boom-and-bust cycle of attention for the organization. It might be valuable to allow members to help participate in the event online before and after. Allow members to shape the event (surveys to design sessions, submission of questions in advance, etc.) and participate in the take-aways (figure out projects members could take on collaboratively that add value to all members and increase their own stature.
  

In short, offer new services that build the depth of the membership relationship, while letting the content flow freely. This approach certainly has costs, but the benefits may justify rethinking your work and what you offer.