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Unlock the Employer Revenue Line with mdg

mdg president Caitlin Fox moderated a session with Learner Mobile CEO Mike Thompson and International Carwash Association CLO Claire Moore at the at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition. Details can be found on the ASAE website and below.

August 17, 2026 
11:30am – 12:30pm
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis , IN

Two Buyers, One Association: Unlocking the Employer Revenue Line
Most associations have a fully developed member business and a barely-started employer business. That asymmetry is the largest untapped revenue opportunity in the sector, and it is hiding in plain sight inside every association whose members run or work for businesses. Sixty-one percent of associations name non-dues revenue as their top financial challenge. Yet most still treat employer engagement as sponsorship rather than as a distinct customer relationship with its own product, pricing and recurring revenue logic.

The reason that pattern persists is that most associations have never defined what an employer-side product actually looks like. Workforce readiness changes that equation. Workforce readiness is not a program with an end date. It is the ongoing condition of having a workforce that can meet the demands of the industry right now — and right now keeps changing. Industries evolve, regulations shift, technology accelerates. That makes readiness a continuous need, not a periodic one — and for associations, a repeatable revenue model rather than a one-time sale.

This session examines what the employer-side product actually looks like, why workforce readiness is the natural anchor, and how associations are building the infrastructure to deliver it without overextending staff. We will work through the strategic shifts that turn an association from a single-buyer organization serving members into a dual-buyer organization serving members and the businesses that employ them.

Learning Outcomes:

• You will be able to map the employer-side revenue opportunity inside your association by identifying which member-employed businesses represent buyers for industry-specific workforce solutions.
• You will be able to evaluate workforce readiness as a recurring revenue product line, including content, delivery, pricing and partnership models.
• You will be able to make the internal case for a dual-buyer business model and identify the organizational shifts required to support it.

Caitlin Fox is the president of mdg. She connects shifting audience behaviors, generational trends and technological change to craft modern marketing approaches that drive relevance and long-term value.