Impact’s team member, Heather, recently watched a webinar on Member Retention by YourMembership. Heather reported back to the team with many creative ideas and suggestions that she learned from this webinar.
The video mentioned that a member is going to decide whether they will renew in the first 3 months. This proves how crucial communication is when welcoming a member. It is important to show the new member their importance to the association and inform them of all benefits and resources the membership includes. This increased communication, however, cannot stop after the initial welcome. It is crucial to maintain a consistent line of communication between the board and members. The members need to be reminded of why they chose to become a member in the first place. This can be as simple as sharing industry related news or updating them on changes within the board.
At the end of the day, however, you are still going to lose some members. One option that YourMembership suggested is conducting an exit survey. This should include something positive such as, “What did you gain from being a member?” Questions like this can remind the member of the perks before exiting and could influence their decision. The exit survey should also include questions that give further insight into why members are leaving. Questions can include “Why do you not want to renew?”, “What would have made you want to renew?”, or “When did you decide not to renew?” Information like this can help the board understand what steps to take next.
Next steps could include adding more benefits, implementing better communication, or recognizing when members make their decision. It is a lot easier to retain a member than to recruit a new one. Putting time an energy into your current members can show a large payoff.
