3 Methods for a Personal Approach to Member Onboarding

When a new member joins an association, they might feel a little lost. It is your job as a board to make them feel welcomed and ensure they have all of the resources they need to make the most out of their membership. Sure, you can send a welcome email to your new member and you should. It is important, however, to connect even further. This can be done through a mentorship program, webinar, or group meeting.

1.     Mentorship program.

Either utilize your membership committee or create a new committee that serves the purpose of welcoming new members. Each member of the committee would then be assigned to a new member. They can either reach out to the new member via a phone call, a coffee meet up, or at one of your association’s events. This designated contact will give the new member a friendly face to look for and a resource in their transition into the organization.

2.     Webinar.

If there are many details involved with the benefits of your organization, it might be a good idea to do a quarterly webinar for new members. This webinar could go over the ins and outs of their membership and would allow a time for the new members to ask any questions they might have.

3.     Group meeting.

Similar to a webinar, if you are all local to one another, try getting the group of new members together for a happy hour or dinner. This allows for conversation and questions and familiarizes the new members with one another.

Whatever approach you choose to take to further connect with new members, will help to make those members feel a sense of community in the association. This feeling when onboarding can not only make for a happier member but also a better chance of member retention.

4 Ways to Prevent Lapsed Members

Every member of an association adds value in both the experience to other members and financially. It has also been said time and time again that it is easier to retain a member rather than recruit new ones. With that being said, your board should be doing everything possible to retain members! Here are four strategies to keep those members from jumping ship. 

1.     Let them know when their expiration date is official.

They may have ignored previous emails that warned them of their membership ending. An email letting them know that their membership has officially come to an end can give them that extra push to renew. Bold the fact that their membership has expired and list all of the things that they will no longer be able to do without membership.

2.     Follow through with inactivation.

Make sure that your database is maintained accurately. Do not leave someone as a member in your website, assuming that they will pay their dues soon. Marking them as inactive will take away their access, preventing them from being able to follow through with member actions and resources.

3.     Send a past due notice.

If the member has still not renewed after three months, send them a follow-up email to let them know their membership fees are past due. Give them a new due date to pay by and provide them with contact information for any questions.

4.     Send a final message.

The final message should be a thank you for their membership. It can also include a note to the member that their involvement will always be welcomed, should they choose to rejoin in the future.

Staying in consistent communication with lapsed members is the best way to stay at the top of their minds. The goal is for at least one of these reminders to be convincing and catch them at the right time to follow through with renewal.

The New Member Welcome

When you join or sign up for something new, it is always nice to immediately feel like you are getting something out of it. This is no different when it comes to an association. There should be clear steps as to what happens when a new member joins and if these are not already in place, it is time to start brainstorming!

1. Welcome Email. Have your new member automatically receive a welcome email. This email should include a re-explanation of their benefits, information on how to log in to the website, and where to find different resources. This will help them to quickly become familiar with the system and will reach them at the time they are most excited about their membership.

2. Buddy System. Appoint someone on the board or a member on the membership committee to buddy up with the newbie. This gives that person a point of contact they can go to with questions, concerns or to get more involved.

3. Check back in. After around 6 months, check back in with the new member to see how they are liking the group. This could be done through a survey or just a quick email. This check-in will let you know if your system needs some changes for future new members.

Creating these onboarding steps will help to ensure member retention and growth. The happier the member is the more likely they will be to refer the organization to a friend and to stay in the group themselves.

Let your Members do the Talking

Your board might have dozens of strategies on how to attract new members but the simplest and cheapest way to grow membership is through your current membership. People are more likely to join your organization if they hear about the positive experience someone else is having in it rather than seeing a list of benefits spelled out on your website.

Don’t get me wrong. Having a clear list of benefits is important, however, word of mouth makes a bigger impact. Word of mouth creates a sense of trust that other methods can not imitate. You might be wondering now how to get your members involved with spreading the word and we’ve got a few options for you!

·      Referral program. Offer an incentive for members to reach out to potential members. This could be a discount on their membership, a gift card, or something else creative. Make this program and it’s guidelines clear to all of membership so that you don’t have the same 5 people bringing in all of the new members.

·      Surprise your members. Go outside the box and provide members with something that is not already expected. When members get the benefits that they are promised, they do not see it as something worth sharing with others. They are getting what they paid for, however, if you give them something they didn’t see on their radar, it gets them talking! This could come in a variety of forms.

o   Send a gift card to someone who comes to the majority of your monthly meetings.

o   Do a member spotlight on your website highlighting the member

o   Send a card to congratulate a member on a promotion

The options are endless. When doing these special things for members make sure that they are reasonable, repeatable, and relevant. You want to do things that could be done for a variety of members rather than singling out a member. This will create a bigger buzz to potential members. When depending on members to spread the word, it is important that the board is also involved. The board should be setting the example for members. By reaching out to the community and creating incentive, you should see your membership start to grow.