Blog
Partnership v. Membership: Defining Terms
Lewis and I are both going to take a crack at this topic, and I’ve elected to go first. I see partnership and membership as being founded on the same broad idea: individuals or organizations…
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Partnership v. Membership: Untangling the Knot
I’m excited to announce a new blog series I’ll be writing with Lewis Flax, the founder of Flax Associates, a consulting firm that helps nonprofits support their objectives through establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with corporations….
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Membership Q&A: When Should I Ask Them to Join?
What is the ideal time to ask a prospect to join? This is actually two questions: When in the cycle of relationship should I invite a prospect to join? When in the cycle of the…
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Membership Q&A: Why Won’t They Join?
Why aren’t our prospects joining our association? They don’t see value in joining. Let’s unpack that a little bit. The reason they don’t see value in joining may be because they don’t see it YET,…
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Membership Q&A: Maximizing Revenue AND Participation
What dues rates will maximize both revenue and participation? That’s a good one! This question actually came in from a client, and here’s what I told them: The perils of pricing too high are obvious…
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Membership Q&A: Networking Events
What is the best type of networking event to hold to get the maximum member engagement? It depends. I know, I say that a lot. I’ve participated in – or seen – all kinds of…
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Membership Q&A: What’s the Most Effective Renewal Cycle?
When is the best time of the year to begin renewal communications to members? How many notices should we send? Should we send paper or electronic notices? What should we send WITH the notices? I hate to…
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Membership Q&A: Don’t Leave Us!
What’s the #1 reason a long-standing member would not renew? As Dr. Theodore Woodward of the University of Maryland School of Medicine taught his med students in the 1940: “When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses…
Read More →Membership Q&A: How Much Is TOO Much?
How many follow up touch points is too many follow up touch points? When are we just getting annoying? A good general rule is: As long as you’re still getting enough response to justify the…
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Membership Q&A: Who Makes the Call?
Who should make contact around things like joining and renewing: other members or staff? Member-to-member (or member-to-prospect) communications can be very effective, IF you can persuade your members to actually make the calls. We’re often tempted…
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