CompTIA dropped what could've been a bombshell on its members at a meeting in San Diego this month. The 32-year-old non-profit association risked losing all of them by drastically changing its membership model.

CompTIA is making its content, programs, and resources available for free to anyone who provides their contact info. It was a risk for the Illinois-based organization, since its members might wonder why they’re paying dues. But instead it was embraced with open arms. (Getting special “premium member” jackets also helped.) Industry relations SVP Nancy Hammervik thinks it’ll be a trend setter for others that aren’t financially dependent on dues. (Only 1% of CompTIA’s revenue comes from dues.)

CompTIA, led by CEO Todd Thibodeaux, is well known in the IT industry for its technical certifications, but it was seeing members come and go every month. The new model makes it easier for IT people to engage with the organization without shelling out dues and struggling to keep up with everything the organization offers to make the dues worthwhile. Now anyone who registers gets content that had been reserved for paying members. Nancy says this was partly inspired by the challenge for small businesses to keep up with a changing IT industry. They’ll be able to get reports on hot tech trends and user consumption and articles on how to start a security business.

The open model was also inspired by a major shift in the association world. It used to be that you could only be relevant if you were a member of an association. Realistically, people don’t have time to do that, and sit on committees, and attend events, Nancy says. And now content is everywhere. Plus the next generation grew up with the Internet, so they join Facebook pages and LinkedIn groups to feel connected to their industry. (Although a happy hour thrown via Google Hangout is technically still you drinking alone in your apartment.)