For many associations, the quest to grow non-dues revenue can feel like an endless pursuit. But for the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), exam prep became the unlikely hero that helped unlock new revenue, improve learner outcomes, and fuel sustained growth.

2024 was a year of seismic shifts in the learning and certification space, setting the stage for even more dramatic changes in 2025. From private equity's big bets to AI's disruptive arrival, the landscape is evolving rapidly.

Learning businesses don’t exist in a vacuum — they’re driven by the needs of the society around them. Right now, we’re in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Technology is fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and relate to one another. Not surprisingly, the way we learn is also changing.

Modern professional associations exist to establish standards of knowledge and excellence and to develop learning pathways that permit members to acquire, develop, and perfect that knowledge and achieve that excellence.

I wrote this article nearly 3 years ago about the evolution of MOOCs and their impact on the learning space. As it turns out, we’ve seen this trend continue to grow today. Over the past 8 years, the MOOCs landscape has grown to include 9,400 courses, 500+ MOOC-based credentials, and more than a dozen graduate degrees. MOOCs have increasingly become a viable training option and have had a sizable impact on training organization’s ability to efficiently and cost effectively train their professionals.

Once the singular source for cutting-edge knowledge in their arenas, today’s associations are battling membership loss and declining sponsorship revenues. Paying close attention—and adapting to—these trends will help keep associations relevant and able to meet their members’ needs.