Let us guess: member turnover on your mind?
No matter the season, every association professional worries over the loss of a hard earned member.
Harder still is catching those members who come into your association for one sole reason and then slip away without even a goodbye.
If you’re looking to catch these folks before they leave, check out these five methods you should try to retain those one-and-done members of your association.
1. Remind Your Members of the Benefits
If a member joined your association for one purpose only, it’s your goal to remind them of the numerous other benefits they get as a perk of their membership (think incentives!). One of the best ways of clearly advertising these benefits is to post and promote in any of the following locations:
- Your website
- Your e-newsletter
- Your social media pages
- Your member landing page
- Your invoice renewal
2. Catch Lack of Engagement Early
Don’t wait until your members are already halfway out the door before you start trying to re-engage with them. So, when’s the best time? Think onboarding! Reaching them early will help them (and you) identify all of their additional interests in your association and keep them hooked for longer.
We recommend gathering this information by providing a new member survey to gauge what their expectations are compared to what your association can provide. This data will allow you to hopefully find the intel you need to recommend other programs that would be a better fit for their regular schedule.
PS: if you’re not already using it, membership management software can help you keep your finger on the pulse of your membership. Learn more about how Memberclicks can help you today!
3. Open Two-Way Communication
Everyone wants to feel like they can (and should) provide feedback, as it’s one way we can feel validated that we are being heard by those around us. Similarly, you want this sentiment to be felt by your members when it comes to new initiatives being acted out by your association.
You’ll have a better chance of retaining these one-and-done members if they feel comfortable coming to your team for help and/or criticism as opposed to being shut down. So make it clear on your contact page that you’re open to hearing any feedback – good and bad! Otherwise, you’ll only give them more reason to turn to the door.
4. Use Your Membership Committee
Think about it: you have a whole task force for the very purpose of engaging with your members, so it’s a great place to start focusing on these outlier members! See if you can get your membership committee to start giving members quarterly or semi-annual calls to just check-in.
You could even provide a standard check-in questionnaire to ask points like:
- What was the last event you attended?
- What has been your favorite part of being a member?
- Do you have any constructive feedback for leadership to change?
- Do you have any interest in joining a committee?
5. Public Recognition from Your Association
Member or not, people like to feel appreciated for their hard work! If your one-and-done member joined for a stand alone event, you need to make sure that you recognize them in a public format so they can associate that praise with the work they did for your association.
We recommend one of these formats for quick and easy recognition:
- Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn
- Your Annual Meeting (Slideshow / Brochure / New Member Stand Up)
- Your Newsletter
Racking your brain thinking of other ways to retain your members? Membership retention is the engine that keeps your organization running…but is your renewal process up to the task? Check out our guide, the Membership Retention Kit, to start doing these best practices today!
