A majority of associations follow a calendar year for their fiscal year, meaning one of the busiest seasons is on the horizon. As most association leaders know, the renewal process can often be tricky. People tend to put paying for their membership off as long as they possibly can. Here are a few suggestions we have in order to keep renewals as painless and stress-free as possible.
Set up an automated system. If you use a membership management software like Wild Apricot or Your Membership, you can set your members up to automatically renew. They do have the option to reject this type of renewal, but many will choose it in order to save themselves work in the future.
Sell it in the subject. When emailing membership about their renewals, make sure to make your subject line attention-grabbing. This might mean including a date or deadline that will stand out to the member. Even if they don’t open the email, they will know when the deadline is for renewal.
Remind members why they are members. In your messages to members, make sure to thank them for being a member over the past year and remind them of their benefits. If they weren’t utilizing them over the last year, they might forget why they joined in the first place.
Be prepared for slow members. Some members who want to renew, will still not do so in time. Provide a grace period for these members and continue to push renewal for an extended period of time.
By preparing and having a backup plan, you will ensure a higher retention rate for your membership! This time of year does not have to be as painful as it has been in years past.