But with several options available, it can be overwhelming to review and select which is the best CRM for your membership organization. Never fear—we’re here to help you with the heavy lifting!

In this guide, we’ll review the benefits of turning to a CRM system to help handle your data management needs.

We’ll cover:

• What Is an Association CRM?
• What Features do Membership CRMs Offer?
• 12 Top Association CRM Options for Your Organization

What Is an Association CRM?

To understand what an association CRM can offer you, it helps to look at how an association CRM compares to association or membership management software.

First, CRM stands for customer, or constituent, relationship management. All types of organizations use CRM software, including businesses, nonprofits, clubs, and membership organizations. It lets you organize a variety of information in a central location, such as:

• Prospective member outreach activities
• Current constituents’ contact information
• Constituents’ engagement with a company
• Marketing campaign calendars
• Donations and dues payments

You’re able to make this data available to anyone at your organization who needs it, which helps ensure everyone is on the same page and making progress toward shared goals.

Meanwhile, an association management system (AMS) is a software solution specifically designed to help manage associations. Its features may include:

• Membership database
• Online member community
• Event management platform
• eCommerce software
• Learning management 
• Conference management
• Job boards

An association CRM essentially combines these two software solutions. It offers a platform to help track your audience members’ engagement with your organization, including interactions with you, involvement history, and how likely they are to renew their membership.

The Difference Between MMS, AMS, and CRM

While “membership management software” (MMS), “association management software” (AMS), and “customer relationship management systems” (CRMs) are often used interchangeably, they serve slightly different purposes.

Here’s how they compare:

Each of these can overlap in functionality. Many modern AMS and MMS platforms now include CRM features, creating a more unified experience for staff and members alike.

What Features Do Membership CRMs Offer?

If your organization needs a software upgrade, consider investing in a membership-specific CRM solution. These platforms offer features such as:

• A membership database to track names, contact information, birthdates, and other pertinent information about each of your members.
• Reporting tools to easily check things like member dues revenue, outreach efforts, event attendance, member retention rates, and more.
• Financial management tools to ensure you remain within your budget while tracking revenue growth from your events, member dues, and donations.
• Segmentation options to send customized emails and other outreach to members based on particular interests, membership levels, or other selected characteristics.
• Event Management Tools: Facilitate the planning, promotion, registration, and execution of events, including webinars and conferences, with integrated tools that handle ticketing, scheduling, and attendee tracking.
• Member Portal and Self-Service Options: Provide members with secure access to their profiles, allowing them to update personal information, renew memberships, register for events, and access exclusive resources, thereby enhancing their experience and engagement.
• Communication Features: Utilize integrated email marketing and direct mail tools to create and manage targeted communication campaigns, ensuring personalized and effective outreach to different member segments.
• Donor and Fundraising Management: Manage donor relationships, track contributions, and streamline fundraising campaigns with tools designed to handle pledges, recurring donations, and grant management.
• Online Community Building: Foster member interaction and engagement through discussion forums, social networks, and collaborative platforms integrated within the CRM, creating a vibrant online community.
• Mobile Accessibility: Offer mobile applications or responsive designs that allow members and administrators to access CRM features on the go, ensuring flexibility and continuous engagement.
• Advanced Analytics and Reporting: Gain deeper insights into member behavior, program effectiveness, and organizational performance through robust analytics and customizable reporting tools.
• Integration Capabilities: Ensure seamless integration with other tools and platforms such as accounting software, email marketing services, and content management systems to create a cohesive technology ecosystem.
• Customization and Scalability: Adapt the CRM to meet the unique needs of your association with customizable modules and scalable solutions that grow alongside your organization.

How a Membership CRM Helps Your Members

Though it might seem like a back-office choice, using a membership CRM can in fact also make life easier for your members. Here’s why:

• Personalized experiences: Members receive communication and recommendations that align with their interests, making every interaction feel relevant.
• Faster access to benefits: A member portal allows them to register for events, renew, and update information instantly.
• Improved engagement: Discussion forums and communities help members connect with peers and find value beyond renewals.
• Streamlined communication: Members no longer miss important updates thanks to automated and targeted email campaigns.
• Consistent service: When staff has a complete record of each member’s history, questions and issues can be resolved quickly and accurately.

By improving how your organization manages data, a membership CRM directly enhances how members experience and interact with your organization.

12 Top Association CRM Options for Your Organization

Ready to find the best CRM for your association or membership organization? We’ve summarized 12 top options for you below.

1. MemberClicks

Best for: Professional and trade associations of any size seeking a complete AMS with strong CRM capabilities.

Since 1998, MemberClicks has offered membership management software solutions that empower professional associations, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and other membership organizations to save time, grow their membership, and increase their revenue. 

Through automation, financial management tools, and reporting capabilities, MemberClicks provides an intuitive CRM for your association or membership organization to perform at its best.

Some of its key features include:

• Membership database and relationships management
• Automated online payments
• Website and content builder
• Automated dues renewals
• Ability to collect sponsorship and exhibitor dollars
• Event submissions and registrations management
• Tools to boost engagement between members and with your organization
• Insight from queries and reports
• Option to track continuing education units

Users can leverage MemberClicks even further through its integrations with other programs. Overall, it’s an excellent option for membership organizations of all sizes looking to track and send targeted communications to their members.

• Pricing: Available upon request.
• Demo or Trial: https://memberclicks.com/membership-software-demo
• For more information: https://memberclicks.com/membership-management-software

2. WildApricot

Best for: Small associations, nonprofits or clubs seeking affordable tools for automation and member communication.

WildApricot is a great option for small organizations looking to get a little more organized. Smaller groups often have staff who wear multiple hats, so this software solution can help make their jobs more streamlined.

Some of its key features include:

• Drag and drop website builder
• Built-in emailing system
• Mobile app
• Membership directory
• Member-only area
• Automated member payments and renewals
• Online store

Users can customize WildApricot to their needs through its open API and integrate the software with other programs, such as WordPress and QuickBooks.

• Pricing: Free basic plan. Other plans start at $48 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Free 30-day trial available.
• For more information: https://www.wildapricot.com/

3. Personify ThreeSixty

Best for: Enterprise-level associations needing advanced analytics and deep customization.

ThreeSixty is an enterprise association management system. It offers a unified platform to assist with member acquisition, engagement, and retention. It’s a good option for larger organizations looking to increase connections between members.

Some of its key features include:

• Marketing and communication tools
• Analytics capabilities
• Membership database
• Dues collection tools and subscription options
• Event registrations

This cloud-based software can be tailored to an organization’s specific needs.

• Pricing: Available upon request.
• Demo or Trial: Demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://personifycorp.com/products/threesixty

4. NonProfitEasy

Best for: Nonprofits focused on fundraising and relationship tracking.

NonProfitEasy is a CRM targeted toward nonprofits focused on fundraising. It also has the ability to track interactions to help staff build relationships with members, which can make it a useful solution for associations.

Some of its key features include:

• Member management
• Event management
• Marketing tools and reporting

Additionally, this association CRM includes tracking ability for grant submissions, which can be helpful for membership organizations with grant-funded revenue streams.

• Pricing: Starts at $75 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Free daily scheduled demos are available. Free trial available after signing up for a demo.
• For more information: https://www.nonprofiteasy.com/

5. Salsa

Best for: Advocacy and nonprofit organizations running large-scale campaigns.

Salsa is a CRM for associations and membership organizations that offers a dashboard showing users their progress as an organization over time. It’s an all-in-one option that is geared toward nonprofits running advocacy campaigns.

Some of its key features include:

• Member management
• Digital marketing
• Online fundraising

This association CRM also offers online advocacy tools, such as online petitions, targeted actions, and social media integration.

• Pricing: Available upon request.
• Demo or Trial: Demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://www.salsalabs.com/crm-overview

6. Salesforce

Best for: Large organizations that require complex integrations and advanced data tracking.

Salesforce is a CRM that targets a wide array of businesses and organizations. It offers many features and is customizable, but can be more than what most membership organizations or associations need.

Some of its key features include:

• Sales tracking
• Marketing management
• Reporting and analytics
• Membership database

Users can integrate Salesforce with a variety of other software solutions.

• Pricing: Available upon request. Varies widely based on organization type and needed features.
• Demo or Trial: Free 30-day trial available.
• For more information: https://www.salesforce.com/crm/

7. NeonCRM

Best for: Nonprofits focused on donor and member management with volunteer tracking.

NeonCRM is a good option for nonprofits with a focus on membership management. It offers the basic capabilities an organization needs to track its member database.

Some of its key features include:

• Member data tracking
• Customizable forms
• Member portal and directory
• Marketing and communication tools

NeonCRM also has a volunteer management module organizations can use to create sign-up forms, communicate with volunteers, and track volunteer hours.

• Pricing: Plans start at $49 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Video demo or personalized demo are available upon request.
• For more information: https://www.neoncrm.com/

8. Raklet

Best for: Community-driven organizations prioritizing mobile engagement and communication.

Raklet offers an association CRM focused on building community between members. It utilizes web-based platforms and mobile apps to facilitate engagement.

Some of its key features include:

• Email communications
• Payment processing
• Personal member social networks

With use of the mobile app, the Raklet association CRM option lets membership managers communicate with members through email, text message, and push notifications, which can also be automated for a set schedule.

• Pricing: Free basic plan. Other plans start at $59 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://hello.raklet.com/

9. Fonteva

Best for: Associations that already use Salesforce and want to extend it for membership management.

Fonteva is a membership CRM built on the Salesforce platform. Therefore, it leans on many of the same features of the Salesforce option. Its resources are available on any device at any time. The platform promotes its self-service membership management abilities.

Some of its key features include:

• Events registration and certification management
• Branded online communities
• Member directories
• Reports and dashboards
• Form and questionnaire builder

This association CRM option includes point-and-click configuration wizards for easy setup and collaboration tools for teams. 

• Pricing: Available upon request.
• Demo or Trial: Video demos are available on Fonteva’s website. Personalized demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://www.fonteva.com/

10. Member365

Best for: Associations looking for quick setup and automation-heavy workflows.

Member365 offers all-in-one membership management with easy set-up. It’s a good option for organizations looking to automate more of their processes.

Some of its key features include:

• Event management
• Email marketing
• Member portal
• Analytics

This association CRM option also offers committee management functionality. Teams can record committee member names, roles, and start dates, and share files and promote discussion between those members.

• Pricing: Starts at $149 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Free demo and free 30-day trial are available upon request.
• For more information: https://member365.com/

11. MembershipWorks

Best for: Associations that want CRM tools that integrate with an existing website.

MembershipWorks offers solutions for associations and membership organizations who already have a website and those looking to add or update theirs. The membership system integrates with an organization’s existing website through HTML or a plug-in. Otherwise, MembershipWorks can host and manage the organization’s website.

Some of its key features include:

• General CRM functionality
• Event calendar
• Membership directory
• Donation processing

This association CRM also has a feature that makes seeing a member’s engagement with your organization over time easy. You can see a snapshot of their payments, donations, registrations, attendance, renewals, and internal notes.

• Pricing: Free basic plan. Integration with your existing website starting at $29 per month. Fully hosted website starting at $39 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Live and scheduled demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://membershipworks.com/

12. Glue Up

Best for: Global or hybrid organizations focused on digital events and community growth.

Glue Up is an all-in-one CRM for associations and membership organizations looking to build and grow their membership base. The software offers community-building opportunities through events management and other digital tools.

Some of its key features include:

• Webinar management
• Mobile app to manage operations on the go
• Automated renewal reminders
• Customizable email marketing
• Group and one-on-one chat features for members

Using this association CRM, organizations can get quick access to insights on events, email marketing, finance, and more, through its reporting functionality.

• Pricing: Starts at $125 per month.
• Demo or Trial: Demos are available upon request.
• For more information: https://www.glueup.com/

How to Choose the Best Membership CRM For You

Selecting the right membership CRM depends on your organization’s structure, goals, and budget. Here are a few key considerations:

• Your organization’s size: Smaller associations may benefit from simpler, budget-friendly CRMs like WildApricot or Member365, while larger ones may need robust AMS-CRM platforms like MemberClicks or Personify ThreeSixty.
• Budget and pricing model: Look for transparent pricing and flexible plans that align with your current size and projected growth.
• Features that matter most: Prioritize must-haves such as automated renewals, event tools, email marketing, and reporting capabilities.
• Ease of use and onboarding: Ensure your staff can adopt the system quickly without extensive technical training.
• Integrations: Choose software that connects seamlessly with your accounting tools, learning management systems, or communication platforms.
• Scalability: Pick a solution that can grow with you — not one you’ll outgrow in a year.

When evaluating platforms, take advantage of demos or free trials to see how intuitive the interface feels and whether it meets your organization’s day-to-day needs.

Find the Best CRM for Your Association or Membership Organization

Finding the best CRM for your association or membership organization is an important task for your team. An association CRM can help your team stay organized and effective by having a centralized place to store and track membership engagement, payments, event registrations, and more.

Make sure to check out our free resource, The Buyer’s Guide to Association Management Software, too! This step-by-step guide will help you find the right membership management software solution for your association or membership organization.

The post Top 12 CRMs for Associations & Membership Organizations appeared first on MemberClicks.

What is a Member Satisfaction Score?

In its simplest form, a member satisfaction score is a measurement of the satisfaction level of your members. This score can be adapted through similar principles used as part of obtaining and quantifying CSAT metrics. In other words, ideally, you can use CSAT standards and measuring options as your overall framework, but not the core focus on your studies. Customer satisfaction score considers the contentment a buyer has with a business’s services or products.

This is similar to member satisfaction, but not exactly the same measurement as member satisfaction. This more specific measurement considers factors that impact members of member-based organizations instead of the opinion on a product or service from a traditional business. Keep in mind, just as wanting a high CSAT score should be a goal of any customer-focused business, having a good member satisfaction score should be your goal as a member-based organization, as this means your members are better engaged, more likely to renew and your organization will tend to enjoy more long-term growth.

Why Member Satisfaction Scores Matter

Member satisfaction scores positively enhance the following elements that are key towards maintaining success as a member-based organization:

• Member renewals and retention rates.
• Member engagement and participation.
• Event attendance.
• Volunteer involvement.
• Non-dues revenue opportunities.

Since member satisfaction scores are immensely important and directly correlate with your success as a member-based organization, it’s vital to track this metric consistently and accurately. This is key information, giving you valuable guidance that will allow you to make needed changes or continue to invest in successful strategies. It helps guide your organization towards success and continued membership growth.

How to Measure Member Satisfaction

Now that we have considered the importance of a good member satisfaction score, it’s helpful to consider how to measure this metric in the first place. Again, as mentioned above, you can alter standard CSAT stats or metrics. However, having an accurate member satisfaction score can be successfully obtained by the following:

Post-Event Surveys

After events, like training, webinars and conferences that are attended by members, offer a post-event survey. Ask key questions about the experience of members throughout these events.

Membership Renewal Surveys

Another great way to measure member satisfaction is during the membership renewal process. Make an effort during this time to get feedback as part of the renewal procedure. This marks a clear time to gain feedback and many members are more than willing to offer their opinions or offer suggestions at this time.

NPS Adaptations Net Promoter Score

Adapt Net Promoter Score (NPS) style questions to your member-based organization. Generally, NPS questions are single questions that measure the loyalty and willingness of customers to recommend a service or product to others on a scale. In terms of member-based satisfaction questions, they can be adapted to properly reflect how likely a member is to recommend the organization or membership service provided to others. An example of this type of question could include:

How likely are you to recommend membership in our organization to others?

This would then be answered by members responding on a scale from 0 to 10, or 0 to 5, with 0 very unlikely and the highest numbers being more likely to occur. Obviously, the higher scores you get here, the more loyal this indicates your members are to your organization.

Regular Poll Surveys

While having surveys or polls at specific times, like yearly or bi-yearly renewal is wise, you can also poll your members at various points throughout the year. Just keep the surveys short and sweet and consider offering benefits for feedback. This can give you a better idea of how your members are feeling throughout their entire membership, not just at specific times in the calendar year, like renewal times.

Direct Feedback Channels

In order to make it as easy as possible for your members to give feedback, opt for direct feedback channels. For example, you can have surveys posted on member portals, or on community platforms. You can also have it be part of your customer service interactions when members call in with concerns or questions.

When Should You Measure Member Satisfaction?

As outlined above, there are various points in time applicable to measuring member satisfaction. To get the most return on that information, though, aim for these key times to measure feedback and overall member satisfaction:

• During renewal cycles: This is prime time to get feedback, especially if members don’t want to renew their membership. You need to know why, so you can address their concerns and make the membership more valuable to them.

• After major events: If your organization hosts a major event, such as a conference, this is another key point in time to gauge member satisfaction. For many members, these events can be the pay-off of having their membership in the first place. Now is the time to find out if the payoff is considered worthwhile.

• Post-program or service delivery: Another important time to measure member satisfaction is after a service or program delivery. You want to know if your members feel what they got in return was valuable enough to merit ongoing membership.

• Quarterly or bi-annually for ongoing feedback: If you want general feedback and not the type necessarily tied to just one specific program, service or an event, then having regular quarterly or bi-annual member surveys can be a good idea. This gives you general and ongoing feedback that can be immensely valuable to your group.

• After key support or onboarding interactions: Last but certainly not least, another vital time to check member feedback is immediately after a member has been given support, went through an onboarding or had another type of interaction with your organization. This will highlight areas you might need to address to make these processes better or showcase what you are doing right.

How to Improve Member Satisfaction

Now that we have considered what a member satisfaction score is and looked at when it’s best to measure it, it’s helpful to consider some actionable ways your member-based organization can improve this all-important member satisfaction score. The following are some key ways to improve your overall member satisfaction:

Strengthen Your Onboarding Process

To ensure that members feel valued from their very earliest interaction with your organization, pay special attention to your onboarding process. Make sure your new members feel welcome and understand how to access and utilize all available resources. While simply giving them information is part of it, proper onboarding involves more than information overload. It is a step-by-step, intuitive process that helps your members instantly become experts about your organization.

Personalize Member Experiences

We all want to feel unique and special. This is no less true for the valued members of your group. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to personalization. This means segmenting content to appeal to specific members based on their engagement history, proven interests and type of membership.

Increase Member Engagement Opportunities

Provide ways for members to engage as much as possible. This includes peer networking, volunteer roles and committees. Open these up for members to enjoy and participate in for them to offer not only their opinions but actual solutions to issues they might have noticed.

Close the Feedback Loop

Feedback is important, but getting feedback merely for the sake of feedback alone doesn’t do anything. Therefore, it’s helpful to show members how their feedback has led to improvement. Communicate with your members when you have made changes based primarily on their survey answers or other poll results. This will show members that the surveys you send out aren’t just busy work. They really do matter. This knowledge will increase the chance they will make surveys a priority going forward.

Simplify Member Support

When members need help, answers to questions or require assistance, make sure this process is as simple as possible. The process of getting help or guidance should not require an advanced degree or deep understanding of how your organization works from the inside out. Make all member support easy-to-access and user-friendly.

Why You Need to Measure Member Satisfaction Scores

Measuring member satisfaction is a key component of continued success as a member-based organization or association. You simply cannot enjoy continued success without a focus on this metric and an understanding of why it matters. Keep in mind that continuous measurement plus consequential action will equal stronger member loyalty and greater membership retention overall.

Member Satisfaction FAQ

What is a good member satisfaction score? Generally, you will want to receive more positive feedback or survey results. This means that the bulk of member answers will sway towards being either satisfied or very satisfied. If you notice many responses that aren’t positive, this is an indicator that you might need to work on some key areas of your membership service.

How do you calculate member satisfaction? You will average the member satisfaction results to get an overall view of how pleased your members are with your membership-based organization or service. Generally, these are tabulated on a percentage scale, taking into account a broader look at your membership instead of considering each one as an individual.

How often should you measure member satisfaction? This depends on your own membership-based organization. Times of membership renewal are great natural opportunities to prompt members for feedback. However, this is far from the only time you can seek feedback from members. Just don’t overwhelm members by asking for feedback constantly as this can cause them to ignore such requests.

Start Listening to Your Members

Want to know about the best way to improve member satisfaction? Start by asking your members what matters most to them. It seems simple enough, and thankfully, with MemberClicks your organization can effortlessly gather feedback, track satisfaction, and keep your members engaged. See how our AMS can help and book a demo to learn more!

The post Member Satisfaction Score: What It Is, How to Measure It and Improve Results appeared first on MemberClicks.

You get honesty. Brutal honesty. The kind that doesn’t show up in board reports or annual reviews but should.

This past week in Washington, D.C., we had conversations that reminded us why this event matters: it’s where association professionals take off their game faces and talk shop about the real challenges under the surface. And spoiler alert: it’s not just about AI or shiny new martech tools. It’s about access, alignment and actually doing something with all the data we hoard.

Let’s unpack it.

Logging In Shouldn’t Feel Like a Tech Support Call

One theme hit us over and over: logging in is still a barrier.

It wasn’t just one person. It wasn’t even just a few. Attendees shared how members struggle to access association websites—sometimes because the login process is clunky, sometimes because passwords are forgotten and often because the UX feels like a time capsule from 2004.

“You have to give them the instructions on how they login again and again and again.”

And let’s be real. How many of us have not heard that exact line in a member support email? It’s a design problem, a user experience problem and ultimately a trust problem. If your digital front door is locked—or worse, rusted shut—people will stop trying to walk through it.

Clean Data Is Still a Dirty Word

When asked about their biggest data headaches, people didn’t flinch:

“We don’t collect the cleanest data.”
“Pulling all your data from all these disparate sources is nearly impossible.”
“We don’t make data-driven decisions because we don’t have time, the tools or the cleanest data.”

It’s a vicious cycle. We’re all sitting on goldmines of potential insight: member behavior, event analytics, advocacy engagement. But those mines are cluttered with bad formatting, inconsistent entry practices and tech stacks that don’t talk to each other. And let’s be honest, half of what we collect never even gets used.

“It’s the amount of data we collect and why we collect it, because half of it doesn’t get used.”

That alone could be a keynote session. What if instead of chasing more data, we focused on better data and built processes (and staffing structures) to do something with it?

“Secretly Obsessed With…”

We had some fun with this question: What tool or tactic are you secretly obsessed with right now?

Answers ranged from practical to delightful:

• Time management tools. Because let’s face it—many of us are in survival mode.
• Adobe Fonts. Yes, seriously. Fonts. Because the creative folks need joy too.
• Jasper AI and Future proof your business with GTM AI — AI tools that are actually getting traction in comms and content workflows.

And that’s the thread here. The real wins are small but powerful. No one said “our new CRM changed everything” or “we just implemented a 14-system integration.” Instead, they shared the daily tactics that chip away at chaos.

What Members Really Value (And Boards Still Don’t Get)

We asked: If your association disappeared tomorrow, what would members miss most? The answer?

Community. And surprisingly? The print magazine.

Yes, in a world of TikTok and ChatGPT, members still value a tangible, curated experience that shows up in their mailbox. Associations that lean into that kind of emotional connection—not just transactional engagement—are winning.

But some frustrations still linger where it matters most: the boardroom.

“Our board doesn’t understand that the future of sponsorship revenue is in sessions and lead gen. They’re scared of letting for-profit companies speak to our members.”

This isn’t a new conversation, but it’s becoming a louder one. If you’re still selling logos on lanyards, the runway is short. The next-gen sponsor wants thought leadership and pipeline impact. And members? They want relevance, not just another tote bag.

Final Thought: We’re Not Alone—But We’re Not Aligned

The most refreshing part of the booth conversations wasn’t just what was said. It’s how consistently people said it. Different associations, different titles, same pain points:

• Data fatigue
• Member friction
• Lack of alignment with leadership
• Burnout from being expected to do it all

We might not all have solutions yet, but we’re clearly not alone. And maybe that’s the point of MMC+Tech—to remind us that the real work is messy, the answers aren’t easy and progress often starts with saying the quiet part out loud.

“If someone solved data cleanup, we’d all be on a beach right now.”

Maybe next year, we’ll meet you there—with cleaner data, faster logins and leadership who finally gets it!

The post “We Don’t Make Data-Driven Decisions (Because We’re Drowning in It)” – Real Talk from the ASAE MMC+Tech Booth appeared first on MemberClicks.

In this article, we’ll walk through what trial memberships are, the benefits and drawbacks, how to structure them and whether they’re the right move for your association. You’ll also get practical tips for making them work, and a few alternatives if you’re on the fence.

What Are Trial Memberships?

Trial memberships can look different depending on how your association operates. Before weighing the pros and cons, it helps to understand what they are, how they typically work and the main types you’ll see in the membership world.

Definition and How They Work in Associations

A trial membership is a limited-time offer that gives prospective members access to some or all of an association’s benefits without the full cost or commitment. It’s meant to give people a taste of what membership includes, whether that’s exclusive content, community access, events or services.

In trade and professional associations, trial memberships often serve as a recruitment tool. They can be part of a campaign to convert leads, warm up cold contacts or reactivate lapsed members. Some trials are fully open, while others are invite-only. Either way, the goal is the same: show value early and convert users into full, paying members.

Associations handle trial access in different ways. Some require users to sign up through a form. Others use email invites, codes, or CRM-triggered workflows. The structure depends on the tech you use and how tightly you want to control access.

Common Trial Types: Free, Paid, Limited Access

Not all trial memberships are created equal. The most common types include:

• Free trials: These offer either full or partial access at no cost for a short period, usually between 7 and 30 days. They’re low friction but can, unfortunately, attract non-serious users.
• Paid trials: These charge a small fee (usually something like $1 or $5) to weed out unqualified leads. They often result in higher conversion rates.
• Limited-access trials: These give access to only certain content or features, like a sample webinar or resource library, rather than the full experience.

Choosing the right format depends on your audience, your goals and how much you’re willing to give away during the trial period.

The Pros of Trial Memberships

Trial memberships can be a powerful recruitment tool when done right. They lower barriers, show off your value and help you learn what moves people to join. Here’s a closer look at the benefits.

Low-Commitment Entry Point for New Members

One of the biggest benefits of a trial membership is that it reduces friction. People may be curious about your association, but they are hesitant to pay upfront. A trial gives them a way in. No big decision, no pressure. It’s especially useful for early-career professionals or those comparing multiple associations.

A Chance to Show Real Value

It’s one thing to explain what your association offers. It’s another to let people experience it. Trials give prospects direct access to your content, community and support. This lets your value speak for itself. If your programming and benefits are strong, that exposure can do more than any sales pitch could.

Higher Engagement Early On

Trial members are usually more active during the trial period. They’re exploring what you offer and deciding whether or not it’s worth paying for. That window, often just a few weeks, is your best shot to show relevance. If you have strong onboarding and touchpoints in place, you can turn that short-term interest into long-term loyalty.

Better Conversion Insights and Feedback

With the right tracking in place, you can learn a lot from trial behavior. What do people engage with? What’s ignored? Where do they drop off? This kind of feedback helps you refine your membership offer. It also gives you better data on which leads are warm and worth following up with.

Growth Opportunity With Smart Follow-Up

A trial membership eventually ends, but it should lead somewhere. If you build a smart follow-up sequence, you can move many trial users into full membership. That might mean a limited-time discount, a personal email or a nudge with testimonials from current members. If done well, this kind of transition turns curiosity into commitment.

The Cons of Trial Memberships

Trial memberships aren’t a magic fix. Without a clear plan, they can add work, expose your content to misuse, or disappoint both prospects and existing members. Here’s where things can go wrong.

Increased Admin and Resource Load

Even short trials take time to set up and manage. You’ll need a way to register users, grant access, monitor activity and follow up. If your systems aren’t automated, this can quickly become a drain on your team. And if you’re running multiple campaigns, things can get messy without clear workflows.

Risk of Content Misuse or Repeat Signups

Some users may join only to download resources, attend an event, or collect email contacts and then disappear. Or worse, they might try signing up again with a different email. Without the right controls, you risk giving away too much to people who never intended to become members.

Lower Conversions Without a Strategy

A trial membership by itself doesn’t guarantee growth. If you’re not showing the right value at the right time—or if your follow-up is weak—most users will leave when the trial ends. That means time and resources spent with no return. You need a clear strategy for moving people from trial to full member.

Potential Pushback from Current Members

If trial users get access to content or perks that paying members see as exclusive, it can cause friction. Long-time members might feel the value of their dues is being undercut. To avoid that, be clear about what trial members can access and why the full membership still matters.

Are Trial Memberships Right for Your Association?

Trial memberships aren’t one-size-fits-all. They can work well for some associations and fall flat for others. Before launching one, take a step back and look at your goals, resources and audience.

Evaluate Your Goals, Resources and Capacity

Start with what you’re trying to accomplish. Do you want to grow overall membership? Increase awareness in a specific segment? Re-engage lapsed members? A trial can help with all of those, but only if you have the staff, tools, and time to run it well. If your team is already stretched thin, it might create more problems than it solves.

Consider Your Audience and Offer Type

Think about who you’re trying to reach. A trial membership may appeal to younger professionals, freelancers or those exploring a new industry. But it might not work for senior-level execs or long-time members of another association. Also consider whether a free, paid or limited-access trial fits best with their expectations and your capacity.

Know What You’ll Include—and What You’ll Hold Back

You don’t have to give away everything. In fact, holding back some member-only perks can help reinforce the value of upgrading. Maybe trial users can view webinars but not download slides. Or they can access community forums but not vote in board elections. Decide in advance what’s fair and what’s off-limits.

How To Structure a Trial Membership Program

Once you’ve decided to offer a trial membership, the next step is figuring out how to set it up. The details, like how long it lasts, what it includes, and how people move from trial to paid, can make or break its success.

Choose the Right Duration

Short trials (3-7 days) create urgency but may not give enough time to explore your offerings. Longer trials (30 days or more) offer a better experience but risk losing momentum. Somewhere in the 7-14 day range often works best for associations, as it gives trial users time to engage without dragging things out.

Free vs. Paid Trials: What’s the Difference?

Free trials are easier to promote and remove friction completely, but they also attract more casual users. Paid trials, usually at a small fee, can help qualify leads. People who are willing to pay even a little are more likely to convert. Some associations test both to see which brings in more committed members.

Set Expectations Up Front

Make it clear what users get during the trial. Be transparent about how long it lasts, what content or features they can access and what happens when it ends. If people feel misled or confused, it damages trust, which in turn hurts conversions.

Build a Clear Path from Trial to Full Member

Don’t leave trial users hanging. Plan your follow-up while the trial is still active. Send reminders as the end date approaches, highlight benefits they haven’t tried yet and explain what’s waiting for them as full members. Make upgrading easy, with a clear call to action and a simple payment process.

Alternatives to Trial Memberships

Trial memberships aren’t the only way to give potential members a preview of what you offer. If you’re not ready to commit to a full trial program or want other ways to test interest, these options can help.

“Behind-the-Scenes” Preview Videos

Show what membership looks like without giving access. Record short videos of your member portal, an event in action or interviews with active members. This gives prospects a feel for your community and content without opening the doors.

Limited-Time Guest Passes

Instead of offering full trials, you could try guest passes to specific events or webinars. This approach keeps your broader benefits exclusive but still offers a taste. It’s especially useful for conferences, networking events or online meetups.

Free Content or Intro-Level Access

Offer a curated selection of resources, like one downloadable guide, an article series or a short course. Make it useful enough to show value, but limited enough to leave them wanting more. This works well as a lead magnet tied to a broader marketing funnel.

Consultation or Discovery Calls

For smaller, more targeted groups, a short call can be more effective than a generic trial. It’s personal, lets you tailor your pitch, and helps build a real connection. This works best for associations with high-ticket memberships or more specialized audiences.

Is a Trial Membership the Right Move?

Trial memberships can be a great way to attract new members, but only if they’re done with a clear goal and strategy. They lower the entry barrier, give people a real taste of what you offer and help you learn what drives conversions. But they also come with trade-offs: more admin work, potential misuse and the risk of low return without a plan.

If your association has the resources to run a structured trial—with onboarding, clear boundaries and smart follow-up—it can pay off. If not, you might want to start with one of the alternatives and test interest that way.

Thinking about launching a trial membership or wondering if it’s the right strategy for your association? MemberClicks helps associations like yours onboard new members, track engagement and turn interest into long-term retention. Let’s talk about how we can support your growth!

The post Trial Memberships: Pros and Cons for Associations   appeared first on MemberClicks.

But what happens when a member doesn’t renew? It can feel like all that effort to grow your membership was for nothing — like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back.

Lapsed memberships are unfortunate, but here’s the good news: in many cases, you can still get them back. In fact, getting lapsed members to return to their membership is much easier and cheaper than trying to attract brand new members, and should be one of your key strategies in growing your membership. This is because these members are already familiar with your organization and have proven interest and willingness to pay for a membership. In most cases, they just need a little reminder of why they signed up in the first place and what they’d be missing if they don’t come back.

In this post, we’ll go over what you can do to win back your lapsed members, as well as share three letter templates you can use to ask them to renew.

Let’s take a look!

 1. Send out a member exit survey

The first step to winning back a lapsed member is understanding why they left. Did they find the price too high? Were they too busy to enjoy the benefits? It could even be that they never meant to lapse, but simply forgot to pay their dues.

Whatever the case may be, a great way to find out why they left is through a member exit survey. This can be a simple form with a few questions like:

• Why did you decide not to renew your membership?
• What would have made your membership more beneficial?
• What would encourage you to re-join?

Getting answers to these questions will not only help you understand what you could have done to keep this particular member, but it can also reveal concerns that other members could potentially share, as well. Proactively addressing these concerns will help you retain more members in the long run.

Your member exit survey will be easy to fill out if you include multiple choice options. However, be sure to also include a place for lapsed members to write open comments, in case your options don’t cover the reason they left or they wish to express their concerns in more detail.

If you find that the lapsed member’s concern was caused by misinformation or has a simple solution (or maybe they really did just forget to pay), you can even get in touch with them personally and encourage them to rejoin.

Tip: Make it really easy for people who never meant to leave or have changed their minds to come back. This can be as simple as a button in the survey email that takes them to a page on your website where they can rejoin.

2. Offer a discount

For many people, a good deal is hard to pass up. Use that as part of your re-engagement strategy! What’s something valuable that would entice people to rejoin?

Here are a few offers you may want to consider:

• A discount on membership
• A discount on event registration
• A free copy of your latest industry report (or some other valuable content piece)
• A free webinar of their choice that quarter or year

Tip: To really get the ball rolling and get lapsed members to rejoin (rather than just reading your email and “thinking about it”), put a time limit on those offers. For example, If they want a discounted rate on your annual event, they must rejoin by the end of the month.

Check out the email below to see how the subscription service FabFitFun entices their lapsed members to come back. Not only do they offer an extra mystery bundle valued at $125 with every membership reactivation, but they make sure to clearly list the benefits recipients would miss out on if they don’t rejoin.

3. Allow them to customize their membership

We live in a time where people don’t want to pay for products and services they don’t use. Think about how many people have cut cable in favor of services like Netflix or Hulu — no sense in paying for channels you never watch.

Is it possible that some of your lapsed members simply weren’t using all the benefits you offered and therefore, didn’t see the value in continuing to pay for their membership? There’s a simple fix to this — allow people to choose what they pay for.

The easiest way to do this is by introducing several tiers of membership — some may be more expensive and offer more perks, while others may be more affordable and offer just the basics. A lapsed member may have left because of a high price tag, but they’ll likely consider coming back if they can continue to receive the benefits they found most useful while paying less.

Tip: If you worry about everyone just choosing the lowest membership level, don’t! Remember, it all boils down to value. If you can put together packages that truly deliver membership value and are priced fairly, you’ll see plenty of members signing up even for the most expensive option.

Check out this membership level chart from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Their tiers range from “Access” to “Leadership”, increasing in both the price and the number of benefits offered. This way, prospective members can choose a tier that’s right for them, and current members can move up or down as their circumstances change.

4. Create a win-back campaign

According to Marketing General Incorporated’s 2020 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, 76% of associations say that email is the channel that generates the most reinstated lapsed members. That being said,  the success of your post-lapse emails depends on what you say in them.

To re-engage your lapsed members, take some time to create a strategic and well-thought-out win-back campaign.  If you conduct member exit surveys, go through the responses to see why members lapsed in the first place, then base your email communications off these reasons. Prepare several emails to be sent at specific intervals — a member may be too busy to respond to your first invitation to re-join and may need another reminder or two.

When reaching out to lapsed members, make it more about them and less about you. Rather than saying, “We offer benefits like A, B, and C,” say “You’ll benefit from A, B, and C.” With this simple switch in language, you’re letting them know that you’re here to serve them and provide them with value — and that’s a great reason to rejoin.

Tip: Use an Association Management Software to automate your emails — it will save you from having to manually keep track of membership expiration dates, where members are in the renewal process, and which email you should send them next.  

Three lapsed membership renewal letter templates to try

Need a little inspiration to write your lapsed member emails? Feel free to start with these templates and customize them to fit your organization’s needs.

Expiration day email template

On the day that a member’s membership expires, it’s crucial to let them know and give them an opportunity to renew. In your email, remind them of the benefits they’d be losing if they let their membership expire and gently invite them to renew. Make it easy by providing a link or a button.

Even if you don’t hear back, don’t revoke their membership benefits just yet — give them a grace period of at least 30 days.

Here’s a template you can use on the day their membership is supposed to expire:

Dear [First Name],

Did you know that your membership with [Association/Chamber Name] expires today? It’s been quite a year — and we’re looking forward to many more!

Please don’t let your membership lapse! There are better options than paying an additional [dollar amount] to attend monthly events as a guest (guest rate is [dollar amount]) or rejoining at the new member rate of [dollar amount].

The good news is, there’s still time to renew! And it’s simple. Just click on this link, [renewal URL], and follow the prompts.

Remember, [Association/Chamber Name] values you and helps you meet your professional goals in several ways, including:

• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We’re here to serve you!

Best regards,

[Name]
[Title]

Read More: 3 Membership Renewal Letter Samples to Boost Your Renewal Rates

30 days past renewal date email template

For members who don’t renew after the first email, you can send a follow-up at the end of the grace period. In this message, you’ll remind them that their payment is 30 days overdue and that unless they renew now, their membership will truly end. Give them a few more days to complete the process, but establish a firm deadline this time.

Here’s a template you can start with:

Dear [First Name],

First and foremost, we want to thank you for your membership with [Association/Chamber Name]. According to our records, your membership fee is currently 30 days past due, and we don’t want to lose you! We greatly value your support, so we’re reaching out one last time to ensure continuation of your membership benefits.

As a reminder, [Association/Chamber Name] values you and helps you meet your professional goals in several ways, including:

• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 
• [Benefit highlight] 

In order to renew your membership, full payment in the amount of [dollar amount] must be received within 10 days from the date of this email. If your payment is not received by this date, we will assume that you wish to discontinue your membership.

Please contact [Representative Name] at [Phone Number and/or Email] if you have any questions or if there’s anything we can do to help.

Best regards,

[Name]
[Title]

Member drop email template

Still no renewal? It’s time to send one final message. Here, you can let the member know that their membership has officially expired (and revoke their access/privileges). Remind them of what they’ll be missing and share some of your plans for the upcoming year. End the email with a reminder that if they wish to rejoin, they can still easily do so, but don’t pressure them — if they’ve gotten to this point, it’s likely they truly don’t want to renew their membership.

Here’s what you can say:

Dear [First Name],

You will be missed!

We regret to inform you that your membership with [Association/Chamber Name] has expired.

We want you to be informed that as a result of your non-membership status, you will no longer have access to the many benefits of [Association/Chamber Name] membership, including:

• [Benefit example: Networking opportunities] 
• [Benefit example: Education, training, and certification] 
• [Benefit example: Business and industry development] 
• [Benefit example: Legislation] 

Please know that your participation with [Association/Chamber Name] is always welcome and that it’s the investment from [individuals or organizations] like [you or yours] that allow us to better serve our [industry or community].

In the coming year, we are excited to take on many new initiatives, including:

• Launch a program to… 
• Continue advocacy efforts by… 
• Enhance member value by… 
• Collaborate with… 

We want you to be able to take advantage of these initiatives, as well as the many other benefits we aim to provide.

If you have any questions or want to discuss rejoining the [Association/Chamber Name], please don’t hesitate to give us a call. You can reach us at [Phone Number or Email].

Best regards,

[Name]
[Title]

Bring back old members and improve your member retention

Don’t forget to communicate with your lapsed members to learn why they left and to see if you can win them back. But the key is to keep members happy and engaged while they’re still members and keep renewal rates high. With these tips and tricks,  you’re sure to win back lapsed members and improve member retention at the same time.

The post Member Renewal Letter Template: Tips + Letter Templates appeared first on MemberClicks.

For associations and nonprofits, the stakes are often high. The right proposal can bring value to your members, streamline operations, or even drive mission-critical initiatives. However, writing a CFP can be challenging—balancing clarity with enough detail to attract high-quality responses.

This article will guide you through the process of crafting an effective CFP. You’ll learn why a clear and compelling CFP matters, what essential components to include, and tips for avoiding common pitfalls. By the end, you’ll have the tools to write a CFP that yields the best possible outcomes for your organization.

Why a Well-Written CFP Matters

Creating a call for proposal might seem like a straightforward task, but its quality can significantly impact the success of your project. A well-written CFP ensures you receive responses that are not only relevant but also aligned with your goals and expectations. Here’s why it matters:

• Attracts the Right Respondents: A clear and detailed CFP communicates exactly what you’re looking for, helping you attract vendors, speakers, or partners with the right expertise and qualifications.
• Saves Time and Effort: When your CFP is well-structured and explicit, it reduces back-and-forth clarifications and ensures respondents understand your expectations from the start.
• Improves Decision-Making: A strong CFP includes well-defined evaluation criteria, making it easier to compare proposals and select the best fit for your organization.
• Prevents Miscommunication: Ambiguities in your CFP can lead to confusion, misaligned proposals, or even legal issues. Clear guidelines minimize the risk of misunderstanding.

For example, consider an association seeking a keynote speaker for their conference. A vague CFP might only specify “seeking a speaker on leadership topics,” which could result in a flood of irrelevant proposals. In contrast, a well-written CFP that outlines the theme, audience demographics, preferred speaker qualifications, and honorarium range is more likely to yield focused, high-quality responses.

By investing the time and effort into creating a thoughtful CFP, your association or nonprofit can position itself for success and maximize the value of the proposals you receive. In the following sections, we’ll dive into the key components of a strong CFP and provide actionable tips for crafting one.

Key Components of an Effective Call for Proposal

Writing a Call for Proposal (CFP) is like crafting a blueprint—it sets the foundation for your project or event and ensures all contributors are aligned with your vision.

A well-structured CFP is more than just a list of requests; it’s a comprehensive document that provides clarity, encourages quality responses, and builds trust with potential respondents.

In this section, we’ll break down each essential component of a successful CFP. From setting the context with an engaging introduction to outlining clear submission requirements and evaluation criteria, each piece plays a vital role in attracting the best proposals. By addressing these components thoughtfully, you’ll not only simplify the process for respondents but also set your organization up for effective decision-making and project success.

Introduction and Background

The introduction and background section of your CFP is where you set the stage. This is your opportunity to provide context, explain your organization’s purpose, and outline the goals behind issuing the CFP. A strong introduction not only informs potential respondents but also engages them by highlighting the significance of the opportunity.

What to include:

• Overview of Your Organization: Briefly introduce your organization, its mission, and the audience or community you serve. For example, “Our nonprofit connects over 10,000 professionals in the healthcare industry, fostering collaboration and innovation.”
• Purpose of the CFP: Explain why you’re issuing the CFP and what you hope to achieve. Highlight the specific need or problem you’re addressing, such as sourcing speakers for an annual conference or selecting a vendor for a technology solution.
• Context for the Project or Event: Provide background information to frame the importance of the opportunity. For example, if the CFP is for a new initiative, mention how it fits into your broader strategic goals or addresses a pressing issue.
• Why It Matters: Emphasize the significance of the project to your organization and its stakeholders. This helps potential respondents see the value in their participation and align their proposals with your mission.

A strong introduction and background not only inform respondents but also inspire them to submit thoughtful, tailored proposals. By clearly outlining who you are and what you need, you set the stage for a successful CFP process.

Project or Opportunity Details

This section is the heart of your CFP, where you outline the specifics of the project or opportunity. The goal here is to provide potential respondents with a clear understanding of what you’re looking for and what the final outcome should look like. The more detail you include, the easier it will be for respondents to determine if they are a good fit and to craft a tailored proposal.

What to include:

• Project Scope: Describe the scope of the project in detail. What is the overall goal? What specific tasks, services, or deliverables do you need? For example, if you’re issuing a CFP for a website redesign, explain whether you need a full rebuild or simply a refresh of the design elements.
• Goals and Objectives: Clearly state what you hope to achieve. For example, “Our goal is to increase member engagement by 30% through the implementation of a new mobile app.”
• Target Audience: Share any information about the audience or stakeholders that the project will impact. For instance, “The mobile app will primarily serve members aged 25–40 who rely on mobile technology to access resources.”
• Project Budget: If applicable, include a budget range or any financial parameters. Being upfront about this can help filter out respondents who may not align with your funding capacity.
• Expected Timeline: Provide a high-level timeline or milestones for the project. Include start and end dates, as well as any key deadlines.

This section sets the expectations for respondents and ensures they understand the scope and requirements of your project. The more specific you are, the better positioned respondents will be to craft proposals that align with your needs.

Submission Requirements

The submission requirements section outlines exactly what potential respondents need to include in their proposals. Clear and detailed requirements not only make it easier for respondents to craft their submissions but also streamline your evaluation process by ensuring all proposals follow a consistent structure.

What to include:

• Proposal Format: Specify the format you want for submissions. For example, “Proposals must be submitted as a PDF document, including the respondent’s contact information, project approach, and pricing details.”
• Required Documents and Information: List all the elements respondents should include in their proposal. For example:
  • An executive summary of their proposal.
  • A detailed approach or methodology for completing the project.
  • Examples of relevant experience or past projects.
  • Resumes or bios of key personnel involved in the project.
  • A detailed budget or cost breakdown.
• Length and Structure: Provide guidelines on the length of the proposal and the structure it should follow. For instance, “Proposals should not exceed 10 pages and must include the following sections: Introduction, Methodology, Budget, and References.”
• Supporting Materials: Mention any optional supporting materials you’re open to receiving, such as case studies, testimonials, or additional certifications.
• Submission Platform or Method: Clearly state how proposals should be submitted. For example, “All proposals must be submitted through our online portal” or “Proposals should be emailed to .”
• Questions or Clarifications: Provide details on how respondents can ask questions or seek clarification before submitting. For example, “All inquiries must be sent to [contact email] by [date].”

This section ensures that all submissions are consistent and contain the information you need to make an informed decision. By setting clear expectations, you make it easier for respondents to comply and for your team to evaluate the proposals efficiently.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria section helps respondents understand how their proposals will be evaluated. By clearly defining what you’re looking for, you ensure submissions are more targeted and aligned with your organization’s needs. This section also makes your evaluation process more transparent and fair.

What to include:

• Evaluation Factors: List the key criteria you will use to evaluate proposals. Common factors include:
  • Alignment with project goals and objectives.
  • Relevant experience and qualifications.
  • Quality and feasibility of the proposed approach.
  • Cost-effectiveness and adherence to budget guidelines.
  • Timeline feasibility and ability to meet deadlines.
• Weighting or Prioritization: If certain factors are more important than others, explain this upfront. For example, “Proposals will be evaluated with the following weighting: Project Approach (40%), Cost (30%), Relevant Experience (20%), and Timeline Feasibility (10%).”
• Scoring System: Describe any scoring or ranking system you’ll use. For example, “Each proposal will be scored on a scale of 1 to 5 for each evaluation factor, with 5 being the highest.”
• Team or Panel: Mention who will be involved in the selection process. For instance, “Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of three board members and the project manager.”
• Non-Negotiables: Highlight any must-haves that will automatically disqualify a proposal if not met. For example, “Proposals without a detailed budget will not be considered.”

This section not only guides respondents in crafting proposals that meet your expectations but also helps your organization make objective and informed decisions. Transparency in the selection process builds trust with respondents and ensures you receive high-quality submissions tailored to your needs.

Timeline and Deadlines

The timeline and deadlines section is critical for ensuring that respondents understand your expectations for the submission process and the project’s overall schedule. A clear timeline helps potential respondents plan their submissions and demonstrates that your organization values efficiency and professionalism.

What to include:

• Submission Deadline: Clearly state the final date and time for proposal submissions. For example, “Proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM EST on February 15, 2024.” Consider including the time zone to avoid confusion.
• Key Dates: Provide a timeline of important milestones in the CFP process, such as:
  • The date the CFP was issued.
  • The deadline for respondents to submit questions or clarifications.
  • The date when responses to questions will be provided.
  • The expected date for announcing shortlisted candidates or finalists.
  • The final decision or contract award date.
• Project Timeline: Outline the expected start and end dates for the project. If applicable, include specific phases or milestones within the project. For example, “The project will begin on March 1, 2024, and must be completed by June 30, 2024.”
• Flexibility or Fixed Dates: Indicate whether the timeline is fixed or if there is room for negotiation. For instance, “While the submission deadline is firm, the project timeline may be adjusted based on the selected respondent’s proposal.”

This section provides structure and clarity, ensuring that all respondents understand the timing requirements. A well-defined timeline not only encourages timely submissions but also sets realistic expectations for the project’s progress and completion.

Contact Information

The contact information section ensures that potential respondents can reach out with questions, seek clarifications, or submit their proposals without confusion. This section helps establish trust and professionalism by showing that your organization is accessible and willing to support respondents throughout the process.

What to include:

• Primary Point of Contact: Provide the name, title, and preferred contact method for the person or team managing the CFP. For example, “All inquiries should be directed to Sarah Smith, Project Coordinator, at sarah.smith@example.org.”
• Email Address: Include a dedicated email address for receiving proposals or answering questions. If possible, use an official organizational email (e.g., cfp@yourorganization.org) to maintain a professional image.
• Phone Number: If you’re open to phone inquiries, list a direct line for respondents to call during specified hours. For example, “You can reach us at (555) 123-4567, Monday through Friday, 9 AM–5 PM EST.”
• Mailing Address (if applicable): If you accept physical submissions or materials, include the full mailing address with any necessary instructions, such as, “Please mark the envelope with ‘CFP Submission.’”
• FAQs or Additional Resources: Mention if there is an FAQ page or additional resources that respondents can reference. For example, “Visit our website at [link] for FAQs and more details about the submission process.”
• Response Time for Questions: Indicate how quickly respondents can expect answers to their inquiries. For instance, “All questions will be responded to within 48 hours during business days.”

Providing clear and accessible contact information fosters a smooth communication process and reduces the chances of confusion or missed opportunities. It also signals to respondents that you’re committed to a transparent and professional CFP process.

Call for Proposal Best Practices

Creating a well-structured Call for Proposal (CFP) requires more than just filling out sections; it’s about presenting your request in a way that is clear, engaging, and compelling. By following a few best practices, you can enhance the quality of responses and simplify the evaluation process for your team.

1. Use Clear and Concise Language

Your CFP should be easy to read and understand. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms unless they are necessary and well-defined. Write in plain, professional language that conveys your expectations without ambiguity.

For example, instead of saying, “We seek solutions that leverage synergies to enhance member connectivity,” you could say, “We are looking for solutions that improve how members interact and connect with one another.”

2. Tailor the CFP to Your Audience

Consider the type of respondents you want to attract and tailor your language and content accordingly. For instance:

• If you’re seeking vendors for a technical project, include specific technical requirements and terminology.
• If you’re looking for speakers or consultants, emphasize the impact of their contributions and the audience they will reach.

This helps ensure your CFP resonates with the right audience and encourages qualified submissions.

3. Be Transparent About Budget and Constraints

If there are limitations on budget, timeline, or resources, be upfront about them in your CFP. Transparency prevents wasted time on proposals that are outside your scope and sets realistic expectations for respondents.

For example, including a statement like, “The budget for this project is capped at $50,000,” can help filter out submissions that don’t align with your financial constraints.

4. Provide Examples Where Possible

If applicable, include examples to clarify expectations. This could be a link to a previous successful project, a sample format for the proposal, or a description of what you’re envisioning. Concrete examples help respondents better understand your vision and tailor their proposals accordingly.

5. Review and Edit Thoroughly

Before issuing your CFP, review it for clarity, consistency, and accuracy. Check for:

• Typos or grammatical errors.
• Consistency in formatting and terminology.
• Completeness—ensure all sections (like deadlines, contact information, and evaluation criteria) are included.

Consider having someone unfamiliar with the project review the document to ensure it’s easy to follow.

6. Include a Call to Action

End your CFP with a strong call to action that reinforces the importance of submitting a proposal. For instance, “We’re excited to hear your ideas and look forward to reviewing your proposals. Don’t miss the opportunity to collaborate with us—submit your proposal by [deadline].”

Common Proposal Mistakes

Even a well-intentioned CFP can fall short if common mistakes are made during its creation. These errors can lead to confusion, low-quality responses, or wasted time for both your organization and respondents. By being aware of these pitfalls, you can ensure your CFP process runs smoothly.

Failing to Clearly Define Objectives

One of the most significant mistakes is not providing a clear purpose or goal for the project. If respondents are unsure of what you’re trying to achieve, their proposals may miss the mark. Be explicit about what you want and why it matters to your organization.

Setting Unrealistic Expectations

Overly tight deadlines, insufficient budgets, or ambiguous project requirements can discourage qualified respondents or lead to rushed, low-quality proposals. Ensure your timelines and expectations are reasonable and achievable.

Omitting Selection Criteria

Leaving out evaluation criteria makes it hard for respondents to tailor their proposals effectively and can lead to confusion about how decisions will be made. Clearly outline the factors that will influence your choice.

Using Vague Language

Avoid terms like “innovative solutions” or “high-quality results” without defining what they mean for your organization. Be as specific as possible to help respondents understand your needs and provide targeted responses.

Neglecting Communication

A lack of responsiveness during the CFP process can frustrate respondents and diminish the credibility of your organization. Make sure to provide clear contact information and respond promptly to any questions or concerns.

Including Too Much or Too Little Detail

Both extremes can hurt your CFP. Too little detail leaves respondents guessing, while an overwhelming amount of information can deter participation. Strive for a balance by providing the necessary details in a concise format.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll create a CFP that not only attracts the right respondents but also sets a positive tone for collaboration from the outset.

How to Promote your Call for Proposal

Effective promotion of your CFP is essential to ensure it reaches the right audience and attracts high-quality responses. By strategically using multiple channels and engaging with the right communities, you can maximize visibility and participation.

Publish on Your Website

Your website is often the first place stakeholders will look for opportunities. Create a dedicated page for your CFP that includes all relevant details, such as submission requirements, timelines, and contact information. Ensure the page is easy to find by linking it from your homepage or sections like “Opportunities” or “Resources.” Additionally, optimize the page for search engines by including relevant keywords to help it appear in online searches.

Leverage Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful way to reach your network directly. Send an announcement to your existing contacts, such as members, partners, and vendors, detailing the opportunity and providing a link to the full CFP. Personalize your message when reaching out to key stakeholders to make the email more engaging. For larger campaigns, consider segmenting your email list to tailor the message to different audience groups.

Use Social Media Channels

Social media platforms are excellent tools for spreading the word about your CFP. Share posts across your organization’s channels, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, using compelling language that highlights the opportunity. For instance, “We’re looking for innovative ideas to enhance member engagement! Submit your proposal by [deadline].” Boost visibility by tagging relevant individuals or organizations and using popular industry hashtags.

Partner with Industry Networks

Collaborate with industry associations, organizations, or professional networks to expand your reach. Many of these groups have newsletters, websites, or forums where they share opportunities with their audiences. For example, a national trade association might include your CFP in its monthly email to members. Building partnerships like these can help you tap into an audience that’s already engaged in your sector.

Engage in Targeted Outreach

If you have specific individuals, vendors, or organizations in mind, reach out to them directly. A personalized email or phone call can demonstrate your interest in their expertise and encourage them to submit a proposal. For example, you could say, “We believe your experience in [specific field] would make you an excellent fit for this project, and we’d love to see a proposal from you.”

Post in Relevant Online Communities

Identify online communities, forums, or job boards that are active in your industry. Many sectors have niche platforms where professionals share opportunities and insights. Post your CFP in these spaces with a clear title and a brief summary, linking back to the full document on your website. Make sure to follow any posting guidelines to maintain credibility within the community.

Provide Reminders

As the submission deadline approaches, send reminders to ensure your CFP stays top of mind for potential respondents. Use email and social media to reiterate the deadline and emphasize the value of the opportunity. For example, a reminder post could say, “There’s still time to submit your proposal! Don’t miss this chance to collaborate with us—deadline is [date].” Reminders can encourage last-minute submissions and ensure you receive a robust response.

Evaluating Responses and Next Steps

Once the submission deadline has passed, the focus shifts to reviewing the proposals and selecting the best fit for your organization’s needs. A clear and methodical evaluation process ensures that you choose the right partner or solution while maintaining transparency and fairness.

Create an Evaluation Framework

Before diving into the review process, establish a framework for evaluating the proposals. Use the selection criteria outlined in your CFP as the foundation for your framework. Assign weights or scores to each criterion based on its importance. For example, you might allocate 40% to project approach, 30% to budget alignment, 20% to relevant experience, and 10% to timeline feasibility.

Organize an Evaluation Team

Assemble a team of key stakeholders to review the proposals. This team could include board members, project leads, or other decision-makers with expertise in the relevant area. Ensure that everyone involved understands the evaluation framework and agrees on the process to maintain consistency.

Screen for Completeness

Begin by checking each proposal for completeness. Confirm that all required sections and documents are included. Proposals missing critical components—such as a detailed budget or examples of past work—can be disqualified or flagged for further clarification.

Score and Compare Proposals

Using your evaluation framework, score each proposal based on the established criteria. Encourage team members to score independently before coming together to discuss. This minimizes bias and ensures a fair comparison. Once scores are compiled, identify the top proposals for further consideration.

Conduct Follow-Up Interviews or Clarifications

For shortlisted proposals, consider conducting interviews or requesting additional information. This step can help clarify any ambiguities and give you a better sense of how well a respondent aligns with your needs. For example, you might schedule a 30-minute call to discuss the project timeline in more detail.

Make the Final Selection

After thorough review and discussion, select the proposal that best meets your criteria. Document the decision-making process, noting why the chosen proposal stood out. This is especially important if you need to justify the decision to your board or stakeholders.

Communicate with All Respondents

Once a decision is made, promptly notify all respondents of the outcome. For those who were not selected, a courteous message thanking them for their submission helps maintain positive relationships. If possible, provide brief feedback to help them improve for future opportunities.

Negotiate and Finalize the Agreement

Work with the selected respondent to finalize the contract or agreement. This step may involve refining the scope, adjusting the budget, or setting milestones. Ensure that all terms are clear and documented before the project begins.

Streamline Your CFP Process and Make Confident Decisions

Crafting an effective Call for Proposal (CFP) is a critical step in securing the right speakers, vendors, or collaborators for your association’s projects or events. By incorporating clear objectives, detailed submission requirements, and transparent evaluation criteria, you set the stage for a smooth and productive selection process.

Avoiding common mistakes and promoting your CFP strategically will help you attract high-quality proposals that align with your organization’s goals. The review process can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right tools, your team can save time, ensure fairness, and make confident decisions.

Ready to simplify your proposal review process? With MemberClicks’ Review Panel features, you can streamline proposal evaluations, enhance collaboration, and ensure transparency every step of the way. Discover how our intuitive platform can help you make better decisions faster. Learn More About Review Panel Today

The post How to Craft a Compelling Call for Proposals appeared first on MemberClicks.

By asking the right questions, you can uncover key motivators, discover areas for improvement, and even anticipate future needs, helping you tailor your offerings to better serve your members.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of essential survey questions that cover everything from member demographics to engagement preferences. In this blog, we’ll cover the questions you should include in your next member needs assessment, based on eight different categories:

1. Occupational
2. Benefit Offerings
3. Education and Training Interest
4. Committee and Volunteer Interest
5. Communication Preferences
6. Availability
7. Satisfaction
8. Advocacy

Category by category, you’ll learn why each of these sections are crucial to your membership survey and how the information you glean from them can improve your members’ experiences. 

Occupational Survey Questions

Occupational questions often include typical survey questions about demographics, like age, race, gender, region, and education level. These data points can help you evaluate how you’re meeting the needs of your members across many identities and lived experiences.

In what industry do you work?

This question is valuable because it helps your association understand the diverse professional backgrounds of its members. By identifying the industries members are involved in, your association can tailor its programs, resources, and networking opportunities to better align with the specific needs and challenges of different sectors.

What is your role in your organization?

This question is valuable because it helps your association understand the range of job functions and responsibilities among your members. By knowing their roles, you can create more relevant content, professional development opportunities, and resources that cater to their specific job needs and career aspirations.

What are your professional goals?

Understanding your members’ professional goals allows your association to align its offerings, such as training, resources, and networking opportunities, with what members need to advance in their careers.

What are the goals of your company?

Knowing the goals of members’ companies helps your association provide services and content that not only support individual members but also resonate with the broader business objectives of their organizations, increasing the value of membership.

What do you need to grow professionally and make an impact?

This question helps your association identify specific resources, tools, or support that members need to achieve personal growth and effectiveness in their roles, allowing you to directly address and fill these gaps.

Survey Questions about Member Benefit Offerings

Questions about the benefits you currently offer, and those your members would like to see you offer are critical for your member needs assessment. 

Which benefits are the most useful to your members? Which ones drew them to your organization? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you determine which benefits to continue offering and learn which aren’t as useful to your audience. This is an opportunity to dig deep on which benefits are the most likely to prompt membership renewals.

What benefits are you using the most? Why?

This question helps your association identify which benefits are most valuable and why they resonate with your members, allowing you to prioritize and enhance the offerings that are truly making an impact.

How often do you use X? (with X being a specific benefit, you want to learn more about)

By asking this, you can gauge the frequency of usage for specific benefits, which helps in understanding member engagement and the relevance of those benefits in their daily or professional lives.

What would motivate you to use X more?

This question provides insights into potential barriers or improvements needed for specific benefits, helping your association make adjustments that increase member engagement and satisfaction with the offerings.

What benefits should we add?

Asking this allows your association to uncover unmet needs or emerging trends among your members, helping you stay relevant and continuously improve the value you provide by introducing new, desired benefits.

What benefits do you not find valuable and why?

This question helps your association identify benefits that are underutilized or no longer relevant, allowing you to streamline offerings and reallocate resources to benefits that provide more value to your members.

Education and Training Interest Survey Questions

Your members likely connected with your organization so they could network with and learn from other professionals within their field. By offering both formally organized and organic peer-to-peer learning, you can help your members stay current on new developments within their industry and maintain a competitive edge.

This section of your survey can be used to gauge interest in online learning opportunities as well as any in-person seminars or classes you may already offer. Online and on demand programs make it easier for your busy members to fit learning into their schedule—that means they’re more likely to engage and find value in your programs.

On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in our current education offerings?

This question helps your association measure the overall interest level in your current education programs, providing a quick gauge of their appeal and potential areas for improvement.

What topics do you want to see covered?

Asking this helps your association identify gaps in your current educational content and tailor future programs to better meet the specific interests and needs of your members.

How can we help you be better at your job?

This question uncovers practical needs and challenges your members face in their roles, allowing your association to develop targeted training and resources that directly enhance their job performance.

What will help you the most in your overall career?

This question provides insights into the broader career aspirations of your members, helping your association offer education and support that aligns with long-term professional development goals.

What modalities do you prefer for education and training (e.g., in-person, virtual, hybrid)?

Understanding preferred learning modalities helps your association deliver education and training in formats that are most accessible and engaging for your members, increasing participation and satisfaction.

Committee and Volunteer Interest Survey Questions

When members take on leadership positions, it demonstrates increased engagement among your members and an opportunity for peer-to-peer recruitment of new members. Plus, it takes the pressure off your membership organization’s staff.

Use your member needs assessment to see if members are interested in joining a committee or taking on other volunteer roles within your organization. At the end of your survey, you can include contact information members can use to learn more about opportunities to get involved, in case the questions inspire them to follow-up.

You’ll also want to learn how and why members choose to volunteer, so you can shape your volunteer and committee offerings into the future.

What opportunities are you already taking advantage of? If none, why?

This question helps your association understand current engagement levels and barriers to participation, allowing you to identify and address obstacles that prevent members from getting involved.

What would make this kind of commitment easier for you?

By asking this, your association can uncover specific challenges members face in committing to volunteer roles or committees, enabling you to make adjustments that lower barriers and encourage greater involvement.

What do you enjoy the most and least about these commitments?

This question provides insights into the positive aspects of member involvement as well as areas for improvement, helping your association enhance the volunteer experience and retain engaged members.

Why do you volunteer/participate on a committee?

Understanding members’ motivations for volunteering or committee participation allows your association to better communicate the value of these opportunities and align them with members’ personal or professional goals.

Which local philanthropic organizations would you like to see our organization partner with?

This question helps your association identify potential partnership opportunities that resonate with your members’ values and interests, strengthening your community presence and offering meaningful engagement options.

Communication Preferences Questions

As you know, different members prefer different communication styles. Some might love email, while others might head towards “unsubscribe” if they get overwhelmed by messages. You might have members who prefer updates on social media, but others may not use it.

Asking your members what type of communication they like can help you:

• Show your members that you care about their preferences and can cater to their needs, building a relationship that encourages membership loyalty.
• Get the right information to your members at the right time, leading to higher engagement with your content and meetings.
• Give your members a chance to share communication concerns with you before they become a problem or cause them to stop their membership.

How do you prefer to stay updated about meeting times and dates?

This question helps your association identify the most effective communication channels for delivering meeting information, ensuring members receive updates in a way that fits their preferences and maximizes attendance.

How do you prefer to stay updated about changes in meeting times and dates?

By asking this, your association can understand the best methods for quickly and reliably communicating changes, reducing the risk of missed meetings or confusion among members.

On which platforms do you follow our organization? (based on which digital communication platforms you’re using—these could include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, email, etc.)

Knowing which platforms your members use to follow your association allows you to optimize your communication strategy by focusing efforts on the most popular channels, enhancing member engagement and reach.

Availability Survey Questions

Every member has a different schedule, and no one likes herding cats. Ask your members about the days and times they’re more likely to be available so you can schedule your communications and events at the times that work for them.

Your member needs assessment can also gauge whether current meeting times and locations are working for your members. Evaluate whether a call-in option would help those unable to make it in-person or whether your organization should offer services like childcare during your meetings and events.

Some questions to include in this category are:

How often do you think meetings should occur?

This question helps your association gauge the preferred meeting frequency, allowing you to align your scheduling with member preferences to maintain engagement without overburdening them.

What day of the week is best to meet?

Understanding the preferred days for meetings helps your association schedule sessions at times when members are most likely to attend, increasing participation rates.

What is the best time to meet? 

Identifying the best meeting times allows your association to plan sessions that fit into members’ schedules, enhancing convenience and attendance.

Do you feel that meetings are too long? Too short?

This question provides feedback on meeting length, helping your association adjust the duration to better suit member preferences and keep meetings productive and engaging.

What prevents you from attending?

By asking this, your association can uncover barriers to attendance, such as scheduling conflicts or accessibility issues, and take steps to address these challenges.

Would you come more often if childcare were available? If food was served?

This question helps identify additional supports that could increase attendance, allowing your association to provide resources like childcare or refreshments to make participation more feasible.

Are you interested in offsite meetings (for example, at a coffee shop, restaurant, park, etc.)?

Exploring interest in offsite meetings helps your association assess whether alternative venues could increase engagement and offer a more enjoyable or convenient meeting experience.

Would you prefer if we rotated meeting days to include some weekends?

Rotating meeting days, including weekends, can provide more flexible options for members with varying schedules, potentially boosting overall participation and accessibility.

Member Needs and Satisfaction Survey Questions

Make sure to cut to the chase: are your members actually happy? Ask some straightforward questions about their overall satisfaction. 

After all, high satisfaction is what increases the likelihood of membership renewals. With these questions, you can identify which members are currently dissatisfied, learn why, and make changes you think could improve both their experiences as well as the greater membership’s satisfaction as a whole.

Leave these questions open-ended so members can speak openly about whatever they want to say. It’s important they feel like they can be honest and direct with their feedback. This helps everyone in the end by identifying what’s working and what is not.

What makes you happy to be a member?

This question helps your association identify the key elements that contribute to member satisfaction, allowing you to continue to build on these strengths and promote them to retain and attract members.

What would you change?

By asking this, your association can gather constructive feedback on areas for improvement, enabling you to make changes that better align with member needs and enhance the overall membership experience.

How would you rate your overall satisfaction with your membership on a scale of 1-10?

This question provides a quantifiable measure of member satisfaction, allowing you to track changes over time and identify trends in member sentiment.

What was your primary reason for joining, and has that expectation been met?

Understanding the initial motivation for joining and whether expectations are met helps your association assess the effectiveness of your value proposition and make necessary adjustments.

What do you value most about your membership?

This question identifies the most appreciated aspects of membership, helping your association highlight and strengthen these areas to maintain member loyalty.

How likely are you to recommend membership to a colleague or peer?

This question acts as a measure of member advocacy and satisfaction, providing insights into how well your association meets the needs of its members.

Have you encountered any challenges as a member that we could help resolve?

Asking this helps your association identify pain points that members may face, providing an opportunity to address these issues and improve the member experience.

What additional resources or support would enhance your membership experience?

This question allows members to suggest new services or enhancements that could add value, helping your association stay responsive and relevant to member needs.

Make sure your questions are specific enough to identify what could be causing lower satisfaction levels. For example, the previous question asked specifically about satisfaction levels with the membership benefits rather than simply: Are you satisfied?

You can also include text boxes alongside quantitative measures to encourage respondents to explain their reasonings for these scores.

Advocacy Survey Questions

Advocacy efforts can be a key piece of an association’s value to its members. Marketing General Incorporated’s 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report showed that 21% of survey respondents chose “supporting advocacy” as one of the top three reasons they join an organization’s membership. 

If your association or chamber participates in advocacy or lobbying activities, there are a few additional questions you should ask to see how you can support your members in this area.

Some questions to include within this category are:

Do you participate in our advocacy efforts? 

This question helps your association understand the level of member engagement in advocacy initiatives, allowing you to assess the effectiveness of your outreach and identify areas for increased involvement.

What is your preferred method of participation?

Understanding preferred methods of participation helps your association tailor advocacy opportunities to match member preferences, making it easier and more appealing for members to get involved.

What issues are most important to you?

This question identifies the key issues that resonate with your members, enabling your association to focus its advocacy efforts on topics that matter most to your community.

Which issues do you think will impact the industry the most within the next five years?

By asking this, your association can gain insights into members’ perspectives on future challenges and opportunities, helping you to proactively shape your advocacy agenda.

How do you think these issues will impact the industry?

This question helps your association understand members’ views on the potential effects of key issues, providing valuable context for shaping your advocacy strategies and communications.

Ensure Member Satisfaction Through a Member Needs Assessment

Want a faster, easier way to send and gather data for your member needs assessment surveys? Check out the MemberClicks demo, which can streamline the process.

Happy members are more likely to renew their memberships, and membership retention makes for a sustainable membership organization. We hope you’re able to create a member needs assessment survey to learn all you can about your supporters to keep them happy, encourage membership renewals, and continue to thrive as an organization!

The post 30+ Essential Membership Survey Questions appeared first on MemberClicks.

According to the same research, using multiple outreach tactics can be more effective when it comes to moving the needle on growth. So to help you hone in on a few potent tactics, we’re rounding up 50 impactful methods to grow your membership.

Below you’ll find 38 ideas specifically for associations, plus 12 more for nonprofits of any kind. 

38 Ideas to Increase Membership for Your Association

1. Host a networking event

One way to build awareness of your association is with a single (or a series) of in-person events. And one of the best ways to take your recruiting efforts on the road is with a networking mixer.

Create and promote the networking event as a way to hobnob with other professionals from their industry. An open event encourages members and non-members alike to attend, which gives you the opportunity to share all your great membership benefits. Hosting it at a casual venue like a coffee shop, local restaurant, or brewery keeps the event low-key, so you can simply have a spontaneous conversation with prospective members.

2. Create a referral program

Research shows that one of the most efficient ways to boost your membership is through referrals. As a result, it only makes sense to get your members involved in spreading the word via a referral program. 

To encourage your current loyal members to participate, offer an incentive for those who send you successful new recruits. Providing a reward—a discount on dues, a gift card and handwritten note, a gift card for a fancy dinner—shows your appreciation for current members.

3. Host a “bring a friend” meeting or event

Another kind of recruitment event you can host is a bring-a-friend meeting. Again, you can get your current members to share all the advantages of your association by encouraging them to bring non-member friends or family to a networking event.

Create an event with networking opportunities for pros in your specific industry, complete with group introductions (like icebreaker activities). You can also take this opportunity to review all your membership benefits to pique the interest of any prospective members in attendance.

To help members get engaged, offer door prizes for people who bring a plus-one, or incentivize them with discounts on dues or other rewards.

4. Host a free luncheon or speaker series

Non-members are more likely to attend one of your open recruitment events if they’re enticed with the chance to network with industry influencers. One way to do this is to host a lunch event with a prestigious speaker from your industry.

Put together a free luncheon that allows prospective members to gain insights from an industry leader—this not only positions you as an authority in the space, but also gives you the opportunity to tell them about membership with your association.

5. Offer a discount or promotion

It pays (literally) to offer promotions—especially to would-be members. For prospective members who just need a little nudge to push them toward “yes,” a small incentive like a discount on dues or a new member gift can go a long way.

This is even more effective if you create a sense of urgency. Make the promotion or discount a limited-time deal. That way, prospective members are encouraged to make a decision to take advantage of the promotion.

6. Offer a free trial membership

Some prospective members may want to get hands-on knowledge of how joining your association can actually benefit them. One method to demonstrate the advantages is to offer newbies a free trial membership.

As with a test drive on a new car, give prospects a limited time period (two weeks up to a couple of months) to take your membership for a spin. Ensure they understand all the benefits they’d receive as fully fledged members, and highlight the advantages they’ll get to enjoy during their trial—whether that be free tickets to a networking event with other members, access to online learning modules, or temporary access to your online member community. Once they see first hand all the benefits you offer with membership, they’re more likely to commit.

7. Solicit feedback from existing members

When it comes to successfully recruiting new members, you already have a valuable source to consult for input: your current members. 

Ask your members for honest feedback via a member needs assessment. What are the best benefits of belonging to your association, and are there any gaps you can address? Then take those notes and incorporate them into your offerings. Listening and acting on feedback from your members can help your membership be even more appealing to prospects.

8. Include member testimonials on your website

Did any of your members leave any particularly positive feedback? Ask their permission to share it on your website and in other promotional materials. Prospective members would love to hear from real people about what it’s like to be a part of your association.

9. Ask members for recruitment ideas

In addition to asking your current members for feedback and testimonials, you can ask them for specific recruitment ideas. They were all prospective members at one point or another, so they know exactly what would entice someone to join.

Ask them to go back and imagine not being a member. What kinds of offers would they find appealing? What tactics would convince them to join? Have they seen any strategies used by other nonprofits or businesses that resonated with them?

10. Create a recruitment committee

You may have a few members who have lots of great recruitment ideas and are particularly enthusiastic about attracting new members to your association. If that’s the case, consider creating a recruitment committee. 

This will allow you to delegate some of your recruitment tasks to people who are passionate and committed to your cause. Prospective members will be much more likely to join if they hear from a peer, rather than a member of your staff. Not to mention, members of your recruitment committee will enjoy a special role and a deeper connection to your organization.

11. Distribute merchandise

Members, both new and old, enjoy a little bit of free swag. You can offer new member items like branded gifts (pens, T-shirts, stationary, water bottles, etc., with your logo). Then, you can also sell these items on your website and at events.

Not only does branded swag offer an additional revenue stream, but everyone who carries or wears these items acts as a billboard for your association. And who can say no to that kind of free advertising?

12. Offer perks to new members

As we alluded to earlier on our list, incentivizing prospective members can sometimes be enough to tip the scales in your favor. And providing a few perks to new members can certainly catch their eye.

A few perks you could try include:

• A discount on dues (like a “new member promo” of 15% off annual dues)
• Free tickets to a conference in your industry
• Entry into a giveaway for all new members 
• Gift certificates to local businesses, cafes, restaurants, etc.

13. Offer a positive, engaging welcome series

New members want to feel welcomed, acknowledged, and valued. One of the best ways to do this is with a welcome program. Here are a few ideas:

• Send a welcome letter, email, or card
• Send a welcome package with everything new members need to know
• Host a welcome event for new members
• Spotlight new members on your website or in a newsletter
• Give new members a chance to introduce themselves at your next meeting

14. Call prospective members

There’s nothing wrong with relying on older forms of communication to try to boost your membership. Get on the horn with a targeted list of prospective members to discuss the benefits of joining your association.

This old-fashioned way of chatting can feel more personalized than other digital means, like emails or social media posts.

15. Reach out via direct mail

Direct mail is another underrated form of communication for new member campaigns. More than 76% of younger members said that direct mail they’d received from their organization was somewhat or very effective.

In a time when most means of communication are digital and our mailboxes are mostly bills, direct mail can actually help you cut through the noise. So consider creating tailored flyers, postcards, or one-page mailers to send to prospective new members on your list.

16. Segment your communications

The key to effective communication is sending the right message to the right people at the right time. Rather than sending each of your prospective members the same message, split them up according to how you first connected with them, how long they’ve been on your mailing list, their demographic information, and their interests. Then, personalize your messages as much as you can. 

When you do this, your prospects will feel like the message was written just for them, and will be much more likely to take action.

17. Optimize your website to drive new memberships

Your website is one of the cornerstones of any new member campaign. After all, our recent research found websites and email were the top two mediums to boost your membership. It’s crucial to make sure your website makes it as easy as possible for prospective members to find everything they need.

For example, ensure that your member application is easily accessible. If possible, add a link to the application right on your homepage. Also, try to keep the application form as simple as possible—don’t request info that isn’t necessary.

18. Focus on enhancing your site’s SEO

Make it easier for your prospective members to find you online. You can do so by focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) for your association’s website.

Using a tool like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs, determine what crucial keywords your site already ranks for and then search for related keywords you can incorporate into your site to further increase traffic. Make sure you also do your homework on local keywords (i.e., “chamber of commerce near me”) to take advantage of those opportunities as well.

Finally, ensure your organization’s info is up-to-date on your website and your Google My Business page. Learn more about boosting your SEO efforts with our guide.

19. Demonstrate membership value via social media

To catch the eye of prospective members, it helps to demonstrate your membership benefits online—particularly on social media. Create posts for your branded social channels that highlight members being awarded continuing education certificates through your organization, photos of member-only events and conferences, and so on.

20. Host a membership drive

A membership campaign, also known as a membership drive, is a strategic, concerted effort to get your organization (and your many benefits) in front of as many new prospective members as possible. 

This kind of concentrated drive comprises of a multi-pronged plan where you promote your membership across channels, including digital outreach, recruitment at events, and incentivizing current members to refer new members.

21. Partner with similar organizations

When working to boost your membership, you don’t have to go it alone. Instead, partner up with other organizations to send one another prospective members or customers.

You can partner up with non-profits, other associations, or businesses to hold events, member drives, and build awareness with both audiences. For example: A chamber of commerce can team up with a neighborhood BIA to co-host a networking event for local business owners.

22. Host a conference

To speak to a larger audience of prospective members all at once, try creating and hosting a conference. This could take shape as a single or multi-day event, with opportunities for networking, speaker panels, and keynote speakers from your respective industry. 

This kind of conference that’s open to the public is not only a way to highlight your membership benefits, but it can also serve as a revenue stream for your organization.

23. Add a job board to your membership benefits

Make your membership even more valuable to prospect by creating a job board members can access. Members can pay a small fee to post open roles on the job board where candidates in your industry can find these jobs all in one central place.

This kind of job board is valuable for both members and job seekers, of course, but it’s yet another potential revenue stream for your organization as well.

24. Host a job fair for the community

Take the job board idea a step further and host a job fair. Invite your members and other employers in your industry and promote the event to job seekers in your area (particularly new and upcoming graduates). 

With proper marketing, word will spread about your event and you’ll see lots of potential new members in attendance. Be sure to send a communication to every attendee or chat with them in person about your association and the benefits of membership.

25. Sponsor a local event

If you aren’t up to the task of hosting your own conference or major event, you can sponsor an ongoing event instead. Sponsoring a local networking event or even sponsoring a booth at an existing conference gets your organization’s name out locally and in the industry without having to put together an entire event yourself.

26. Host a philanthropy event

You can also give back to your community while increasing your association membership. To achieve this, plan and host a volunteer event or fundraiser in partnership with a nonprofit or charity. Promote the event and open up participation to anyone in the community.

This kind of charitable event builds awareness of your association, and demonstrates that you’re active with philanthropic efforts within your area.

27. Reach out to lapsed members

You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel to boost your membership. Don’t just recruit brand-new members—it also pays to reach out to previous members.

Members lapse for a variety of reasons, but sometimes they just need a reminder that they can still rejoin your organization. Create a targeted campaign to re-engaged these once-active members with email marketing, direct mailers, and/or phone calls.

28. Put up flyers

Don’t solely rely on digital outreach to bring in new members. Design and distribute one-pagers and flyers at popular meeting spaces within your community. 

Depending on where your prospective members might normally congregate, you can post flyers on bulletin boards in your local library branches, community and recreation centers, grocery stores, cafes or coffee shops, and other relevant businesses.

29. Connect with colleges and universities

While partnering with businesses is a common (and effective) way to boost membership, you can also lean on colleges and universities to find prospective members.

Call up deans and the heads of your local post-secondary institutions to discuss how you can connect with current students or recent alumni who are studying subjects in your industry. For example, if you’re an association for architects, you can reach out to local architecture programs.

Ask whether you can come to speak to a class or participate in any upcoming career fairs. This is a way to recruit young members who might spend many years ahead enjoying the benefits of your membership.

30. Offer membership tiers

Give prospective members more options. While it might be easier from an administrative perspective to offer just one membership level, providing multiple tiers can remove a barrier of entry for some potential members.

Offer several membership tiers so that people have more choices when it comes to their level of involvement. This provides more flexibility so that prospective members can engage at the level they’re most comfortable.

31. Offer memberships by donation

Sometimes thinking outside the box when it comes to prices for your membership can be the nudge prospects need to commit. Try offering a lower membership tier by donation. Let potential members determine the amount they want to pay for access to this membership level. 

Creating a membership-by-donation model puts prospective members in control and allows them to pay based solely on perceived value. This pricing model can also boost your recruitment in the process.

32. Place ads in local media

Lean on local media to get the word out about your association. Try doing a small media buy for ads in your community’s newspaper, radio, and/or broadcast station. Placing media ads can help you promote the advantages of your membership to a broad audience—and you can run the same ad whenever your membership numbers need a boost.

33. Ensure existing members are satisfied

Keeping your current members happy can pay dividends—even compared to recruiting new members. According to Bain and Co. research, increasing member retention by only 5% can boost profits anywhere from 25% to 95%. Plus, happy members often tell their friends. So, don’t lose sight of keeping your current members satisfied.

To do this, make sure member appreciation efforts are top-notch. Communicate regularly how much your members are the lifeblood of your organization.

34. Automate membership renewal reminders

Make it as simple as possible for current members to stay involved with your association. Rather than relying on members to remember to renew their own membership plans, send them reminders to help them to stay current.

And to make renewals easier on you and your staff, leverage your membership management system to automatically send renewals.

35. Enhance your organization’s online community

Networking is a common reason people join associations—so make it easy for members to connect. Create an online community that allows your members to chat with one another and discuss industry trends and issues.

36. Start a mentorship program

A mentorship program is one of the most valuable member benefits you can offer. Simply match interested mentors and mentees and provide them with a structured process to help them develop a mutually beneficial relationship. 

For young members, mentorship is a great opportunity to learn from experienced and knowledgeable professionals in their field. For mentors, it’s a chance to give back, help shape the future of their industry, and develop their own leadership skills.

37. Offer a valuable continuing education program

Many industries require ongoing education and training, which is a great opportunity for you to provide value in another area for your members. And when prospective members see you offer valuable education that helps them upgrade their skills or maintain their certifications, they’re more likely to consider membership.

Create and host continuing education in various forms—webinars, courses, training—for your members to stay current with their skills. You can use a learning management system to create your courses and promote your program as a great value-add for members.

38. Give members more opportunities to participate in your advocacy campaigns

If your association does any advocacy work, give your members a chance to participate and advocate on your behalf. After all, they joined your association because they’re deeply passionate about your cause. Their involvement will help spread the word about your work within their networks and inspire others to join their efforts.

12 Ideas to Increase Membership for Your Nonprofit

If your nonprofit is not an association, but a different type of nonprofit — for example, a charity — your membership program is likely just one of your many other activities, such as providing services in the community and fundraising. 

Even if membership is not your main focus, there are still lots of ways to grow your membership program and use the extra income to help advance your mission. 

Here are a few ideas:

1. Brand your membership program

For charities, membership is about much more than providing member benefits in exchange for member dues. Members join because they share your values, care deeply about your cause, and want to help make a difference in your community. In that sense, their member dues are almost like a donation, and the member benefits are simply a nice add-on. 

In order to attract new members, try to appeal to them with clear messaging about your mission, vision, and values. Create an inspiring tagline and use it in all membership related materials.

2. Explain what your membership program helps fund

Asking prospective members to pay member dues is not too different from asking them to donate. The key is to be as transparent as possible about where their money will go, what it will support, and what impact it will help to create. 

People who are passionate about your mission will happily support your organization, as long as they can be certain that their contributions are needed and will be used in the most effective way possible.

3. Promote your membership benefits

If, in addition to having a mission worth supporting, you offer amazing membership benefits, you can use them to entice people to join. Remind prospective members about these benefits in your communications, on your website, and on social media.

4. Promote your membership program at your nonprofit events

Another great place to promote your membership program is at events. Your organization likely already puts on fundraising, stewardship, educational, and advocacy events, and there are probably lots of non-members in attendance. Use this opportunity to set up a membership booth at your event, talk to prospective members about joining, and include membership information in your event materials (event program, registration website, goodie bags, etc.)

5. Create an outreach cadence for prospective new members

Hearing about your membership program once probably won’t convince someone to join. More often than not, they need to be exposed to your messaging a few times before they will start considering becoming a member.

To help make this happen, create a communications plan for direct mail and email, as well as a content plan for social media. Plan out a strategy that will allow you to gently remind your prospective members about your membership program through different channels and at regular intervals. 

6. Segment prospective members for better communication

Because your membership program is not your only focus, your community is likely made up of all kinds of people — donors, volunteers, partners, etc. They all have the potential to become members, but the key thing to remember is that they shouldn’t all receive the same message. 

When sending communications to your prospective members, segment your mailing lists and customize messages to reflect the prospects’ involvement with your organization.

7. Use CTAs on your nonprofit’s website

One of the easiest ways for people to learn more about your membership program and to sign up is through your website. Take advantage of the traffic your website gets and streamline the sign-up process by including calls-to-action (CTAs) wherever you can. Include prominent buttons on most pages and place a button in the header that will stay there no matter which page (or which part of the page) people are viewing.

8. Offer an opportunity to sign up for your membership program on your donation page

You likely already put in a lot of effort to send people to the donation page on your website. Maximize the results of these efforts by including an option for people to sign up for membership. 

People who visit this page already care about your cause and are ready to show their support with a financial contribution, so there’s a high chance that they’ll seriously consider becoming a member.

9. Launch a membership drive social media campaign

Social media continues to be one of the most effective marketing tools for organizations and businesses across all industries. Use it to grow your membership by launching a special campaign to attract new members. You can run social media ads, create a content strategy that will reach potential new members organically, or even recruit your existing members to become peer-to-peer influencers.

10. Offer a range of membership tiers

When you offer just one membership tier, you create a barrier to entry for people who can’t afford the member dues or aren’t interested in the benefits you’re offering. To make membership accessible and valuable to more people, consider offering multiple membership tiers, potentially even including a free option.

This way, people can choose the level they’re comfortable paying for and the benefits they’ll actually take advantage of. This also allows members to upgrade over time or downgrade instead of leaving the membership completely.

11. Offer exclusive events for members

Incentivize more people to join by offering exclusive events for members. Alternatively, you can host events that are free for members but paid for non-members. Either way, once people see the value in joining your membership, they’ll be more likely to sign up.

12. Provide incentives for referrals

Referrals are one of the best ways to attract new members. Simply ask your current members to refer someone they know or bring a friend to one of your events or meetings.

When the recommendation comes from someone they know and trust, people will be much more likely to listen and take action. Not to mention, since these prospects are identified by your current members, they likely share the same interests and values, and will turn into engaged and long-lasting members. 

To incentivize your members to refer their friends and acquaintances, offer them something in return, such as an additional benefit, more access, or entrance to win a prize. 

Choosing the Right Approaches to Increase Your Membership

Now that you have a comprehensive list of effective methods to increase membership, you’ll simply need to select the tactics that are right for your organization. Depending on your staff’s skills, your resources, and unique needs, you can employ the approaches that work best for you.

In addition to the 50 tactics outlined above, using the right membership and association management software can help make recruiting new members easier. Learn more about association management software and how it can help you grow.

The post 50 Tips to Increase Membership for Associations & Nonprofits! appeared first on MemberClicks.

What is a membership drive?

A membership drive is a campaign your organization launches to bring in grow new membership. Members don’t just find you over time: they’re drawn in, when and how you want them to be. 

Membership drives combine marketing and member recruitment efforts to engage prospective new members, introduce them to your organization, and gain their support.

Simply put, it means you’re giving them the extra push they need to decide they want to be a part of your organization. You’ll boost your member database and create lifelong supporters.

How do you start planning your membership campaign? That’s what we’re here for. Keep reading for fourteen tried and true ideas for your next membership drive, including:

1. Start a referral program.

Who doesn’t love perks? Kick off your membership drive by leveraging one of the best tools in your kit—your current membership base.

Launch a member referral program that brings in new members by using an incentive. This type of program will incentivize your current members to encourage people they know to join, or to recruit new members. You could use:

• A gift card
• Valuable electronic item
• A reduction in their own membership fee
• A free ticket

To level up, turn it into a friendly competition to see who can help bring in the most new members! The winner walks away with a special prize.

But…you might not know what type of incentive will motivate your members. If you’re feeling unsure, go to the source. Ask your members what they’d be most interested in, via a survey.

Once you’ve determined how you’ll incentivize your program, it’s time to promote it. Send the details to your current email list and mention it at your upcoming events. Use any other existing channels to help spread the word, but especially utilize your email marketing tools!

And don’t forget: if this is a limited time offer, let them know how long they have to take you up on it!

2. Organize a volunteer opportunity.

Consider partnering with a local nonprofit or other community organization to host a volunteer day. For potential members who want to make an impact, this could be a great opportunity to show them that you want to make the world a better place.

Try to tie the day of giving back either to your association or to a cause that many at your association are passionate about.

Plus, a volunteer opportunity means that prospective new members will be able to mingle with current members in a casual, low-key environment. That means you can demonstrate your organization’s commitment to charity, which can be an enticing aspect for philanthropic-minded people.

Looking for some inspo? Check out these volunteer recruitment ideas before you plan your next volunteer opportunity.

3. Provide a free educational experience.

One of the top reasons members will join your organization is if they know what’s in it for them. Education and professional development are key reasons they’ll be joining you!

But who would choose something when they don’t know what they’re getting? A free glimpse into your educational resources could do wonders for your association’s membership numbers.

For example, if you host an annual conference, consider opening a portion to the general public for free so they can get a taste of what you’re all about.

Or maybe host a free training workshop. This helps establish your credibility and value to potential new members. As it turns out, free education could be the best rate of return for your organization!

Membership drives give your prospects an inside look at your organization and leave them wanting to know more about the other benefits you offer. This is a non-salesy way to still put your best foot forward, but still gives you the opportunity to educate your audience.

4. Launch a social media campaign.

Do you have an active social media audience? Then take your membership drive online! Throughout your drive, take to your social accounts to remind your prospective members:

• Who You Are: What are your roots? When did your membership organization begin and what’s the history behind it? What do you stand for? Make sure to include some of your background to give prospective members an idea of what you’re all about.
• How Your Members Benefit: “What’s in it for me?” is the likely question from your prospective members. Don’t make them hunt for the information! Instead, offer it up in the “about” section of your page, and every now and then post benefits on your timeline. Consider having your current members talk about their favorite benefits, or featuring recent events.
• What They Can Do: Your audience may not be completely sold yet based on their initial search, which is normal. To help reel them in further, give them an idea of how they can join in on events and continuing education opportunities. It may be helpful to give them access for free before they pay for their membership. This helps give them a “test drive” of your membership organization.

As an added bonus and for even more credibility, ask your current members to film short testimonials you can share on your social media pages. Or, encourage them to fill out a review if the social platform allows for it, like Facebook.

Want to kick it up a notch? Launch a digital ads campaign across Facebook, Linkedin, and/or Google (if you’re a nonprofit, you could even get a Google Grant!).

5. Schedule a speaker series.

Expert speakers come with their own networks, and if you partner with those speakers for organization events, they’ll bring those audiences with them! Ask several accomplished individuals in your field to host talks or Q&A sessions with current and prospective members.

Once you’ve hooked your audience with the original speaker series, you can let your prospects know they can attend the rest of the series if they choose to join your organization. That’s just another added benefit to boost your membership count!

Even better: run this alongside your referral program, and let members bring prospects to these events as a part of the recruitment process.

6. Call prospective members directly.

Text messages reign supreme. Your inbox is overflowing.

But we’re offering an old-school approach to boosting your membership numbers. Pick up the phone and call your prospective members. This tried and true tactic stands out in a world where digital is the norm.

It may take extra effort. But that effort is a great way to show your prospective members that you care about them joining your association!

Prospects feel seen and heard as individuals and they will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to personally check in with them and answer any questions they may have about joining with a simple phone call. Just make sure the call is personalized, and you’re familiar with the prospects you’re reaching out to.

7. Partner with Industry Influencers

Partnering with influencers can amplify your membership drive by leveraging their credibility and reach within your target audience. Collaborate with industry experts or thought leaders to share their positive experiences with your organization through social media posts, blogs, or webinars.

This authentic endorsement introduces your association to a broader audience and builds trust, as people are more likely to be influenced by someone they respect. Choose influencers whose values align with your mission and provide them with key messaging points while allowing them creative freedom to authentically promote your drive.

8. Host a Virtual Open House

Hosting a virtual open house is an excellent way to showcase your association’s value and connect directly with prospective members in an engaging, interactive format. During the event, you can highlight key membership benefits, provide an overview of upcoming events, and offer sneak peeks into exclusive resources.

Incorporate live Q&A sessions, where attendees can ask questions and get real-time answers from your leadership team or current members. This personal interaction helps build trust and allows prospects to experience your community firsthand, making them more likely to join.

To maximize the impact, consider featuring testimonials from existing members and offering limited-time incentives for attendees who decide to join during the open house. Promote the event through your email lists, social media, and website, and ensure the registration process is simple.

A virtual open house not only breaks down geographic barriers but also provides a low-pressure environment for potential members to learn more about your association and its benefits.

Best Membership Drive Events to Grow Your Member List

Events are a fantastic way to grow awareness of your organizations and to expose new prospects to all the benefits membership has to offer. When crafting your membership drive campaign, consider hosting one of these events: 

Launch an Annual Conference:

Hosting an annual conference is a great way to bring together current members, showcase the value of membership, and attract new members. The conference can be combined with other events to host speakers, workshops, or networking events,

Having members gather over the course of many days allows for your current members to engage with prospective members. Attendees experience first-hand the benefits of your organization and begin build connections with other members.

Member recruiters can attract more members by highlighting membership perks. Special membership rates for the conference will also incentivize prospects to join up!

Networking Events

Networking event provides an opportunity for both members and non-members to meet and engage. These events typically have minimal structure and provide plenty of opportunity for attendees to connect.

Refreshments and an energizing location help create an loose vibe. Current members can connect with each other and bring colleagues and friends who are ideal potential new members. Make sure to have plenty of membership info for prospective members to check out.

After the event, follow-up with non-members to see if they’d like to officially join the organization. This would be a ideal time to offer a discount or enhanced member benefits

Host a “Bring a Friend” Event

Hosting a “Bring a Friend” event is a powerful way to introduce potential members to your association in a welcoming and personal setting. Encourage your current members to invite colleagues or friends who may be interested in joining, creating an opportunity for them to experience your organization’s community and benefits firsthand.

This type of event can be anything from a casual networking mixer to a structured workshop or seminar, allowing guests to interact with both staff and members, ask questions, and learn more about the value of membership.

To enhance the impact, offer incentives such as a discount on membership fees for guests who join during or shortly after the event. You can also reward the referring members with perks like event tickets or exclusive access to resources. This approach not only helps you grow your membership base but also strengthens the sense of community among existing members, making them active participants in the recruitment process.

Lunch or Happy Hour:

Having lunch or drinks is considered a more personal way to network in comparison to larger events. You may want to consider hosting a meal exclusively for prospective members at a well-known restaurant. This can be combined with a small workshop or guest speaker to deliver more value

It is also possible to organize a happy hour event that is open to both members and non-members. Request that members invite guests to be introduced to the organization. Pamphlets should be provided, and members of the membership committee will be available to answer any questions and show off the benefits of membership.

The effectiveness of personal invitations to join from real members can surpass that of generic marketing outreach.

Run a Charitable Event

Organizations hosting charitable events demonstrate their dedication to the community. These events also generate positive publicity and attract potential members who want to contribute. When promoting the event, emphasize member participation and the impact they can make.

Additionally, consider offering a discounted membership rate to non-profit employees or volunteers who attend and express interest in joining. Follow up promptly after the event to sign up new members while their enthusiasm for the cause is still fresh.

Host a Skills Workshop

Hosting free or low-cost workshops is an effective way to demonstrate an organization’s expertise. The educational content provides value to attendees while showcasing the strengths of the membership base. Record workshops to repurpose content for marketing.

Offer a promotional membership rate for non-members who participated in a workshop to convert them into members. Make sure to capture their contact info at the workshop for follow up.

Host a Guest Speaker Series

A guest speaker series offers members the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, innovators, and experts. Attendees get access to cutting-edge information and perspectives. Promote the exclusive speaker series as a member benefit and perk.

Offer a limited number of free passes to non-members to give them a preview. Have membership info and staff available to sign up new members on the spot after they experience a compelling speaker presentation.

Conclusion

Getting new members to join your association is no easy feat. Luckily, you’re armed with membership drive ideas that will help you boost your numbers over time. Try them out and see what works for your association today, what you could add in the future and where you find success.

Remember that education plays a huge role in driving new members, and that you can easily give prospects a taste of what your association has to offer.

If you’re looking for ways to find new members so that you can include them with your new membership drive ideas, make sure to check out this article on 10 Association Membership Recruitment Ideas for 2021. Plus, this article has a real-life example of who is doing each idea well.

Then, once you have those members, it’s time to welcome them! Use this article for 9 Ways to Welcome New Members to Your Organization. We’re talking welcome letters, welcome packets and more. And as a great association, you know that retention tactics never stop after you welcome new members. That’s why you’ll need to know these 9 Member Appreciation Ideas to Retain More Members. Find ideas like appreciation events, special social shoutouts and so much more.

The post 14 Engaging Membership Drive Ideas appeared first on MemberClicks.

In this article, we will take a closer look at membership churn and its common causes. We’ll provide insights into how to improve retention rates and how to keep members engaged. Increasing member numbers for any membership-based organization is far too difficult to allow churn to cause an organization to slow down. Here’s a more proactive approach to maintaining your membership roster:

What is Membership Churn?

Membership churn is the number of an organization’s members who do not renew or cancel over a certain period. Some suggest membership churn is the opposite of membership retention. It is usually expressed as a percentage. A simple example would be if you had 100 members and 10 canceled or failed to renew, your customer churn rate would then be 10%.

Membership churn can also be called turnover or customer churn.

A high member churn rate usually results when members are not engaged, don’t recognize value, or are even ignored. Thankfully, these can all be addressed. It will result in reducing membership churn.

How Do You Calculate Churn Rate?

Churn rate can be determined for any period, whether it’s a week, month, year, or season.

To calculate the membership churn rate, you will need to know the number of members you had at the beginning of the period. You divide the number of members lost by the total number at the start of the period to calculate the member churn rate.

Churn Rate Formula

If an organization had 500 members at the start of a month and had 450 members at the end of the month, it lost 50 members, or .10.

The formula could be expressed as:

Lost members (50) divided by total members at the start of the period (500) x 100.

What is a Good Churn Rate For Membership Sites?

Churn rates can vary widely between products and services and industries. This can make it a bit of an unexact science to determine what is a “good” churn rate.

A 5-7% churn rate is often considered acceptable for a subscription-based membership site. Those operating at a membership churn rate of 4% or below are generally considered exceptional.

Organizations with an 8-10% churn need to monitor turnover carefully. Those with a churn rate above 10% are bailing water and are likely to have issues that need to be addressed. Thankfully, there are proven steps that can be taken to better manage these numbers.

Figure Out Why Churn is Happening

Even when churn rates are acceptable, it can be beneficial to proactively determine why any churn is occurring. While churn rates may be acceptable or even good, there are signs that you may be heading into choppy seas. Here is a look at some common symptoms.

Low Engagement

When member engagement wanes, it is often a sign that disinterest is growing, which can lead to churn. This is why keeping your members engaged in your organization is crucial.

Remember, disinterest can lead to a lack of member engagement, which can result in higher membership churn rates. Look for ways to keep members involved and engaged. This can be anything from polls and surveys to contests and referral campaigns. There are probably a number of wasted member engagement opportunities you may not be fully taking advantage of. Take an inventory of these opportunities and how you can better employ them.

Missing or Late Dues

Unpaid and late dues are a red flag when it comes to member churn. When dues are late or unpaid, it frequently means there is a lack of interest, and membership is no longer a priority.

It is important to monitor dues and subscription payments, giving members plenty of notice, reasons to renew, and perhaps even incentives. Even when members cancel, they may be able to be restored at some future time.

Diminishing Contributions

Another sign of growing member churn is when a nonprofit begins to see its overall and average donations shrink. This could be a sign that some members have discovered a new nonprofit to champion or have simply lost faith in your organization.

If you are at a loss for why contributions may be dwindling, ask your members with a “How are we doing?” survey. If members aren’t thinking about you, you may be losing their support. Member management software can help you track shrinking donations from individuals, providing an opportunity to proactively address them.

Not Taking Advantage of Membership Benefits

One of the reasons they offer member benefits is to attract members initially and to retain them. When members no longer take advantage of these benefits, they may not perceive them as having value. They also may not simply be aware of them.

Getting members to take advantage of benefits available to them should be a part of your member engagement strategy. Remember, when it comes time for renewal, members will weigh costs vs the perceived value they get in return. Keep member benefits pertinent and appealing, and take steps to make sure they are being utilized.

If you haven’t recently conducted a member survey regarding what benefits they would like to see more of, now may be a good time to ask. It also serves as yet another way you can engage them.

Best Ways to Reduce Membership Churn

So, you may realize your member churn rate may be higher than you would like, and you may even recognize some of the symptoms. What, then, are some of the best ways to reduce membership churn?

Have a Solid Member Onboarding Sequence

Minimizing churn in any organization starts by ensuring you have a well crafted, member onboarding process.

This starts with a warm and sincere welcome and extends through a complete explanation of member benefits. Detail what your organization does and why. Encourage them to be involved and demonstrate ways they can make a difference. Make them aware that if they have any questions and concerns, you are there to help.

Be Accessible to Your Members

Knowing how your members prefer to be contacted and making your organization accessible are key components in limiting churn. The lines of communication must be kept as seamless as possible, and a prompt response to any inquiries is crucial.

Provide Alternatives to Canceling

Too often, an organization and its members view cancellations as a black and white issue. In fact, there are alternatives to accepting a cancelation that should be offered to reduce churn.

A reduced or special rate may be an option. Perhaps a lower support level could help maintain support, at least at some level. There are value-added features you may be able to offer. Ideally, you want to say to a member, “Rather than canceling your membership, how about….?” If you can finish the sentence with an attractive alternative, you may have just reduced member churn.

Keep Creating Engaging Content

One of the reasons members are driven to an organization or association is to stay connected and in contact. This is frequently done through news and industry updates. Keeping the content available to your members up-to-date, accurate, and pertinent to them is vital.

Provide examples of how national or world events impact them and your organization. Offer them tips and human interest stories. The fresher and more actionable your content is, the more value you are delivering to your audience.

Educational opportunities are perceived as having great value to members of an association. Keep members on top of trends and technology.

Pre-qualify Your Offering And Your Leads

Another factor that can lead to high turnover or churn is that it is likely that some of those in your organization may not belong in the first place. They may be joining just for a particular benefit. They may not have a real interest in the organization or a reason to maintain membership.

You can reduce member churn by pre-qualifying candidates for membership to ensure they are quality leads. Like customers, no two members are created the same. Ideally, you want an organization of active, involved, and supportive members.

Pre-qualifying leads can make your organization stronger and minimize membership churn.

Don’t Over-hype or Mis-sell Your Membership

Sure, you want to increase members and supporters. Of course, you would like to increase your ranks and income. Just be aware that activities used to increase membership can lead to higher member turnover rates. If you oversell your organization, ove-rhype its activities, and over-promote your benefits, it can lead to disappointment and cancellations.

Organizations can sometimes be distracted by the lure of a shiny new member so that they forget that an uninvolved, uninterested, and unengaged one has little value. They may, in fact, be a cost to the organization. To reduce member churn, focus on increasing the quality of your membership. Maintain the integrity of your sales/recruiting process. It will pay off in a lower membership churn.

Key Points

In review, the key points in managing and reducing membership churn include:

• Know Your Churn Rate

If you are not tracking your churn rate, start now. Measure and track it by the month or year. Organizations that have churn rates affected seasonally can benefit from tracking them quarterly. The higher your churn rate, the more effort it will take to reduce it.

• Look for Symptoms

Higher churn rates have symptoms. They could include late payments or missing payments. Contributions may be down. Member engagement may be lagging. Interest and energy could be lacking.

• Reduce Membership Churn by Addressing Symptoms

Knowing the symptoms of a high churn rate is one thing, addressing and correcting them is another.

If members aren’t engaged, purposely and intentionally engage them. If contributions are down, determine why. Stay on top of renewal payments and monitor them closely. Improve and upgrade content and educational opportunities.

• Review Your Onboarding Process

Are candidates qualified? Review your membership benefits to make sure they appeal to members and are being taken advantage of. Ensure communications are seamless, and member contact is handled through the member’s preferred methods. Provide members with easy-to-understand details of what the organization does, how it does it, and statistical data to back up its effectiveness.

• Think Quality, Not Just Quantity

There is a cost to membership churn. It wastes energy, time, and resources. Churn can stall momentum and impact morale.

When you raise your standards and seek to improve the quality of your membership roster, you are building an organization of long-term supporters. You are building a community of people who are easier to keep engaged and who will take advantage of member benefits. Not only will support improve and membership strengthen, but you will also reduce membership churn.

• Factors Beyond Your Control

While there are certainly are steps you can take to manage membership churn, the reality is some factors remain out of your control.

These can include: the economy, employment data, and inflation. There may even be factors locally that may impact membership churn. A large lay-off at a local or regional employer, for example. You may want to make note of these when tracking churn rate.

Conclusion

Even though membership churn and customer turnover are a normal aspect of organizations, associations, and businesses, they can still be a source of frustration. Even organizations with acceptable or low membership churn rates can view them as wasteful or even as a sign of failure.

The good news is, as we have learned, there are steps your organization can take in reducing membership churn. It is also important to note that there is technology available to assist in membership management and membership churn.

We encourage you to learn more at MemberClicks. Let’s connect members to your mission!

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