Are membership organisations missing out on the benefits of early-career talent?
When was the last time someone junior completely surprised you - in a good way?
Maybe it was a newly hired coordinator who rewrote your event emails and doubled the open rate. Or an intern who spotted a member experience issue that had flown under the radar for years. Either way, those moments remind us that early-career talent isn’t just “the future”, they’re often the spark your organisation didn’t know it needed.
And yet, across the membership sector, some are still a bit cautious about hiring them.
Let’s talk about why that is, and why now might be the best time to shift gears.
Why the early-career route just makes sense
Membership organisations are built around people. Not products, not profits - people. So, if your work is rooted in development, connection, and community, why shouldn’t that extend to your hiring approach?
Early-career hires come with a lot of upsides; fresh thinking, adaptability, and, crucially, cost-effectiveness. Recruiting junior talent often costs significantly less than bringing in mid- or senior-level staff. According to research by Zippa, hiring early-stage talent can cost a massive 130% less than a mid-level employee, and an even more impressive 180% less than one at the executive level.
In fact, hiring early talent could also reduce your cost-per-hire and time-to-hire while strengthening long-term retention. And that’s not just theory. A recent report from Education at Work showed that when student employees are supported with proper onboarding and mentorship, they’re more likely to stay long-term, saving organisations thousands in recruitment and training costs.
Still not convinced? Gen Z - who make up nearly 30% of the global workforce this year – increasingly value stability, development, and purpose more than flashy perks. In other words, they want what membership organisations are uniquely equipped to offer.
Plus, they’re often more open to being shaped into exactly what your organisation needs.
What’s stopping us?
The number one concern? Time.
Small teams worry that mentoring someone from scratch will slow them down. There’s a fear that hiring someone without experience means you’ll have to babysit them through their first year.
But here’s what the data shows: even experienced hires need 3-9 months to ramp up. So, while early-career hires do need support, the payoff comes faster than you think, especially if you’ve got a clear structure and some light-touch mentorship in place.
Some of the hesitation also comes from habit. We default to the person with the perfect CV because it feels safe. But safe doesn’t always mean future-ready.
Simon Reichwald at the Institute of Student Employers makes the case that employers need to stop treating early talent recruitment as a “side of desk” project and instead make it business as usual. That starts by shifting the mindset and not just plugging skill gaps, but building a more diverse, adaptable, and loyal workforce from the ground up.
Getting it right: what does good look like?
You don’t need a corporate HR team or a massive budget to make it work. What you do need is clarity, consistency, and a bit of creativity.
Here’s how some membership organisations are making it work:
- Micro-mentorship: 15-minute weekly check-ins with a senior colleague can make a world of difference.
- Peer learning: Create a buddy system across departments to reduce pressure on managers and encourage knowledge-sharing. CIPD even found that 91% of teams develop new skills more effectively when they’re learning together.
- Flexible structures: Instead of rigid roles, shape responsibilities around emerging skills and interests.
- Community partnerships: Tap into local colleges, training bootcamps, or returner programmes. Don’t forget career-changers or untapped talent pools, early career doesn’t have to mean “young”.
It’s also worth rethinking what “progression” looks like. Early-career staff often crave learning and ownership more than titles. Offer them stretch projects or let them run with a comms campaign or lead on a member feedback loop. Trust breeds talent!
Why members will feel the difference
Here’s another subtle but powerful truth: when your team feels energised and engaged, it filters out to your members.
Whether it’s the tone of your event comms, the energy behind a webinar, or a fresher take on social media; early-career professionals can make your organisation feel more alive. And that matters. Especially in a sector where member engagement is everything.
This isn’t just anecdotal either, Handshake reports that employers investing in early talent during uncertain times see faster innovation and stronger internal engagement. Early-career hires bring curiosity, digital fluency, and often a more authentic connection to the changing needs and values of your member base.
And that authenticity resonates. Today’s members don’t just want slick comms or flawless events - they want to feel seen. Junior staff often connect more naturally with members who are younger or also in the early stages of their careers. They bring a different lens to inclusion, accessibility, and tone of voice - all things that matter deeply to today’s professionals and industries.
Final thoughts
Hiring and developing grassroots talent isn’t the quick win. It’s the slow burn. But it’s also how you build a future-proof, values-led organisation that reflects the very purpose of the membership sector itself.
If you want to keep members engaged, teams energised, and missions alive, we need to start thinking less about “ready-made” hires and more about who we’re willing to grow.
Because the best talent doesn’t always walk in fully formed. Sometimes, it grows with us.